Ohio State's bid for a game-changing wing in the transfer portal fell short.
On Thursday, five-star Texas Tech transfer and major Buckeye target Darrion Williams committed to NC State. He is the No. 6 overall player and No. 2 power forward in the portal.
See you soon @PackMensBball pic.twitter.com/TKgZw5oWWU
— Darrion Williams (@OfficialDW03) May 22, 2025
Williams, a former high school teammate of star Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, collected 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Red Raiders in 2024-25. He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors as a result.
Ohio State has been targeting a wing in the portal to replace the production of star guard Micah Parrish, who exhausted his eligibility last season. Backup wing Evan Mahaffey also left for Akron via the portal. The Buckeyes landed Wright State power forward Brandon Noel in return, who now projects to start at the 4 and bump last year's starting power forward, Devin Royal, down to small forward.
Rising sophomore Colin White is slated to be the only other wing option on next year's OSU roster. The Buckeyes will review other options at the position in the portal, though few remain at this stage of the offseason.
Center Christoph Tilly (Santa Clara), forward Josh Ojianwuna (Baylor) and guard Gabe Cupps (Indiana) join Noel as Ohio State transfer portal acquisitions so far this cycle.
