Any time there is a coaching change, the possibility of losing recruits is extremely high.
Ohio State was faced with that reality Tuesday evening.
Just one day after it was announced Thad Matta would not return as the Buckeyes head coach, Ohio State lost one of its two verbal commitments in the 2018 class as three-star wing Justin Ahrens opted to re-open his recruitment. Ahrens made the announcement on his personal Twitter page.
— Justin Ahrens (@ahrensjustin12) June 6, 2017
“I just feel like for me and my family, my future, I feel like this is the best decision," Ahrens told Eleven Warriors. "Even with the new coach, no matter how good of a coach they get, I’m going to have to build a whole new relationship with him and who knows how I’m going to fit his style of play. I feel like it’s best just to get a fresh start on the process."
Ahrens said a number of schools have already reached out to him following Matta's dismissal including UNLV, Dayton and Vanderbilt. Ahrens did say, however, he will still consider Ohio State once a new coach is named.
"A lot of other schools have already reached out to me and I’m just going to start trying to build relationships and see what fits best for me," Ahrens said. "And I’m obviously still considering Ohio State, I love it so much, but I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Ahrens is the No. 6-ranked player in the state of Ohio for the 2018 class. He committed to Ohio State last summer and had been solid in his pledge for nearly a year. After it was announced Monday that Matta would not return, however, he opted to decommit from the Buckeyes.
Ahrens said he was surprised by Ohio State's decision to part ways with Matta.
"It was so sudden and I was not expecting it," he said. "It just came up so fast.”
Ohio State still has one verbal commitment for the 2018 class in four-star guard Dane Goodwin. Goodwin said Monday he was still committed to the Buckeyes following Matta's dismissal.
