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From No. 14-8, our 2025-26 Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings
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- From No. 14-8, our 2025-26 Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings
As the start to the Ohio State men's basketball season approaches, it's time to take stock of the 2025-26 Buckeyes .
Led by second-year coach Jake Diebler, Ohio State was picked to finish ninth in the annual preseason media poll conducted jointly by The Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star. The Buckeyes are also widely projected to reach the NCAA Tournament and end a three-year absence.
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To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings but in a different form. Starting Oct. 30, we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles in the 2025-26 season.
ESPN's NCAA Tournament projection: Where is Ohio State men's basketball in ESPN's latest NCAA Tournament projection?
Ohio State's roster features 14 players, half of whom are new to the program.
On Oct. 31, we'll unveil Nos. 7-1. First, we count up from Nos. 14-8.
No. 14 – Myles Herro
The Skinny: A freshman guard from Milwaukee, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound Herro was a late addition to the roster . He was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports.com after averaging 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game as a senior.
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The Projection: It will be hard for anyone on the roster to steal many minutes from starting guards Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr., and that is extra true for a raw, young player like Herro. He was the final available Buckeye to see playing time in the exhibition against Ohio. A redshirt season might be a possibility.
One fun fact: Herro's older brother, Tyler, played for Kentucky and was coached by Ohio State associate head coach Joel Justus before being taken with the No. 13 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Myles Herro (8) dribbles up court past Ohio Bobcats guard Jesse Burris (21) during the NCAA preseason exhibition game at Value City Arena in Columbus on Oct. 26, 2025. Ohio State won 103-74.
No. 13 – Braylen Nash
The Skinny: A walk-on guard who played at New Albany, Nash appeared in nine games as a freshman and knocked down the only shot he attempted all season – a 3-pointer against Youngstown State.
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The Projection: Like Herro, Nash will primarily be counted on to contribute on scout team. A respected shooter among his peers, Nash does have a unique skill that got him onto the court against Ohio: When the Buckeyes needed to go the length of the court in the final seconds of a half, Nash was the designated inbound passer due to his ability to accurately throw the ball deep down the court.
One fun fact: During the summer, Nash and his family appeared on two episodes of the television game show "Family Feud," where they eventually took home the top prize .
Braylen Nash
No. 12 – Josh Ojianwuna
The Skinny: A three-year player at Baylor, Ojianwuna was on the back half of his first year as a starter when a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee cost him the final 12 games of the season. He entered the transfer portal and signed with Ohio State thanks in part to a bond with assistant coach Luke Simons, who was on the Bears staff for two seasons. Ojianwuna averaged 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 23 games, all starts, last year.
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The Projection: If he was clearly going to play this season, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Ojianwuna would be significantly higher on this list. Instead, his status for the year remains a mystery as he works to get back from his knee surgery. He's steadily progressing, but it's entirely possible that Ojianwuna takes a medical redshirt and does not suit up for the Buckeyes until 2026-27.
One fun fact: A native of Nigeria, Ojianwuna wears multiple plastic bracelets around his wrists including one that reads "Gentleman Of Joy." Joy is an acronym, standing for "Jesus Over Yourself."
No. 11 – Colin White
The Skinny: It took White a few years of dogged work to earn a scholarship offer from Ohio State , and once it arrived, the Ottawa (Ohio) Ottawa-Glandorf star didn't wait long before committing as part of the class of 2024. He was able to carve out a role off Diebler's bench as a freshman, but a leg injury suffered in the sixth game of the season would linger and eventually require offseason surgery . In 19 appearances, White scored 21 points and grabbed 20 rebounds while averaging 8.0 minutes per appearance.
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The Projection: Diebler found room in the rotation for White as a freshman, and his toughness and defensive versatility positioned him for more responsibilities as a sophomore. The problem is that the 6-foot-6, 220-pound White missed nearly the entire offseason while recovering from his injury. He still figures to factor into the rotation, but preseason expectations for him are tempered due to so much missed time.
One fun fact: White is one of only two Ohioans to start on a state final four team in all four years of high school. The other is LeBron James.
Colin White
No. 10 – Taison Chatman
The Skinny: The highest-rated recruit on the roster, Chatman has had an unfortunate run with injuries since his arrival in the 2023 class. A knee injury cost him the preseason before his freshman year, and a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered after that season forced him to take a medical redshirt for the 2024-25 season. In two years, Chatman has only appeared in 17 games.
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The Projection: Chatman is, at least, healthy and ready to make an impact. The backcourt is crowded, but Chatman has something that most of the rest of the Ohio State guards don't: size. Chatman measures in at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, and that frame makes him a viable candidate for a spot in a three-guard lineup with Mobley and Thornton. He's got rust to shake off, but there's arguably no player on the roster hungrier to make an impact.
One fun fact: Before coming to Ohio State, Chatman helped Minneapolis Totino-Grace win consecutive state titles in 2022 and 2023. In his final game, Chatman had 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Taison Chatman (at right)
No. 9 – Mathieu Grujicic
The Skinny: A freshman with significant European experience, Grujicic most recently played for FC Barcelona's U18 team where he averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. During the summer, he played for Germany in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket competition and averaged a tournament-best 24.6 points per game.
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The Projection: Grujicic has proven himself to be a prolific scorer at every level of competition, but it looks like it might take some time for those skills to translate to high-major college basketball . The preseason talk centered on the speed of the game still being a little fast for Grujicic, and his defense is clearly a work in progress. He struggled in the exhibition game against the Bobcats, but Grujicic has the size (6-foot-7, 210 pounds) and offensive background to become a real threat for the Buckeyes.
One fun fact: Born in France, Grujicic moved to Germany in 2012, and he considers himself fluent in five languages: Catalan, English, French, German and Serbian.
Ivan Njegovan
No. 8 – Ivan Njegovan
The Skinny: As Ohio State struggled for consistent post play last season, Njegovan flashed his ability but otherwise spent his freshman season as a development project. That could pay dividends this year . A native of Croatia, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound Njegovan is the biggest player on this year's roster and in line for a rotational role this year. He appeared in 21 games last season, scoring 33 points and grabbing 32 rebounds while averaging 5.7 minutes per appearance.
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The Projection: His game has progressed to the point where the Buckeyes are talking about finding opportunities to play Njegovan alongside 7-foot senior center Christoph Tilly. His size and increased physicality have him set up for consistent playing time as a sophomore. Njegovan looks capable and ready to battle the bigs of the Big Ten, at least for a few moments a game.
One fun fact: He was placed on the same team as Thornton in the Kingdom Summer League because the senior guard specifically requested to play with the big man in an effort to further build chemistry.
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @ cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @ AdamJardy .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Preseason Ohio State men's basketball power rankings, from Nos. 14-8
