Projecting and analyzing Buckeyes scholarship chart
COLUMBUS — The picture of what the Ohio State roster will look like during the 2024-25 season is becoming clearer. The Buckeyes have made two marquee transfer moves, returned three starters as well as a potential starter who blossomed down the stretch of his freshman season.
They’ve also graduated two key grad transfers and lost four players to the transfer portal, including a starter who broke out in the Ohio State backcourt this past season.
Taking the roster turnover into account, Lettermen Row is projecting the Buckeyes’ scholarship chart. Remember, at the Division I level, coaches can offer a maximum of 13 scholarships per team.
Projected Scholarship Chart
Lettermen Row has created a projected Ohio State scholarship chart. (Andy Backstrom/Lettermen Row)
First, how the Buckeyes got here…
+ Graduate transfer wing Jamison Battle, who came over from Minnesota, and graduate transfer guard Dale Bonner, who came over from Baylor, maxed out their college eligibility.
+ Freshman wing Scotty Middleton, sophomore guards Bowen Hardman and Roddy Gayle Jr. and senior center Zed Key entered the transfer portal.
+ The departures of Middleton and Gayle came as the biggest surprises. Middleton surged at the end of the regular season and in the Big Ten Tournament, returning to his effective 3-and-D ways and making 13-of-20 triples in his final eight games. Middleton went home before the NIT to attend to a family matter, and although he rejoined the team prior to the quarterfinal, he wound up missing all three postseason games. Then he hit the portal, where he’s joined by Gayle, who built off his Big Ten Tournament run the year before and averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore. Gayle scored at least 15 points 15 times this past season.
+ Meechie Johnson announced his return to Ohio State after starring the last two seasons at South Carolina, including a 2023-24 campaign in which he led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. Johnson first played for the Buckeyes from 2020-22. He began his Ohio State career midseason in 2020-21 after reclassifying and graduating early from Garfield Heights High School. Except, the Cleveland native started just five games across two seasons with the program before hitting the portal the first time. Now he’s back.
+ Kentucky transfer center Aaron Bradshaw committed to Ohio State out of the portal. The 7-foot-1, 226-pound Bradshaw averaged 4.9 points, 3.3. rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game while shooting 57.6% from the field for Kentucky as a freshman in 2023-24. He started 10 of the 26 games he played in after recovering from an offseason foot injury but saw his role with the Wildcats decline down the stretch of this past season. Bradshaw entered the collegiate level as the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 4 overall prospect, and No. 1 center, in the 2023 recruiting class.
+ Ohio State is welcoming in soon-to-be freshmen Juni Mobley, a four-star guard out of Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, and Colin White, a three-star wing out of Ottawa-Glandarf in Northwest Ohio.
TRACKING OHIO STATE TRANSFER PORTAL ADDITIONS/DEPARTURES, KEY RETURNERS
Scholarship situation takeaways…
+ At the moment, Ohio State has two scholarship spots remaining. The Buckeyes’ biggest needs are at wing and guard. They could use a starting-caliber wing in the portal, along with a boost to their backcourt depth. Finding quality 3-point shooters at both of those spots would go a long way for Ohio State, which has to replace five of its top-six 3-point shooters from this past season, namely Battle, who made 91 triples and ranked ninth nationally with a 43.3% long-range clip.
+ The Buckeyes have only one senior/grad transfer on the roster right now, and that’s Johnson, who will play his fifth and final year of eligibility in his sequel stay at Ohio State. That said, it’s important to note that reserve forward Kalen Etzler is entering his fourth year with the program but is a redshirt junior.
+ Like last year, Ohio State is in line to return three of its four members from a top-10 recruiting class. Brice Sensabaugh was the lone member of the 2022 class to not run things back in 2023-24, since he decided to declare for the NBA Draft, where he was selected late in the first round by the Utah Jazz. This time around, Middleton was the lone member of the 2023 class to look elsewhere. Forward Devin Royal — who notably averaged 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds over the final nine games of the season — guard Taison Chatman and center Austin Parks are all expected back for another year with the program.
+ The addition of Bradshaw beefed up the Buckeyes at the center position, where Okpara and Parks also reside. It also filled the void left by Key, who has already committed to Dayton in the portal.
+ The addition of Johnson softens the blow left by Gayle’s departure. After all, Johnson led South Carolina this past season with a comparable 14.1 points per game, not to mention his 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.
EARLY Depth Chart Projection
There’s an emphasis on “early” here, given there are still two important scholarship spots to fill. But I gave the depth chart my best shot, just past the midpoint of April.
NOTE: Okpara and Bradshaw can play together, and likely will in specific situations like Okpara and Key did this past season, but I’m not sure those two on the floor together long-term is feasible, spacing-wise.
PGSGWINGFCThorntonJohnsonMahaffey OR PORTAL (2)RoyalOkparaMobleyChatman OR PORTAL(1)Mahaffey OR PORTAL(2)PORTAL (2)BradshawChatmanChatman OR PORTAL(1)WhiteWhiteParksEtzlerLettermen Row has created a mid-April projected Ohio State depth chart. (Andy Backstrom/Lettermen Row)
The post Projecting and analyzing Buckeyes scholarship chart appeared first on On3.
