When Ohio State inked Derek Funderburk and Micah Potter during college basketball's early-signing period back in November, it was thought the Buckeyes' 2016 recruiting class was signed, sealed and delivered. With those two additions, plus the state of Ohio State's roster at the time — with no seniors, one junior and the rest sophomores and freshmen — there were no more spots available for the Buckeyes to add players.
But things changed drastically over the next several months as Austin Grandstaff decided to transfer from the program in December and then Daniel Giddens, A.J. Harris and Mickey Mitchell followed suit at the conclusion of the season. All of a sudden, Ohio State was down to just seven returning players and had four scholarships immediately open up.
The Buckeyes had some holes to fill and they plugged a couple of those over the past two days. On Tuesday, Ohio State landed a verbal commitment from junior college point guard C.J. Jackson and on Wednesday it inked previously unsigned senior prospect Andre Wesson.
The Buckeyes' 2016 class now sits at four, though Jackson has not yet signed his National Letter of Intent. He reportedly will wait to do so until he visits Ohio State's campus, which is scheduled to happen this upcoming weekend.
As things stand right now, the Buckeyes appear like they're finished recruiting for the 2016 class. Things could obviously change, and there's always potential to add another player, but with 11 scholarship guys in the fold for next season — the seven returners plus the four expected enrollees — it may make more sense for Ohio State to bank those additional two scholarships for the 2017 class to create a bit more roster flexibility. The Buckeyes currently have one commitment in the 2017 class in four-star big man Kaleb Wesson.
So let's pretend Ohio State is finished adding players for next season and take a look at the roster as of right now, assuming all things work out and Jackson officially signs with the Buckeyes in the next couple of days.
The Starters: JaQuan Lyle, Keita Bates-Diop, Marc Loving, Jae'Sean Tate, Trevor Thompson
Breakdown: We'll just assume Ohio State uses the same starting lineup it did for the majority of last season. I'd personally prefer a more traditional two-guard lineup which would require removing either Bates-Diop, Loving or Tate out of the starting five, but the only other realistic option to start next season would probably be Kam Williams. He was very effective in his role last season as sixth man, though, and I don't see that changing, at least not to start the season.
With nobody shorter than 6-foot-4, this group has a ton of length, but it certainly lacks quickness, especially on the perimeter. The bottom line, though, is that these are probably Ohio State's best five players though an argument for Williams certainly could be made.
The Bench: Kam Williams, Dave Bell, Andre Wesson, C.J. Jackson, Derek Funderburk, Micah Potter
Breakdown: It's certainly a different looking bench than a year ago as Williams is the only one in this group who played significant minutes. Expect him to make another big leap next season and again contend for the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award. Williams is an explosive scorer off the bench and a deadly 3-point shooter. He's a key part of Ohio State's potential success, no doubt.
Jackson is the only other true guard of this group, though Wesson can play the off-guard position if need be. Jackson will likely back up Lyle at the point and play a role similar to what Harris played a year ago. Wesson adds a fourth wing to the roster, but is the only one on the bench with Bates-Diop, Loving and Tate in the projected starting lineup.
Things get a bit more complicated with the big guys. Funderburk brings a bit more versatility to the group because he can play a power forward position. If Ohio State wants to use a two-big lineup, it realistically will probably have to come with Funderburk on the floor. I'm not sure a lineup featuring Thompson and Potter, Thompson and Bell or Potter and Bell would work on the defensive end. Funderburk could play alongside one of those other three bigs because he can defend other forwards with his athleticism. Thad Matta has been a bit hesitant to play two-big lineups here though over the last couple of seasons, so playing time could become a bit of an issue for four guys if only one is going to be on the floor at a time.
With the four transfers, Ohio State needed some bodies to add depth to next year's team and those had to come in the backcourt. Before the commitments of Jackson and Wesson, the Buckeyes had just two scholarship guards on their roster in Lyle and Williams.
If Ohio State is done adding players for next season and has those two scholarships available for the 2017 class, with one big guy already committed you'd expect the Buckeyes to go after at least one more guard and then potentially another wing with their final available scholarship.
Ohio State has a bit of wiggle room now that it has created a bit of separation on its roster. That should prove beneficial for the Buckeyes going forward.
