Ohio State freshman guard Austin Grandstaff will transfer from the program, the school announced Thursday. The news was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Goodman and CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
Grandstaff, a native of Rockwall, Texas, appeared in all 10 games this season for the Buckeyes. He averaged 4.4 points per game and was shooting 33 percent from 3-point range on the season.
Grandstaff was averaging just 11.5 minutes per game, though, and played a season-low four minutes Wednesday in the Buckeyes' 67-54 win over Northern Illinois. He was a four-star prospect and a key cog in Thad Matta's five-man 2015 recruiting class. Out of high school, Grandstaff brought with him a reputation as a big-time shooter.
The 6-foot-4 guard told Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch he felt Ohio State wasn't the best fit.
“I just feel like I need to do what is best for me,” Grandstaff told the Dispatch. “I just feel like this isn’t the right fit for me. All the coaches have been great to me but I just feel like this isn’t the right fit.”
Recently, Matta said the thing holding Grandstaff back was his play on the defensive end, something he hadn't been asked to do much before in his career. Ohio State's coach said, however, he had been getting better.
"Austin is definitely a guy that has the capability of stretching a defense. He’s been practicing really, really well," Matta said Dec. 4. "You just watch him and his head is moving, he’s trying to be in the right position, he’s trying to help when he’s supposed to help, he’s doing all those things. I’ve said this all along, he’s going to be a great player here so hopefully he can continue to build off that.”
That apparently won't happen now, though, as Grandstaff has opted to transfer. His new destination remains unknown.
Earlier this week, Grandstaff said he felt he was getting more comfortable in his role within Ohio State's offense.
“At first it was kind of a challenge, but I feel like I’m getting a lot more comfortable with the system and how fast the game’s going," Grandstaff said Tuesday. "I think defensively, which was my weakness coming in, I’m getting better every day and learning the rotations and stuff.”
