Now that the Portal is closed (tentatively because it reopens in the case of a coaching search and the guys already IN the portal can still find a destination) here is what I *THINK* Ohio State's lineup will look like for 2026/27:
Centers:
Josh Ojianwuna:
Ojianwuna is a 6-10 SR C/F from Nigeria. He played three years at Baylor from 2022/3 through 2024/5 then transferred to Ohio State last year but sat out due to an injury for which he got a medical redshirt. In his last year of action he started at Baylor in 2024/5 and averaged 25 minutes with 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds (1.8 ORB, 2.4 DRB). In theory he's the starter at center but both Jelavic and Njegovan are taller and all three have extensive college experience so who knows how this all shakes out.
Andrija Jelavic:
Jelavic is a 6-11 SO C/F from Croatia who played his first season of NCAA Ball at Kentucky last year. He played a little over 15 MPG at Kentucky and was a solid contributor but not a star. Whether he'll be a forward or a center at Ohio State remains to be seen and he could play some of each depending on how things develop for him and the other bigs on the roster.
Ivan Njegovan:
Njegovan is a 7' JR C from Croatia. 2026/7 will be his third year at Ohio State and he improved from 1-->2. He mostly backed up Christoph Tilly in 2025/6 and will likely remain in a backup role unless things are either really bad or really good for Ohio State, ie:
- If he has a massive improvement and a breakout season then he could surpass Ojianwuna and Jelavic and start. That would be great for Ohio State.
- If O and J underwhelm then Njegovan could wind up as the starter by default. That would be bad for Ohio State.
Forwards:
Amare Bynum:
Bynum is a 6-8 SO F from Nebraska who came on really strong toward the end of last season so keeping him in the fold was an important accomplishment. If he continues his trajectory based on the end of 2025/6 he should be a very solid starter in 2026/7.
Anthony Thompson:
Thompson is a 6-8 FR F from Ohio. He arrives as a 5* recruit who was rated #7 nationally, the #3 F, and the #1 prospect in Ohio. He is expected to start opposite Bynum and contribute immediately.
Alex Smith:
Smith is a 6-9 FR F from Florida. He arrives as a 4* recruit who was rated #122 nationally, the #18 F, and the #21 prospect in Florida. I certainly don't expect him to start but he could earn some minutes opposite either Bynum or Thompson.
The aforementioned Ojianwuna and/or Jelavic will likely see some time at F either opposite Bynum or Thompson or in a backup role.
Guards:
John Mobley JR:
Mobley is a 6-1 JR G from Ohio. He is testing the NBA draft but expected to return for a third year of starting as a Buckeye. He can run the point and did occasionally to spell Thornton last year but he is a sharpshooter who is better utilized in a shooting role. He averaged 13 points as a freshman in 2024/5 on .389 shooting including .385 from long range and improved to 15.7 points as a sophomore last year on .432 shooting including .411 from long range. With even incremental improvement he'll be one of the better guards in the league in his third year at Ohio State.
Justin Pippen (Scottie's kid):
Pippen is a product of our weird time. He averaged 6.7 MPG as a freshman at Michigan in 2024/5 then started all 32 games at Cal as a sophomore so Ohio State will be his third school in three years. Last year he averaged 14.2 points in just over 30 MPG on .370 shooting including .327 from long range. He is apparently a solid PG both defensively and in terms of running the point. If he can improve on his shooting he'll be a very solid first option at point.
Jimmie Williams:
Williams is a 6-5 SR G from Ohio and another product of our weird time. He grew up in Solon, OH then played a couple years of JUCO. In 2024/5 he was a backup at USF and last year he was a starter at Duquesne. In the A10 last year he had 15.1 points per game in almost 30 minutes per game on .463 shooting including .339 from long range. I don't think he is B1G starter quality but he should be a solid backup.
Braylen Nash:
Nash is a 6-4 JR G from Ohio. He only played in six games last year (down from 9) and averaged 1.3 MPG (down from 1.9) so I don't see him contributing other than in a reserve role.
Overall:
The Buckeyes should see at least incremental improvement from their two returning starters (Mobley and Bynum). Additionally Royal probably left because he assumed that incoming super frosh Thompson would take his spot so that should be improved as well. The C position should be at least about even with last year so that just leaves PG where the Buckeyes lose an all-time great Buckeye in Bruce Thornton.
There were long stretches last year in which the Buckeyes looked the part of what
@MaximumSam called "Thornton and the randos". With the loss of Thornton that would be a REALLY bad look for 2026/7 but Mobley and Bynum came on strong toward the end of last year and if those two build on that the team overall should be at least about as good as last year. There is also the question of just how big of a step back we'll take at Thornton's position. Scottie Pippen's kid has experience so it isn't like we are substituting in a green freshman so that should help.
The bench was a problem last year. There were a number of games in which the Buckeyes were either leading or in the game up until about the U8 timeout and then they just ran out of gas. I *THINK* the bench will be better and possibly considerably better. That would give the coaches the ability to rest guys during games and, hopefully, not be so noticeably gassed in the last 4-8 minutes.
Optimistic view:
The bench will be significantly improved along with four of the five starters and Pippen will not be too big of a step back and the team will be considerably better overall in 2026/7 than they were in 2025/6.
Pessimistic view:
The bench will not improve as much as expected (could be due to an injury forcing one of the projected backups into a starting role) while Bynum and Mobley plateau and the portal additions and freshman are not as good as expected. Additionally Pippen proves woefully inadequate as a replacement for Thornton and the team takes a significant step back.
My best guess:
Ohio State in 2026/7 will be about even with what they were in 2025/6 and will be a fringe NCAAT team once again (ie, something like 6-11 seed).
