It’s not fair to say that it’s all doom and gloom in the Schottenstein Center right now, but much of the steam powering Ohio State’s momentum engine has been sapped out since Micah Parrish committed to the Buckeyes on April 20.
Center Felix Okpara entered the transfer portal on April 21 and committed to Tennessee four days later, then Buckeye fans watched as former starting shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. pledged his services to archrival Michigan on April 22.
Two scholarships remain open and Ohio State has obvious frontcourt needs, namely someone to provide a shooting threat with wings Jamison Battle and Scotty Middleton out the door and another center to provide more rebounding and rim-protecting punch.
The problem is, the options have started dwindling in recent weeks.
Off the table
For weeks, Oakland’s Trey Townsend and Central Arkansas’ Tucker Anderson were considered the top two targets at the power forward position for the Buckeyes and both visited Columbus. Both have now committed elsewhere.
Ohio State came right down to the wire for Townsend, one of the two finalists in his recruitment out of the portal before he ultimately sided with Arizona. Anderson, on the other hand, is off to Utah State as of Monday.
All Glory to God #committed pic.twitter.com/tDkb1P4zD1
— Tucker Anderson (@TuckoA12) April 29, 2024
Former Tennessee big men Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka were also players that Ohio State was in contact with, with particular interest in Awaka at power forward. Aidoo committed to Arkansas this week while Arizona snagged Awaka.
Alabama’s Sam Walters is another who visited the Buckeyes only to pledge his services to a different school, Michigan in this case.
Go Blue??? #notcommitted pic.twitter.com/idyyRwgvRS
— Sam Walters (@SamWalters2023) April 21, 2024
All that goes along with other forward targets who have eliminated the Buckeyes from contention like Utah State’s Great Osobor and TCU’s JaKobe Coles.
With Parrish slated to bolster the team’s ball handling and passing from the wing, Ohio State isn’t looking to add more guards from the portal at this stage. Former target Ra’Heim Moss committed to Oregon in that vein as other former guard targets are looking elsewhere.
Remaining Targets
Sean Stewart, Duke forward
Options are thin to fill Ohio State’s last two scholarships, and notably missing from the players that the Buckeyes have been in contact with is someone who fits the mold of a center with rebounding and shot-blocking capabilities to replace some of Okpara’s production. Even if he projects as more of a power forward, Stewart is as close as it gets.
There are gobs of untapped potential within the rising sophomore. A five-star prospect from the class of 2023, the 6-9, 227-pound Stewart was the No. 17 overall recruit and the No. 5 power forward in his class, per the 247Sports composite. At Duke, he set a program record with a standing vertical leap of 36 inches, breaking Zion Williamson’s mark of 35.5 inches.
Those attributes still need to yield production, though Stewart played just 8.3 minutes per game for Duke last year. He scored 2.6 points per contest, adding 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 0.5 steals.
Stewart has yet to attempt a 3-point shot in his collegiate career, so if shooting is still to be addressed, it won’t be through him.
That said, Stewart would be a huge talent to add to Ohio State’s roster, which is why Jake Diebler and company are battling numerous schools for his services. Georgetown, Cincinnati and Arkansas are others reportedly in the mix.
“Obviously we spoke with Holtmann and had a relationship with him but it was mostly Diebler,” Sean’s dad Michael Stewart told the Columbus Dispatch. “This time around it’s all Diebler, but he’s the head coach. His word carries a lot more weight. A lot more responsibility. We respect what he’s trying to get done and we’re going to try to move fast on this thing, but Ohio State is definitely a situation that we like.”
Michael Stewart also told the Dispatch that Sean will visit several schools before making a decision the week of May 6 and that he was finalizing a visit to Columbus for this week.
Kris Parker, Alabama wing
Standing at 6-9, Parker was listed as a guard coming out of high school and on Alabama’s roster this year, but with his length, he’s a candidate to play a variety of positions. And versatility is something Diebler values in his transfer portal targets.
Parker redshirted for the Crimson Tide last year and didn’t play as a result. He was a three-star prospect out of high school.
Ohio State is among a long list of schools to reach out to Parker since he entered the portal, also including Illinois, Kentucky, Miami (Fla.), Oregon, Ole Miss and Cincinnati.
Elijah Saunders, San Diego State forward
Ohio State dipped into the San Diego State well once this portal cycle for Parrish and now the Buckeyes are in contact with Parrish’s former and potentially future teammate Elijah Saunders. Saunders just entered the transfer portal on Monday.
San Diego State sophomore Elijah Saunders tells @On3sports he has heard from the following programs since entering the Transfer Portal earlier today.
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) April 30, 2024
Ohio State
Miami
Washington
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
Arizona State
Arizona
The 6-8 forward averaged 6.2 points and started pic.twitter.com/67SMmWZ9Wx
Saunders started the first 21 games of his sophomore campaign with the Aztecs but came off the bench the rest of the way. He played 20.2 minutes per game and averaged 6.2 points with 3.6 rebounds per contest.
What Saunders does offer is some outside shooting potential, making 32.2% of his perimeter shots in 2023-24 at good volume with 3.3 3-point attempts per game.
Langdon Hatton - Bellarmine Forward
An addition to Ohio State's transfer targets on Tuesday morning, the 6-10 Hatton scored 10.5 points and collected 7.1 rebounds with 0.8 blocks per game for Bellarmine as a junior this season. The Buckeyes joined Louisville, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Xavier and others in reaching out to the recent portal entrant.
Hatton shot 48% from the field and 33.3% from three in 2023-24, taking 1.5 3-point attempts per game. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
There's still one more day for transfers to enter the portal, and more targets could very well emerge for the Buckeyes this week to fill the two scholarship spots they have remaining. But as more prospects are taken off the board, time is of the essence for Ohio State to ensure it has the best roster possible for Diebler's first full campaign.
