Make it two top-75 commitments in less than a week for Chris Holtmann’s 2023 recruiting class.
Following Devin Royal’s commitment on Wednesday, four-star Kansas wing Scotty Middleton joined what was already a top-five class in the country when he pledged to Ohio State Sunday. A 6-foot-6, 180-pound rising senior at Sunrise Christian in Wichita, Middleton is now the top-rated prospect in the Buckeyes’ class with an overall ranking of No. 34 in the country, per the 247Sports composite.
The Middleton File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-foot-6, 180 pounds
- Pos: SF
- School: Sunrise Christian (Wichita, Kansas)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #34 (#6 SF)
Ohio State first offered the third-ranked player in the state of Kansas, who is originally from Miami, on Jan. 26. A little over five weeks after he got his offer, Middleton toured the Buckeyes’ facilities, and the March 4 official visit seemed to make a lasting impression.
Middleton listed Ohio State among his top five schools the following month, with the Buckeyes in the mix alongside Kansas, UConn, Texas A&M and Seton Hall – an interesting mix of schools with five different states and four different conferences represented.
Amid EYBL action with the Brad Beal Elite AAU team and other summer ball opportunities, Middleton took an official visit to Seton Hall on June 13 and another to UConn later in the month. The wiry wing made up his mind about a college landing spot within the subsequent month, as Middleton announced on July 17 that he would commit this weekend.
Four-star 23 forward Scotty Middleton, who included OSU in his top five schools yesterday, scores a bucket inside for Brad Beal Elite. pic.twitter.com/q8CJjekL7A
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 22, 2022
Just three days later, Middleton whittled his list down even further in a move that may have surprised some. His final three schools included Ohio State, UConn and Seton Hall, which meant Bill Self and the Jayhawks – who many assumed would lock up the Wichita product – were no longer in the picture.
It was the scarlet and gray who won out in the end.
Middleton told Eleven Warriors in April that the tight-knit nature of the program – from the coaching staff to the alumni – impressed him from the start.
“Ohio State, my visit was really good. Coach (Jake) Diebler, Coach Holtmann, they do a great job with their players development-wise, player-wise, too,” Middleton said. “The campus is really good, the real thing I put them on the list for is probably because the family in between the players. The old players that played there, during the summer the guys come back, they can play runs with the players, teach the players, stuff like that.”
Middleton is ranked as the sixth-best small forward in the country, but positionally, the Buckeyes view him as more of a guard at the next level. A perimeter-oriented player despite his eye-catching length at the high school level, Middleton is also considered one of the best defenders in the 2023 class.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEORGE WASHINGTON | G | No. 60 | No. 9 | NOV. 3, 2021 |
| AUSTIN PARKS | C | No. 105 | No. 12 | FEB. 13, 2022 |
| DEVIN ROYAL | SF | No. 73 | No. 14 | AUG. 3, 2022 |
| SCOTTY MIDDLETON | SF | No. 34 | No. 6 | AUG. 6, 2022 |
Middleton is now the fourth commit in the 2023 class for the Buckeyes. All four hold four-star status in the 247Sports composite. Middleton is the only out-of-state commit in Ohio State’s class, joining Chaminade Julienne’s George Washington III (No. 60 overall), Pickerington Central’s Devin Royal (No. 73) and St. Marys Memorial’s Austin Parks (No. 105). (Washington lived in Louisville when he committed to Ohio State, but has since moved to Dayton.)
Four could be the magic number for the Buckeyes in the 2023 cycle, but don’t rule out the possibility of one more commit before all is said and done.
