Roughly one month after landing a massive recruit in the 2026 class, Jake Diebler and the Ohio State coaching staff have decided to keep the good times rolling right into 2027. Earlier today, four-star guard LJ Smith from Lincolnton, North Carolina, announced his commitment to Ohio State.
Smith is listed as the No. 35 player
and the No. 5 combo guard in the 2027 class according to 247Sports, as well as the top-rated player in the state of Virginia. After attending Lincolnton High School for two seasons, where he set the NCHSAA record for points scored in a season by a sophomore (960), Smith announced in August that he was transferring to national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, for the rest of his high school career. Oak Hill has produced some of the game’s greatest players, including Carmelo Anthony, Ty Lawson, Rajon Rondo, and Stephen Jackson.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard chose Ohio State over nearly two dozen other schools that offered him, including Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, Memphis, Texas A&M, Georgetown, and West Virginia.
Ohio State made Smith a priority this summer, offering him a scholarship in June and then hosting the four-star guard two times in August. During the first visit in early August, Smith said he had a “good feeling” with Dieber and the coaching staff, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Smith also said he loved how, when he walked into the Ohio State practice facility, they had a photo of him in an Ohio State jersey that said “Welcome” above it.
“I had a good feeling (with the Ohio State coaches),” he said. “They were family-like, and the track record they have with players they’ve coached and developed is really good.”
Smith then returned for another visit August 29-31 — the same weekend the Ohio State football team faced Texas in Ohio Stadium. He was one of six basketball recruits visiting that weekend, joined by former four-star Ohio State commit/current South Carolina commit Marcus Johnson (2026), five-star Ohio State commit Anthony Thompson (2026), five-star forward Demarcus Henry (2027), four-star guard Joshua Tyson (2027), and five-star forward Kam Mercer (2028).
Smith averaged 33.1 points per game in 29 games as a sophomore at Lincolnton High School last year. He played for Team Thad on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer, averaging 14.1 points and three rebounds per game while shooting 42% from three-point range. He played alongside several other top players this summer, including 2026 four-star Alabama commit Tarris Bouie and 2026 four-star Vanderbilt commit Jackson Sheffield. Smith was the youngest player and the only 2027 player on the team.
He is the sixth top-50 player in the 2027 class to commit to a college program.
Take a look below as former Butler guard (and fellow Oak Hill alum) Tyler Lewis breaks down Smith’s game:
