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From Oden to Buford, here's the other 5-stars Ohio State landed before Anthony Thompson
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- From Oden to Buford, here's the other 5-stars Ohio State landed before Anthony Thompson
Ohio State's 2026 recruiting class will include the type of player the Buckeyes haven't seen in some time.
On Oct. 21, five-star forward Anthony Thompson from Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy announced his commitment to the Buckeyes . In doing so, he became the first five-star prospect to pick the program in more than 15 years.
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A 6-foot-8, 205-pound lefty, Thompson is the No. 7 prospect nationally, the No. 2 small forward and the top player from Ohio in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.com. His current composite score is 0.9974.
Anthony Thompson commitment : Anthony Thompson becomes Ohio State's first five-star commitment since Jared Sullinger
Which other five-star players have previously chosen Ohio State? Here's the list. All rankings are according to 247Sports.com.
(Prior to 2011, the website only published a composite ranking that took into account major national recruiting rankings. Since then, the website has also published its own rankings, which creates one caveat: D'Angelo Russell was a five-star prospect in the 2014 composite but only a four-star player in the 247Sports rankings.)
Ohio State's Greg Oden dribbles against Tennessee in the first half of a game on March 22, 2007.
Greg Oden, 2006
The highest-rated Ohio State recruit in the database, Oden was the top prospect in his class and earned a perfect 1.0000 score in the composite . The product of Indianapolis Lawrence North, Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds while playing in 32 games for the Buckeyes, despite an injury to his right wrist that forced him to shoot free-throws left-handed.
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He was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Byron "B.J." Mullens, 2008
Two years after Oden's one season on campus, the Buckeyes welcomed in a similarly ranked big man. The 7-foot-1, 265-pound Mullens had a score of 0.9989 in the composite. A Canal Winchester native who played for Harvest Prep, Mullens came off the bench for the Buckeyes and averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds while playing 20.3 minutes per game.
He was named the Big Ten's sixth man of the year and was taken with the No. 24 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Ohio State center Jared Sullinger reacts after scoring on Kansas during the first half an NCAA Final Four game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, March 31, 2012.
Jared Sullinger, 2010
Another big man from Central Ohio, Sullinger was the No. 3 recruit in the composite with a score of 0.9983. Sullinger, 6-foot-9, 280-pounds, turned down the chance to be a one-and-done player and returned to Ohio State for his sophomore season before being taken No. 21 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
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A two-time consensus all-American, Sullinger averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in 74 games for the Buckeyes.
William Buford scored 1,990 points in 145 career games with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
William Buford, 2008
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound product of Toledo Libbey is one of the most prolific scorers in Ohio State history. Buford posted a rating of 0.9920 in the composite and went on to register 1,990 points in 145 career games, the third-best total in school history.
Buford, who averaged 13.7 points per game, shot 38.5% from 3-point range for his career. He also went on to earn his degree.
Ohio State's Daequan Cook steals an Iowa pass during a game on January 20, 2007.
Daequan Cook, 2006
One of three one-and-done players from the same recruiting class, Cook was a 6-foot-4, 185-pound shooting guard from Dayton Dunbar who came off the bench in his lone year with the program. Cook averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing 19.7 minutes per game for an Ohio State team that made the national championship game.
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Cook had a composite ranking of 0.9915. He was taken No. 21 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.
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: Ohio State men's basketball's history with five-star recruits
