There’s no hiding how important this transfer portal cycle is for Jake Diebler and his Ohio State basketball program.
His first season as head coach of the Buckeyes ended with their third consecutive missed NCAA Tournament after the Scarlet and Gray lost five of their last seven games. There are clear needs for Diebler to address at guard, on the wing and at the center position, with more depth a consideration all around after Ohio State scored just three bench points in its season-ending loss to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Buckeyes got their portal haul underway with the addition of former Indiana guard Gabe Cupps, who will seek a medical redshirt to come in as a redshirt sophomore. Diebler is betting on the upside of the composite top-100 prospect who hails from Dayton, as Cupps scored just 2.6 points per game as a freshman before missing most of 2024-25 with a torn meniscus.
At least two more transfer additions are expected for the Buckeyes with Austin Parks, Evan Mahaffey and likely at least one other player emigrating elsewhere via the portal. Ohio State has already been in contact with myriad targets, and we’re giving a rundown of some of the top names that have emerged here.
Dailyn Swain - Xavier Wing (Jr.)
Whether it’s Cupps, Swain or numerous prospects listed below, one thing is clear about Ohio State’s early transfer portal approach: It’s loaded with Ohio flavor.
Swain was a top-100 prospect out of the Buckeye State in the recruiting class of 2023 and stayed within Ohio’s borders to play his first two years of college basketball at Xavier. In his sophomore campaign, he emerged as an impact player, racking up 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He also wowed a national audience in his most recent game, scoring 27 points in the Musketeers’ NCAA Tournament loss to Illinois.
Adding Swain would give Ohio State an interior scoring threat and a fantastic defender on the wing, where the Buckeyes need significant reinforcement after Micah Parrish exhausted his eligibility and Mahaffey entered the transfer portal. Current Buckeye Devin Royal is already in hot pursuit of the fellow Columbus-area native, replying to Swain’s portal entry announcement on Instagram with “ostate sound really good” and an eyes emoji.
Christoph Tilly - Santa Clara Center (Sr.)
Last offseason, Ohio State took a shot on two raw post prospects with five-star recruiting rankings, Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart, and didn’t get the production it needed out of the center position. Conversely, Tilly’s skill is a bit more proven, though there are flaws in his game, too.
Tilly scored 12.5 points per game for Santa Clara last season while shooting an efficient 55.4% from the field and 61.7% on 2-point shots. He also added 1.9 assists per contest to flex some passing ability. However, despite his 7-foot stature, he only managed 4.9 rebounds per game, an underwhelming 8.7 boards per 40 minutes.
Still, for a team that lacked any low-post scoring threat outside of Royal in 2024-25, Tilly is worth a look. There’s mutual interest here, as Tilly reportedly has a Zoom call with the Buckeyes on Wednesday.
Colby Duggan - Campbell Wing (Jr.)
Duggan emerged as a three-level scorer for the Fighting Camels in 2024-25, picking up 15.7 points per game while shooting 34% from 3. He posted at least 26 points in five different games, including a 32-point outing against North Carolina during Campbell’s nonconference play.
Ohio State is in a line of schools to contact Duggan, including Providence, Butler, Seton Hall and Richmond. Swain should be a higher priority as wing targets go, but Duggan is a viable option if there’s confidence his game can translate from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Big Ten Conference.
Nick Davidson - Nevada Forward (R-Sr.)
Davidson would be a massive land in the frontcourt for Ohio State. A top-20 portal prospect per both ESPN and On3, the 6-foot-10 big picked up 15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in a competitive Mountain West Conference. On3’s Joe Tipton reported that the Buckeyes have been in contact, but so have bluebloods like North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona, Louisville and Purdue.
Amarri Monroe - Quinnipiac Wing (Sr.)
Speaking of potential massive lands that Diebler has massive competition for, Monroe won MAAC Player of the Year before entering the portal, where he’s since been contacted by the Buckeyes alongside Texas A&M, Pitt, Louisville, Memphis, Penn State, UConn and Maryland among many others, per Tipton. He paced his entire conference with 9.1 rebounds per game despite his 6-foot-7 stature, finishing third in the MAAC with 18.1 points per contest.
Lathan Sommerville - Rutgers Center (So.)
Sommerville has size at 6-foot-10, 260 pounds and experience playing in the Big Ten, where he averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Like Tilly, however, the Buckeyes would need his rebounding rates to take a jump as Sommerville hauled in just 7.8 boards per 40 minutes.
Wes Enis - Lincoln Memorial Guard (Jr.)
Enis is a D-II prospect, but don’t write off his game immediately for that reason. Enis is a sharpshooter with a 41.3% mark from 3, racking up 20.3 points per game and landing D-II All-American honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He’s a top-five point guard in On3’s transfer portal rankings, but could also play shooting guard after moving to the D-I level.
If Ohio State hangs on to Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. as teams try to tamper, Enis could provide a dynamic weapon off the bench. Another Ohio product hailing from the town of Conover, the Buckeyes have been in contact, according to multiple reports. But with Taison Chatman and Dorian Jones waiting in the wings, it’s also possible Cupps is Ohio State’s only addition at guard.
All Wright - Valparaiso Guard (So.)
Wright makes his list because of how fun his name is, the fact that Diebler played and started his coaching career at Valparaiso and that Ohio State has reportedly expressed interest. He scored 15.5 points per game as a freshman this past year.
Jonathan Powell - West Virginia Wing (So.)
Closing out the list with one last Ohio native, Powell was Cupps’ high school teammate at Centerville before collecting 8.3 points per game and shooting 35.2% from 3 in his freshman season with the Mountaineers.
