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Ohio State commit Marcus Johnson turns down prep schools to stay in-state at Garfield Heights
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- Ohio State commit Marcus Johnson turns down prep schools to stay in-state at Garfield Heights
Marcus Johnson had plenty of options for his senior year.
A number of prep schools hosted him on visits. Marketing people promised him name, image and likeness deals should he leave Ohio. He was also told there would be opportunities to showcase his game on a more national stage.
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In the end, he decided there's no place like home. After weighing his options, the reigning Ohio Mr. Basketball and Ohio State verbal commitment will remain at Garfield Heights for his senior season.
"It wasn't my decision," Johnson said. "It was God's decision. I just prayed that God would give me signs where I should be, that wherever I go, I'll be successful at. I feel like the signs were to stay home. I believe I will be successful next year."
As a junior, Johnson averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game while helping Garfield Heights reach the Division III state semifinals. He had 25 points through three quarters of that 49-48 loss to eventual champion Louisville before a hard fall caused him to miss part of the fourth quarter.
It was a tough way for the season to end, and it could have spelled the end of his prep career in Ohio. Many highly rated players have left the state of late, transferring elsewhere to play a national schedule or capitalize on their ability to make money through NIL, which is prohibited at the prep level in Ohio. The Buckeyes have two verbal commitments in 2026, and the other, four-star forward Alex Smith, will play for Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Prolific Prep as a senior after spending his first three years at Upper Arlington .
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Johnson's father and coach, Sonny, said he made sure Marcus considered all this.
"He's done everything I need for him to do at Garfield Heights as far as taking the team to a state final four, winning Mr. Basketball, player of the year," Sonny Johnson said. "He's done a lot of good things. Now it's about time he does something for him. I wanted it to be his decision on what he wanted to do."
Garfield Heights Marcus Johnson drives the lane as Reynoldsburg's Tejuan Barbour defends during the 2024 Jared Sullinger Play-By-Play Classic.
The family took visits to Chandler (Arizona) AZ Compass Prep and Long Island (New York) Lutheran, two schools that are part of the eight-team Nike EYBL Scholastic league and play a national schedule against other prep schools. There were talks with renowned prep schools Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy and Mouth of Wilson (Virginia) Oak Hill Academy.
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Then it was up to Marcus Johnson to make a prayerful decision.
"They were all great schools," Sonny Johnson said. "I liked a lot of them, but it has to be something that he wanted to do. We lean on God with a lot of decisions we make, so I'm pretty sure if God was telling him it was time to go, he would go. As a dad, you just don't want to do (anything) that's going to hurt your kid."
A 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard, Marcus Johnson is the No. 27 player in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.com. He is the highest-rated player to play all four years with an Ohio High School Athletic Association team or teams since Darius Bazley played his first two years at Springfield Township Finneytown and his final two at Princeton. He was the No. 23 national prospect in the 2018 class.
He earned Ohio Mr. Basketball honors, following in his father's footsteps and making them the first father-son duo to earn the award . Winning it a second time would make him the seventh player to receive the honor multiple times and the first since Franklin's Luke Kennard in 2014 and 2015.
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In three years with Sonny Johnson as coach and Marcus Johnson at point guard, Garfield Heights is 72-9. Sonny Johnson said he's not had a losing season in 20 years of coaching the Bulldogs.
"We turned down money to go to prep schools," Sonny Johnson said. "We turned down over a hundred some thousand to go to prep schools. He's turned down marketing people that can get him NIL money now if he went to prep schools. All the top players in the state of Ohio, for the most part, when they have this kind of opportunity, they're going to leave."
More: Ohio State to host Anthony Thompson, Ohio's top-rated senior in nearly 15 years, on visit
Sonny Johnson said he has spoken with others in similar situations. At Inglewood (California) High School, former professional basketball player Jason Crowe is coaching his son, Jason Crowe Jr. He's the No. 5 prospect in the 2026 class, and he is not playing for a prep school as a senior. Sonny Johnson also noted that the last two one-and-done players signed by Ohio State played at traditional high schools, not academies: Brice Sensabaugh from Orlando Lake Highland Prep and Malaki Branham from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
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This year, Sonny Johnson said he'll be working with Buckeyes coach Jake Diebler to make sure Marcus Johnson is doing everything necessary to be fully prepared to arrive at Ohio State and contribute. He's going to hire a nutritionist for his son, align his weight room workouts to Ohio State's and provide him the best support system he can.
Along the way, there will be the chance to experience one more year as both father and son and coach and player. Sonny Johnson said he's been walking into the gym with "my head held high" while thinking of enjoying the moments they're going to spend together.
Garfield Heights' Marcus Johnson takes a shot over Hoban's John Johnson in a Division I regional semifinal on March 13, 2024.
The chance to stay home, play for his dad and chase a championship in Ohio was something Marcus Johnson said was important to him.
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"I want to leave a legacy," he said. "Me being loyal to Garfield's program and to my dad coaching me and the state, it's big for me. I want people to realize that and know I love the state. Being here all four years, being impactful, it's a blessing.
"I'm ready to run it back at Garfield. I'm ready to do big things this year. I'm ready to be special, the most special player who's ever come out of Garfield. I'm ready to win a championship."
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: Marcus Johnson staying at Garfield Heights before playing at Ohio State
