Browsing: OSU

Ohio State basketball has received a commitment from the program’s first five-star prospect since 2014.

Five-star forward Anthony Thompson has committed to the Buckeyes ahead of his final high school season, he told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi on Tuesday.

The 17-year-old, who will turn 18 next August, chose the Buckeyes over five other finalists including Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan and UNC.

Thompson is listed at 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds out of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. He is listed as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 2 small forward prospect in 247Sports composite rankings.

Ohio State had previously received 2026 commitments from two four-star prospects in guard Marcus Johnson and forward Alex Smith.

Adding Thompson to that group of Ohio natives was enough to bump the Buckeyes up to the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation as ranked by 247Sports.

Thompson is coming off of a 3Stripes Select Basketball season during which he averaged 22 points per game on 53 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent from deep, per 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein. He also contributed 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.

Finkelstein described Thompson in July as “a potent shot-maker who leans back into a high release that is virtually unblockable, allowing him to make threes and pull-ups with very little separation.”

“Physically, he’s grown to 6-foot-8 with shoes on, and has a massive 7-foot-3 wingspan, which allows him to play both the three and the four. That overlap of length and shot-making is rare, especially at this early stage,” Finkelstein wrote.

Thompson is Ohio State’s first five-star recruit since D’Angelo Russell came to Columbus in 2014, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. He is also the program’s highest-rated prospect since Jared Sullinger in 2010, per Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.

His commitment marks a major recruiting win for Jake Diebler, who is looking to rebuild his program into an NCAA Tournament contender after finishing his first full season as head coach with a 17-15 record.

Thompson told Borzello and Biancardi that he wasn’t “focused on being one-and-done,” but there’s a chance he’ll only be in Columbus for a single season. Whether or not Thompson ultimately enters the 2027 NBA draft, Diebler will hope his decision to choose the Buckeyes over other marquee programs will help convince other top 2026 recruits to come to Ohio State.

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No. 1 Ohio State is on track to spend a fifth straight week at the top of the AP rankings.

The defending national champions claimed a 42-3 blowout win over visiting Minnesota on Saturday night to improve to 5-0 to start the 2025 season.

Quarterback Julian Sayin impressed fans by going 23-for-27 with 326 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to lead Ohio State to the win.

Sayin’s success came in part to due to wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, who combined for 16 catches, 250 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Minnesota scored first on Saturday with an opening-drive field goal, and briefly held onto the lead as Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding missed a 53-yard field goal attempt.

The Buckeyes responded by scoring three straight touchdowns while keeping the Golden Gophers off the scoreboard for the rest of the first half.

Smith started out the second quarter by dancing past his defender to grab his first touchdown catch of the night.

The Buckeyes’ next touchdown drive took just a single play thanks to a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Tate.

Tate finished the first half with 163 receiving yards, the most by any Ohio State player in a single half since Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2022, per the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes continued dominating in the third quarter, even gaining 36 yards on a punt return trick play.

Sayin added another touchdown pass to Smith in the fourth quarter before he was replaced by backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who ran in a touchdown to cap off the victory.

The Buckeyes will look to improve to 6-0 next Saturday during a trip to take on No. 22 Illinois, which will mark Ohio State’s first ranked opponent since a season-opening win over Texas.

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