Kobi Simmons will not be choosing Ohio State when he announces his college decision Saturday on ESPN.
CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein first reported the news Thursday night the Buckeyes were no longer recruiting Simmons. Eleven Warriors confirmed that report. It is now expected Simmons will choose Arizona when he makes his college decision Saturday.
Ohio State, Arizona and Kentucky were the three schools in the running for Simmons. The Buckeyes were long thought to be the leader, but Arizona entered the race late. When Simmons eliminated UNLV from his list after the Rebels fired head coach Dave Rice, the Wildcats became the likely landing spot despite him never officially visiting Arizona.
This is a huge miss for Thad Matta and his staff, but Ohio State still has options.
The Buckeyes could go after another recruit in the 2016 class, but with it being so late in the recruiting process and the fact Ohio State was somewhat all-in on Simmons as its last option, this is the least likely choice. Recruiting is about relationships and the Buckeyes' was strongest with Simmons. It'd be difficult to build another relationship with an uncommitted prospect in the 2016 class in such a short period of time.
The more likely option is for Ohio State to bank its open scholarship for the 2017 class. The Buckeyes already have a pair of bigs signed in 2016 with Derek Funderburk and Micah Potter and their lone commit in 2017, Kaleb Wesson, is also a big guy, so expect this open scholarship to go to a guard.
Ohio State's top target in 2017 is five-star point guard Gary Trent Jr., but the Buckeyes have plenty of other top targets they are pursuing at that position. Troy Brown and Chris Giles are two guards Ohio State has reportedly offered in the 2017 class, in addition to Trent, and the Buckeyes could also get more involved in the recruitment of four-star Markell Johnson out of Cleveland.
Should Ohio State choose to bank its open scholarship for the 2016 class, the Buckeyes could also pursue a graduate transfer. Any player they want with one year of eligibility would be on the table and the scholarship would still be available the following season for a recruit in the 2017 class.
