Which men's basketball recruits will be on Ohio State's campus this weekend?
The next generation of Ohio State men’s basketball will be converging on campus this weekend.
As the Buckeyes host Notre Dame at Ohio Stadium on Saturday night, all four members of the 2023 recruiting class will be there on official visits – and they will have company. In addition to Scotty Middleton, Austin Parks, Devin Royal and George Washington III, Ohio State will also be hosting four-star guard Taison Chatman on an official visit.
That might not be all. As the Buckeyes work on potentially adding one more member to their class, four-star prospect Bronny James – son of LeBron James – might also be in attendance on an unofficial visit.
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Washington became the first member of the class when he committed to the Buckeyes last November. A shooting guard now playing at Dayton Chaminade Julienne after moving from Louisville (Kentucky) Christian Academy, the 6-2, 165-pound Washington is ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 106 national recruit according to the 247Sports.com composite database. He recently spent two weeks working out with Darius Garland and former Ohio State player D’Angelo Russell.
Parks, a 6-9, 240-pound center from St. Marys (Ohio) Memorial, joined Washington and committed to the Buckeyes on Feb. 13, 2022, one day after Ohio State won at Michigan. Slowed by a knee injury this summer, Parks is now a three-star prospect ranked No. 168 nationally and No. 25 at his position.
The two comprised the 2023 class until the first week of August, when the Buckeyes reeled in Royal and Middleton within the span of five days. A product local to the university, the 6-7, 210-pound Royal committed to the Buckeyes in an August 3 ceremony at Pickerington Central. An impactful spring and summer on the AAU circuit has raised Royal’s national ranking and he now sits No. 46 overall, No. 9 among power forwards and tops in Ohio.
Four days after Royal committed, Middleton went public with his pledge as well. The 6-6, 180-pound small forward playing at Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian is the No. 47 national recruit and No. 9 player at his position. ESPN ranks him as a five-star recruit and the No. 18 player in the nation.
Together, the quartet gives Ohio State the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation. Although the projected roster for next season is at maximum capacity, the Buckeyes are still looking to add one more freshman with the expectation that someone will either turn pro early or opt to enter the transfer portal. That’s where both Chatman and James come in.
A 6-4, 170-pound combo guard from Minneapolis Totino-Grace, Chatman is the No. 31 national recruit and No. 1 player in his state according to the 247Sports.com composite. He has also taken official visits to Xavier and Kansas, During the summer, Chatman announced a top five consisting of Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio State, Virginia and Xavier.
James, who until recently was viewed as a player who might bypass college completely, is likely to be accompanied by his dad for the game. In order to allow LeBron James to be potentially featured on the scoreboard during the football game or visit the ESPN College Gameday set, his son’s visit would have to be an unofficial one to avoid falling afoul of NCAA recruiting guidelines.
Bronny James’ recruitment remains among the most-guarded topics in recruiting circles, and it’s unclear where Ohio State – or any other school – fits into his future plans. He’s a four-star prospect ranked No. 45 in the composite database as he enters his senior season at Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Could Bronny James join other visitors at Ohio State this weekend?
