There has been a cloud of mystery surrounding the recruitment of four-star point guard Markell Johnson for some time now. Nobody really seemed to have a solid gage on where he'd be attending school or even what class he'd be in: 2016 or 2017?
One part of that picture gained some clarity Monday when Johnson announced on his personal Twitter account he'd officially be reclassifying to the 2016 class.
I Will Officially Be Attending College This Fall !!!
— Markell Johnson (@kells_2017) May 2, 2016
Johnson, who is out of East Technical High School in Cleveland, was rated as the No. 64 overall player in the 2017 class and the nation's 15th-ranked point guard, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He's a dynamic player and athlete at his position and would be an instant impact player to whatever program lands him.
Last week, at the Elite Youth Basketball League in Indianapolis, Johnson said he was unsure whether or not he would be able to reclassify to 2016 and that he still did not have a school out front leading his recruitment. The Buckeyes added a point guard late in 2016 by signing junior college transfer C.J. Jackson, so it remains unclear if Johnson's reclassification helps or hurts Ohio State at this point in time, but Johnson did say if he were to reclassify that early playing time would be a factor in the school he chooses.
He originally released a top-five schools consisting of Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, N.C. State and Cleveland State, but re-opened everything at the end of March.
“I released that top-five [schools] off me being 2017, but now people have been talking to me about being 2016 instead of 2017 so I just scratched it,” Johnson said last week. “If I feel that I can come in next year and play at a college, I’m up to take the three classes [needed to reclassify].
“If I reclassify to 2016 I want to come into a program where I know I’m going to play right away. One where I can develop with point-guard type coaches so they can develop me to be a pro someday.”
Currently, the 247Sports crystal ball also seems split, with 38 percent of the predictions going for Ohio State, 38 percent going for Louisville and 12 percent for Virginia Tech.
Johnson received an offer from Ohio State on Jan. 31 and visited several times throughout this past season. He is also strongly considering Louisville, Virginia Tech and N.C. State, while he picked up recent offers on the AAU circuit this spring from West Virginia, Xavier and Washington.
Ohio State has two scholarship spots open for either the 2016 or 2017 class.
