Both four-star commits in Jake Diebler's first recruiting class have made their pledges to Ohio State official.
Guard Dorian Jones and power forward A'mare Bynum signed their financial aid agreements with the Buckeyes on Wednesday at the start of basketball's early signing period. They give Ohio State the No. 37 class in the 247Sports composite.
Jones is the No. 18 shooting guard and No. 108 overall prospect in the composite rankings. As a junior in 2023-24, he earned first-team All-Ohio honors in D-IV while leading his Cleveland-based high school, Richmond Heights, to a state championship. He averaged 14.1 points per game.
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 13, 2024
The 6-foot-4 prospect became the first commit in Ohio State's class of 2025 on July 1. He selected Ohio State over finalists Michigan, Rutgers and Missouri but also held offers from Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Syracuse and Texas A&M, among others.
Bynum is the No. 104 overall prospect and No. 18 center in the composite rankings, but the plan is to play him at power forward at Ohio State, a better fit for his 6-foot-8 frame and diverse athletic skill set.
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 13, 2024
In his junior season of high school basketball with Bryan High School in Omaha, Nebraska, Bynum averaged an eye-popping 21.1 points, nine rebounds, two assists and 2.3 blocks per game as a junior in 2023-24. He is playing his senior season at one of the nation's premier prep programs, Link Academy, located in Branson, Missouri.
Bynum committed to the Buckeyes on Oct. 22 over finalists Iowa, Colorado, LSU and Xavier. He also held offers from Creighton, Iowa State, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas Tech, among others.
"Coach Diebler," Bynum told Eleven Warriors after his commitment when asked what attracted him to the Buckeyes. "Just talking to me a lot and Coach (Jamall) Walker talking to me a lot, building a great bond with me."
Ohio State will likely look to add one to two more prospects in its 2025 recruiting class. Four-star guard Jerry Easter, an Ohio native who is now Bynum's teammate at Link Academy, is among the top remaining targets for Diebler and his staff.
