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Transfer tracker: Which players have been linked with Ohio State in 2024 offseason?
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- Transfer tracker: Which players have been linked with Ohio State in 2024 offseason?
The transfer portal is open and, like all college basketball programs, Ohio State is in the market.
What the Buckeyes will aim to find, and what types of players they will target, will change as time progresses and needs develop. As players make decisions on whether to stay with coach Jake Diebler or enter the portal and move elsewhere, Ohio State's approach and focus on specific position groups will change. The Buckeyes ended the 2023-24 season with all 13 roster spots projected to be taken next year with Jamison Battle and Dale Bonner exhausting their eligibility and incoming freshmen Juni Mobley and Colin White reaffirming their commitments after Diebler was named the full-time coach.
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One spot opened up March 28 when guard Bowen Hardman opted to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. A second spot opened April 1 when wing Scotty Middleton entered the portal with three years of eligiblity remaining. Since then, guard Roddy Gayle Jr. , forward/center Zed Key and center Felix Okpara have followed. Gayle and Okpara have two years of eligibility remaining and Key has one.
One day after Hardman left, Meechie Johnson announced his decision to transfer back to the program where he began his career . Johnson spent the last two years at South Carolina before returning to the Buckeyes for his final season. On April 15, Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw announced his transfer to Ohio State .
On April 20, San Diego State transfer Micah Parrish announced his transfer to the Buckeyes . On May 3, D uke transfer Sean Stewart announced his transfer to Ohio State .
Ohio State has one roster spot available and is looking at adding one more frontcourt piece.
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After a March 26 season-ending loss to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals, Diebler said roster retention will be important as the program enters the offseason .
More on Ohio State transfer portal: As transfer portal opens for them, Ohio State's players staying put for now
Here is a running list of players the Buckeyes have been linked with. Players are listed in alphabetical order. This list will be continuously updated as more names emerge. The transfer portal for new entries closes May 1.
Players linked with Ohio State
Mar 16, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Princeton Tigers guard Matt Allocco (14) shoots against Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) during the second half at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Allocco, Princeton
A graduate transfer with one year remaining , Allocco was named second-team all-conference in each of his final two seasons at Princeton. In 2023-24, he became the ninth player in NCAA history to shoot at least 50% from the field, 40% from three and 90% from the free throw line while averaging at least 10 points per game and playing at least 30 minutes per game. He shot 50.8% from the floor (126 for 248), 90.9% from the free-throw line (70 for 77) and 42.7% from 3 (47 for 110) as Princeton won the Ivy League for a third straight year.
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A 6-4, 197-pound guard, Allocco averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists during three seasons with the Tigers. He is a Hilliard Bradley product, where he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior.
Allocco visited Ohio State but announced an April 17 commitment to Notre Dame .
Tucker Anderson, Central Arkansas
The 2023-24 Atlantic Sun rookie of the year and a member of the all-freshman team, Anderson is a 6-9, 190-pound forward who averaged 14.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 38.1% from 3-point range.
He has three years of eligibility remaining. Anderson visited Ohio State but committed to Utah State on April 29.
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Carey Booth, Notre Dame
A 6-10, 203-pound forward, Booth averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing in 33 games for the Fighting Irish as a freshman. Booth averaged 19.9 minutes per appearance and started 16 games while shooting 39.1% from the floor (75 for 192) and 29.7% from 3 (35 for 118). He finished third on the team in 3-point attempts.
Booth has three years of eligibility remaining. He was the No. 55 national recruit in the 2023 class according to 247Sports.com and a four-star prospect. His father, Calvin, is a Groveport graduate and is the current general manager of the NBA's Denver Nuggets .
Booth has committed to Illinois.
Kentucky Wildcats forward Aaron Bradshaw (2) dunks the ball during their game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Rupp Arena.
Aaron Bradshaw , Kentucky
A former five-star prospect, Bradshaw was the No. 5 national prospect in the 2023 class and the No. 1 center in the country according to 247Sports.com. A Roselle, New Jersey, native, the 7-1, 226-pound Bradshaw appeared in 26 games with 10 starts during his lone season with the Wildcats.
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Bradshaw averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while playing 13.7 minutes per game. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Bradshaw entered the portal and also announced his plans to test his NBA draft stock during the offseason.
He committed to Ohio State on April 15.
Mar 8, 2024; Dayton, Ohio, USA; Dayton Flyers guard Koby Brea (4) shoots the ball against Virginia Commonwealth Rams forward Christian Fermin (21) during the second half of the game at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports
Koby Brea, Dayton
A prolific 3-point shooter, the 6-6, 174-pound Brea has shot 43.4% from 3-point range during his four-year career at Dayton. In 2023-24, Brea was 100 for 201 (49.8%) from deep, a career-best total and the third-best mark in the nation according to KenPom.com. His effective field-goal percentage of 71.5% was second-best nationally according to the website.
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Ohio State is on a lengthy list of schools to contact Brea, a source has told The Dispatch. He has one year of eligiblity remaining and has averaged 7.9 points while appearing in 113 games for the Flyers.
On April 22, On3 reported that Brea had cut his list to five schools: Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, UConn and Kentucky. On May 1, he committed to Kentucky.
Rowan Brumbaugh, Georgetown
In his lone season of college basketball, the 6-4, 183-pound guard from Washington, D.C., averaged 8.3 points and 2.2 rebounds for the Hoyas while starting in 20 of 31 games. Brumbaugh began his career at Texas and redshirted for the 2022-23 season.
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He was a four-star prospect and the No. 132 player in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.com, which rates him as a three-star transfer prospect. Brumbaugh has three years of eligibility remaining.
Ja'Kobe Coles, TCU
A former Butler player, Coles is a 6-7, 225-pound forward from Denton, Texas, who spent the last three seasons at TCU. In 106 career games, Coles has averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds.
Coles played in only six games at Butler before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury in 2020-21. In three years at TCU, he averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds but averaged a career-high 10.0 points and with 3.8 rebounds while missing three games with a right foot injury in 2023-24. Coles led the Horned Frogs with 19 points in 22 minutes off the bench in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 8 seed Utah State.
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Ryan Conwell, Indiana State
According to On3.com, the Buckeyes are among the schools interested in the 6-4, 195-pound Indianapolis Pike product who has played for two schools in as many years. In 70 career games, Conwell has averaged 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Conwell averaged 5.1 points in 2022-23 for South Florida before transferring to Indiana State, where he averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
On April 19, Conwell committed to Xavier.
Langdon Hatton, Bellarmine
According to an April 30 report from 247Sports, Ohio State and Louisville are the latest schools to reach out to the 6-10, 230-pound forward who averaged 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds during two seasons at Bellarmine. He played one season at William & Mary before moving to the Knights.
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Hatton averaged 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 33.3% (15 for 45) from 3-point range last season. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Cincinnati, Xavier, Notre Dame and others are known to have also reached out. Hatton is a Georgetown, Indiana, native.
Bronny James, USC
Firm information is at a premium when it comes to the son of LeBron James , but Ohio State recruited him out of high school and will pursue him again after one season with USC . After a delayed start to his collegiate career due to a medical condition, James appeared in 25 games including six starts and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6% from the floor and 26.7% from 3-point range.
Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; LeBron James and his son Bronny James before the NCAA football game between Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
Meechie Johnson, South Carolina
A former Buckeye, Johnson graduated early, signed with Ohio State during the 2020-21 seaso n and remained with the program the following year before transferring to South Carolina during the spring of 2022 . After averaging 3.2 points in his two years with the Buckeyes , Johnson averaged 13.4 during his two seasons with the Gamecocks.
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Johnson earned second-team all-SEC honors after averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while starting all 33 games for South Carolina. He's a Garfield Heights, Ohio, native.
Johnson committed to Ohio State on April 2.
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (0) celebrates a three pointer during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Value City Arena in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021.
Selton Miguel, South Florida
A graduate transfer, the 6-4, 210-pound Miguel played his first two seasons of college basketball at Kansas State before transferring to South Florida for his next two years. With the Wildcats, Miguel averaged 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 55 games including 36 starts.
In his two seasons with the Bulls, Miguel averaged 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He shot 21.9% from 3 at Kansas State and 36.8% at South Florida. In 2023-24 Miguel was named second-team all-American Athletic Conference, sixth man of the year and most improved player. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
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On April 16, Miguel committed to Maryland.
Ra'Heim Moss, Toledo
A 6-4, 205-pound guard from Springfield, Ohio, Moss redshirted during the 2020-21 season and has averaged 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in three seasons with the Rockets. In 2023-24, Moss averaged a career-high 15.5 points and was named first-team all-Mid-American Conference and a member of the all-defense team. Moss was also named to the all-freshmen team in 2021-22.
He has one year of eligibility remaining. On April 16, On3.com reported that Moss was down to four schools: Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Ohio State. On April 29, he committed to Oregon.
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Great Osobor , Utah State
A second-time transfer, the 6-8, 245-pound Osobor spent his first two seasons at Montana State before transferring to Utah State for the 2023-24 season. After averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds during his first two seasons, Osobor moved to the Mountain West Conference and averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while starting all 35 games.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) guards Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) during NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game, Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Kris Parker, Alabama
Ohio State recruited the 6-9, 195-pound guard out of high school but he signed with the Crimson Tide. A native of Quincy, Florida, Parker was a three-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings and the No. 41 small forward prospect nationally in the 2023 class.
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Parker redshirted in 2023-24 and has four years of eligibility remaining.
Micah Parrish, San Diego State
A two-time transfer, Parrish began his career at Oakland and played two years for the Golden Grizzlies before spending the last two seasons with the Aztecs. A 6-6, 195-pound wing, Parrish has averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 135 career games.
Parrish was named first-team all-freshman team in the Horizon League in 2020-21 and to the all-defense team in 2021-22. In two years at San Diego State, Parrish averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 38.5% from the floor and 32.0% from 3-point range.
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Parrish has committed to Ohio State.
Tony Perkins, Iowa
A product of Indianapolis Lawrence North, the 6-4, 210-pound Perkins played four seasons for the Hawkeyes, where he averaged 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 126 games including 81 starts. He was a double-digit scorer in each of the last two seasons, averaging 12.3 points in 2022-23 and 14.0 in 2023-24. Perkins started all 66 games for Iowa during those two seasons.
He has one year of eligibility remaining. Perkins has committed to Missouri.
Jan 21, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Tanner Holden (0) tries to tip the ball away from Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tony Perkins (11) during the first half of the NCAA division I men’s basketball game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Iowa Hawkeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch
Elijah Saunders, San Diego State
After two seasons with the Aztecs, the 6-8, 240-pound forward told On3 on April 29 that he had heard from Ohio State, Miami (Fla.), Washington, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona State and Arizona. As a sophomore, Saunders averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while starting 21 of 37 games for San Diego State.
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As a freshman, Saunders appeared in 16 games and scored 14 points in 93 minutes played.
Sean Stewart, Duke
A former McDonald's All-American, the 6-9, 227-pound forward appeared in 33 games for the Blue Devils last year and averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first season of college basketball. He shot 57.1% from the floor and did not attempt a 3-pointer.
Ohio State hosted Stewart on an official visit in 2021 . He has played AAU basketball against Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton in high school and was AAU teammates with former Buckeye Brice Sensabaugh. He arrived at Duke as a four-star prospect, the No. 22 national prospect and the No. 6 power forward in the country.
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He has taken an official visit to Ohio State as a transfer and has committed to the Buckeyes.
Duke's Sean Stewart (13) dunks the ball against James Madison.
Jalen Sullinger , Kent State
An in-state product with a familiar last name, Jalen Sullinger is the son of James "J.J." Sullinger, a former Ohio State captain who played one year at Arkansas, transferred to Ohio State in 2002 and finished his career in 2005-06 after averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 94 games for his hometown school.
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A 5-10, 172-pound guard, Sullinger was named Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2022-23, averaging 8.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. In three years with the Golden Flashes, Sullinger averaged 9.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 93 games including 34 starts. As a junior, he averaged 15.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while playing 34.4 minutes per game. He has one year of eligibility remaining and is a Thomas Worthington graduate.
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On April 26, Sullinger committed to Furman.
Adou Thiero, Kentucky
A 6-8, 222-pound guard, Thiero averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a freshman for the Wildcats. Thiero is a native of Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, and was a four-star prospect ranked No. 138 nationally in the class of 2023 by 247Sports.com, which also ranks him as a four-star transfer and the No. 14 overall transfer as of April 2.
On April 19, Thiero cut his list of finalists to Pitt, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky.
Nov 6, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes’ center Felix Okpara (34) and guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (1) block Oakland Golden Grizzlies forward Trey Townsend (4) from shooting during the first half of their game on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 at the Value City Arena.
Trey Townsend , Oakland
The Horizon League's player of the year, Townsend averaged 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 37.5% from 3-point range as the Golden Grizzlies went 24-12 and knocked off No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Townsend visited Ohio State. According to On3, he has also visited Michigan and Arizona and Louisville. Michigan State was also involved, but Townsend committed to the Wildcats on April 24.
Sam Walters, Alabama
In one year with the Crimson Tide, Walters averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in only 12.3 minutes per game while playing in 37 games. A 6-10, 198-pound forward, Walters was 39 for 99 (39.4%) from 3-point range.
247Sports ranked him as a four-star prospect in the 2023 class. A native of The Villages, Florida, he was the No. 57 national recruit in the composite rankings. Walters took a visit to Ohio State but has since committed to Michigan on April 22.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Transfer tracker: Which players have been linked with Ohio State?
