The next “Thad Five.”
That’s what the thought was when Ohio State signed its 2015 recruiting class. Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta inked the nation’s No. 5-ranked group that season, a five-man class that many believed stockpiled the program with talent that would help lead it on another great run to Big Ten titles and Final Four appearances. It was supposed to be the next coming of Matta's 2006 haul, one that featured the likes of Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and more.
All five members of Ohio State's 2015 class were four-star prospects and four of the five were ranked in the top-100 nationally. JaQuan Lyle, Daniel Giddens, Austin Grandstaff, A.J. Harris and Mickey Mitchell were supposed to be the future of the program.
It didn't exactly work out that way.
That's because after the recent news of Lyle leaving the program, all five members of that once highly-touted 2015 class are no longer at Ohio State after just two seasons.
Grandstaff, the sharpshooter from Rockwall, Texas, who many pegged to be the next Jon Diebler transferred out of the program after just 10 games his freshman season. He went to Oklahoma first but never played before transferring to DePaul.
Giddens, Harris and Mitchell didn't wait much longer to follow suit. All three opted to transfer from the program at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. Giddens is now at Alabama, Harris is at New Mexico State and Mitchell is at Arizona State after a brief stint at UC Santa Barbara.
Lyle was the only member of that 2015 class to play his sophomore season. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game last year for the Buckeyes. However, a team spokesman announced Saturday that Lyle "quit the team April 11."
And just like that, the new "Thad Five" became the "Thad Zero."
