Ohio State Roster Watch
Ohio State is already pivoting after a 66-64 first-round loss to TCU — coach Jake Diebler (year two) must rebuild quickly with the transfer portal window shortened to April 7–21. Key retention points: John Mobley Jr. averaged 15.7 PPG and Devin Royal 13.7 PPG/5.7 RPG; the Buckeyes lose four seniors but have incoming five-star Anthony Thompson and four-star Alex Smith while, as of Mar. 23, no Buckeyes had entered the portal. (youtube.com)
Ohio State’s four roster players who were listed as seniors this season are Brandon Noel, Christoph Tilly, Josh Ojianwuna and Bruce Thornton, each honored at the team’s senior-day ceremony in late February. (news.osu.edu) John Mobley Jr. is classified as a sophomore with two years of eligibility remaining and finished the season shooting 43.6% from the floor, including a 39-minute outing in the NCAA first-round game. (espn.com) Devin Royal is a junior with one year of eligibility left who posted 47.6% field-goal accuracy and 5.7 rebounds per game during the 2025–26 campaign. (espn.com) Five-star signee Anthony Thompson arrives as a top-15 SCNext recruit and a versatile 6-foot-8 wing from Western Reserve Academy, while Columbus native Alex Smith — a 6-foot-8 forward who committed locally — joins the class as a projected multi-year contributor. (espn.com) Jake Diebler’s staff is operating off last season’s roster turnover precedent — Ohio State lost multiple players to the portal last offseason while bringing in transfer additions — making quick work in both retention and inbound recruiting a stated priority. (bluewaterhealthyliving.com) Local and national outlets are already linking Ohio State to specific portal targets and listing priority needs on the wing and in the frontcourt as the program sorts scholarship availability ahead of the shortened offseason window; commentators have emphasized retention talks and targeted portal outreach as immediate next steps. (msn.com)
