Kyle Young, a four-star recruit and top-100 prospect in the 2017 class, was once a big-time Ohio State basketball target.
A native of Massillon, Ohio, Young was the second-ranked player in the state behind only Kaleb Wesson, a Buckeyes signee. But Young opted to go someplace else for college. He committed to Butler while on an official visit Aug. 29. Young was slated to officially visit Ohio State the following weekend, but never made the trip after his commitment.
On Nov. 11, Butler officially announced the signing of Young and three other players who made up the highest-rated recruiting class in program history. At that moment, Young's career as a Bulldog was thought to have started.
However, with the news announced Friday that former Butler coach Chris Holtmann would be the next head man at Ohio State, it opens the possibility of Young asking out of his letter of intent and coming with his head coach to play for the school he once considered.
A source close to the situation told Eleven Warriors it was a "strong bet" Young would go with Holtmann if he were to accept the Ohio State job.
The situation, of course, is still very fluid and there likely won't be any decision made until Butler names a replacement. The Bulldogs have a tendency to promote in-house or at least hire someone with strong ties to the program, so if they hire the right guy — this is a thing Butler usually does pretty well, by the way — that will certainly impact Young's decision.
A 6-foot-7 wing, Young was the 77th-ranked prospect nationally in the 2017 class and, as mentioned, the No. 2-rated player in the state of Ohio. He played his prep ball at Massillon Jackson, where he averaged 19.3 points nad 5.7 rebounds per game. Led by Young, the Polar Bears won the Division I state championship his senior season. The Ohio state title game is played at — you guessed it — Value City Arena in Columbus.
"Kyle is a player who is very skilled that also brings a rugged approach to every game," Holtmann said of Young when he signed with Butler. "That's a combination that is hard to find. He loves to compete and he loves to win. Kyle is a guy that we identified very early in the recruiting process as a priority for us. He is mature for his age, both physically and emotionally, and I think that will help him have an immediate impact within our program."
This is a very fluid situation, but it is certainly one to keep an eye on moving forward. There's potential Ohio State adds a key piece to its roster very, very late in the process.
