Just one week from fall classes starting, the Ohio State men's basketball team has one spot remaining on the 2026-27 roster. It is one of the worst-kept secrets in town that former Buckeye center Christoph Tilly is rumored to be someone that Ohio State is considering "adding" to the team ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Tilly, a German-born 7-footer who played three seasons at Santa Clara before finishing up his college career at Ohio State last season, recently gained one additional year of college eligibility thanks to a July 31 injunction by U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver, Colorado. For now, this will allow players from the class of 2022 (last year's seniors) to play one final season. This ruling comes in the wake of the NCAA's new "5 for 5" rule, where college athletes will have five years to play five seasons. Last year's seniors were not eligible for this benefit — until this ruling.
That means formerly ineligible players like Tilly — who put his name into the transfer portal in April just in case something like this happened — are now eligible to play one final season.
A source close to the Ohio State program confirmed to Land-Grant Holy Land that Tilly is someone Ohio State is "considering" using the final roster spot on, but that's all. There is no agreement in place to bring Tilly back at this time, although it is a possibility as we inch closer to the fall semester beginning.
The center position is Ohio State's biggest unknown at the moment. If Tilly was to come back, he would immediately become the most "sure" thing the Buckeyes would have at the position. The 7-footer averaged 11 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a career-high 2.3 assists per game last season, while starting 32 of Ohio State's 34 games.
If it's not Tilly, Ohio State will likely start Ivan Njegovan or Josh Ojianwuna at center in November. Njegovan has made progress this summer, but still averaged just 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds last season as a sophomore. Ojianwuna, who played his first three seasons at Baylor, has played in 87 career games and owns a career shooting percentage of 70.4%. However, Ojianwuna has not played in a collegiate game since February 2025. He rehabbed his knee surgery with Ohio State all of last season, and is expected to compete with Njegovan for the starting center spot.
Tilly has played nearly as many games in his career (118) as Ivan Njeogvan and Ojianwuna combined (138), and his career points scored (1,140) is almost double what Njegovan and Ojianwuna have scored combined (576). If Tilly was to return, Ohio State would immediately have a starting-caliber center on board to anchor what currently looks like Ohio State's weakest position.
The German-born center also stepped up his passing last season, finishing third on the team in assists (74). He was the first Ohio State center to finish a season with 60 or more assists since Kaleb Wesson did it (60) during the 2019-20 season.
As of right now, Ohio State does not have another center on the roster with the ability to distribute and get others involved. Sure, that's a skill that can be developed over time, but Ohio State's three main options at center — Njegovan, Ojianwuna, and Kentucky transfer Andrija Jelavic — recorded a combined 56 assists in their most recent season (using Ojianwuna's 2024-25 stats to include his most recent season).
Tilly was also used to break the full court press quite a bit last year because he can move with the ball and Jake Diebler trusts him to make the correct pass. He has a skillset that unique from the big men Ohio State currently has on the roster.
As nice as it would be to add a double-digit scorer who has scored over 1,100 career points to the team in late August, there are also reasons to stop and wonder if it is the correct decision at this point in time.
First and foremost, nobody knows how the legal process will unfold for the class of 2022. They were not included in the 5-for-5 rule initially. Now, by order of a judge, this group of players are eligible….. for now. Who's to say the NCAA does not appeal, go to court, and in a month those players are once again ruled ineligible? What if the ruling is reversed during the season? If Ohio State has multiple "options" to fill this final roster spot, do they want to use it on a player who could potentially be ruled ineligible (again) before the season begins?
Another obvious aspect to consider is team chemistry and — to an extent — loyalty to the players who have been with the program the entire summer. Adding Tilly to the mix would completely shake up how minutes are spread out, and several players' roles will change in response to bringing him in.
For example, Ojianwuna has been rehabbing his knee from a torn ACL for well over a year. He did not transfer to Ohio State, slowly grind away at physical therapy for 18 months, and get fully cleared just to become an on-again, off-again backup center. His minutes would take a hit with Tilly returning.
Likewise, Njegovan would also really have to scrap for minutes this year if Tilly, who he backed up last season, was able to come back for another season. He may not have been Ohio State's starting center anyway, but the junior big man could potentially slip from backup center or "co-starter" to third-string center.
Guys like Njegovan and Ojianwuna have been with the program for longer than Tilly has. They have been practicing with the team all summer, went on the "international" trip to Puerto Rico, and have been working with "new" strength and conditioning coach Dave Richardson all summer long. Ohio State's practice shirts say "Winning Over Everything," but certainly loyalty to the program holds some value as well, right? Bringing back Tilly would be a big shakeup this deep into the off-season, and the coaching staff may not want to upset the apple cart, so to speak.
