D1 · Big Ten Conference

Ohio State Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

KenPom #24 · 21–13 · 2025–26 · Division 1 · Big Ten Conference · Columbus, OH

Ohio State finished 21–13 (Big Ten 8th, KenPom #24) in 2025–26. 15 players hold the 2026–27 roster; 9 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster15 players
New this season9
Transfer additions5
Clearest projected openingGuards and Centers · 2028
Most common home stateOH (9)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards and Centers: open from 2028 — 6 ahead.

Forwards: blocked until 2029.

2027
Gblocked7 ahead
Fblocked5 ahead
Cbalanced1 ahead · multi-yr
2028
Gopening6 ahead
Fbalanced4 ahead
Copen1 ahead
2029
Gopening2 ahead · multi-yr
Fopening3 ahead
Copen0 ahead
2030
Gopen2 ahead
Fopen2 ahead
Copen0 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (7)
Myles Herro6′3″RS-Fr
Jimmie Williams6′5″Sr
Justin Pippen6′3″Jr
Braylen Nash6′4″Jr
LJ Smith6′4″Fr
Chris Givens III6′3″Jr
John Mobley Jr.6′2″Jr
Forwards in that room (7)
Lee Aaliya6′9″—
Josh Ojianwuna6′10″RS-Sr
Vuk Lazarevic7′1″Fr
Amare Bynum6′8″So
Andrija Jelavic6′11″Jr
Anthony Thompson6′8″Fr
Alex Smith6′9″Fr
Centers in that room (1)
Ivan Njegovan7′2″Jr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Ohio State

How to get recruited here

For 2027 arrivals the roster projection reads: G blocked (7 ahead), F blocked (5 ahead), C balanced (1 ahead · multi-yr).

Of the latest cycle's 10 arrivals, 5 came straight from high school and 5 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from OH, CA, GA.

9 of 15 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 9 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

31% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 15 players

Guards 7 of 15

Jimmie Williams6′5″Sr · final yr
Braylen Nash6′4″Jr0.0 PPG
LJ Smith6′4″Fr
Myles Herro6′3″RS-Fr
Justin Pippen6′3″Jr
Chris Givens III6′3″Jr
John Mobley Jr.6′2″Jr15.7 PPG

Frontcourt 8 of 15 · forwards + centers

Ivan Njegovan7′2″Jr · C2.6 PPG
Vuk Lazarevic7′1″Fr · F
Andrija Jelavic6′11″Jr · F
Josh Ojianwuna6′10″RS-Sr · F · final yr
Lee Aaliya6′9″F
Alex Smith6′9″Fr · F
Amare Bynum6′8″So · F9.7 PPG
Anthony Thompson6′8″Fr · F
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

31%of recorded scoring returns
2 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
John Mobley Jr.15.7 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Amare Bynum9.7 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Ivan Njegovan2.6 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 13 of 15 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

5from high school5via the portal

10 of 15 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

9 of 15

9 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

1 five-star: Anthony Thompson #9 (2026).

Where from

OH 9 · CA 1 · GA 1 · MN 1 · NC 1 · NE 1

7 international: Asaba; Zagreb; Belgrade; Otocac and 3 more

High schools: Alba Berlin ×2; Totino-Grace; Bishop Gorman/Wasatch Acad. and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Jimmie Williams
→Lee Aaliya
→Justin Pippen
→Andrija Jelavic
→Chris Givens III

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Colin White
←Gabe Cupps
←Devin Royal
←Taison Chatman
←Puff Johnson
←Mathieu Grujicic

How this roster compares

Big Ten Conference (18 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureOhio StateConference
Average guard height6′3″6′4″−1″
Average frontcourt height6′10″6′9″+1″
Roster size1515
Freshman share33%29%+4pp

The five-year arc

kenpom rank · wins · conference finish
#302021–22#452022–23#412023–24#412024–25#242025–26
20–12 · Big Ten 6th16–19 · Big Ten 10th22–14 · Big Ten 7th17–15 · Big Ten 9th21–13 · Big Ten 8th

Coaching staff

Jake DieblerHead coach
Dave DickersonAssistant coach
Jamall WalkerAssociate head coach
Luke SimonsAssistant coach
Brian WalshAssistant coach
Mike WellsAssistant coach
Staff changes8 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 1 before 2023–24, 5 before 2024–25, 2 before 2025–26.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate61%
SAT midpoint1345
ACT midpoint29

How this page is made: Rosters: official Ohio State rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Ohio State's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Ratings: KenPom, five seasons; conference finish computed among same-conference teams by rating · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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