Ohio State women's basketball begin its 2026-27 campaign tonight, which means the possible return of redshirt sophomore Kylee Kitts to the starting lineup.
Last year, the transfer turned day one starter brought a famous last name and a hugely promising start for her collegiate career. That is until injury derailed a season that began strong.
Now, in year two, what can fans of the Scarlet and Gray expect from the Floridian?
Name: Kylee Kitts
Position: Forward
Class: Redshirt sophomore
High School: Hagerty High School (Oviedo, Florida)
2025-26 Stats:7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 apg, 43.2 FG%, 33.3 3PT FG%, 80.0 FT%
Ohio State brought in Kitts, and the last name alone brought excitement for fans.
South Carolina Gamecock fans, and women's basketball followers in general, know the ability of Kitts' big sister Chloe Kitts. That elevated a transfer of a freshman who did not play in year one with the Florida Gators, where the native Floridian was red shirted.
It was clear that Kitts transferred so the forward could get onto the court and head coach Kevin McGuff more than obliged.
Although Kitts' youth showed early in games, there were usually always a few minutes where Kitts took over the game with rebounds and timely shots. Against the UConn Huskies, when the Big East side dismantled the young Buckeyes 100-68, Kitts showed the potential and why she earned a starting role so quickly.
Kitts was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal defensive game for the Scarlet and Gray. Kitts only scored nine points but grabbed 10 rebounds and added three blocks. It was not a bad start for the athlete who switched recruiting classes and could have been on a high school roster.
As the season went on, those youthful moments gave way to strong performances.
Kitts had five double-doubles in year one and all of them came in the first 19 games, where the forward started each one. In that time, Kitts averaged 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Where the season turned for Kitts was on Martin Luther King Jr. Day when the Buckeyes faced the TCU Horned Frogs at the Coretta Scott King Classic. Late in the eventual win over the Big 12 side, Kitts locked arms, trying to earn possession away but a strong swim move by TCU hurt Kitts' shoulder.
After Kitts missed a couple weeks, the redshirt freshman returned but never to the starting lineup.
So a near double-double average to start the season turned into a 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game average in Kitts' remaining 11 games.
Kitts is a modern forward. What that means is that at 6-foot-4 the size is there, but not as a means to carve space inside the paint with force.
When Kitts gets inside, it's using finesse. The forward will go to the rim but use her length to move around defenders and take advantage of space.
The other element of this kind of forward is the deep shooting and range. In women's basketball, especially at most power conference schools, players have to have a shot, unless they are more of a traditional No. 5 role. Kitts showed that kind of deep scoring threat, especially as the season went on.
When it comes to rebounding, Kitts' size and speed gives her an advantage over most players on the court. Ohio State needs all the rebounding it can get and a healthy Kitts will go a long way with how strong the then redshirt freshman was on the boards before going down with injury.
The big still wears a shoulder brace when practicing, so it is unsure if there are still lingering issues for Kitts. If not, Kitts is a starter for the Buckeyes, as the redshirt sophomore proved in the first half of her first year at Ohio State.
If there are concerns, the forward still played last year after the TCU game, so barring any further complication, Kitts will produce for Ohio State.
With one season under her belt, Kitts will get closer to her potential as a consistent double-double threat for McGuff's side.
Should Kitts and Elsa Lemmilä stay healthy, the duo will be formidable inside the paint.
Below is a highlight reel from Kitts' first collegiate double-double. It includes Kitts' ability to shoot from the outside, defend inside and move as a quick big.
Miss any player previews? Here's the list so far:
