Ohio State guard Meechie Johnson enters transfer portal

COLUMBUS — Meechie Johnson returned to Ohio State with big goals for his second stint with the program. That plan didn’t work out this season, and now Johnson is leaving the program to find a different home.

Johnson has made the decision to re-enter his name into the portal after one season with the Buckeyes. He previously played two years at Ohio State before transferring and playing two seasons at South Carolina before returning to the Buckeyes.

He’ll have one year of college basketball eligibility remaining wherever he chooses to go.

Originally committed to and playing for Chris Holtmann, Johnson left the Holtmann-led Buckeyes three years ago to pursue new opportunities. When Holtmann was fired, Ohio State hired Jake Diebler, who brought Johnson back through the transfer portal.

This second stint did not work out. Johnson played in just 10 games before leaving the team for undisclosed reasons. He has since cited mental health concerns as a reason for his departure in December.

In his 10 games played with the Buckeyes this past season, Johnson averaged 9.1 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game. He was a primary guard along with Bruce Thornton, Micah Parrish and freshman standout John Mobley Jr.

Now Johnson is leaving Ohio State for the second time in hopes of finding a new home for his final season of college basketball.

Johnson is the third Ohio State player to enter the transfer portal since the season ended earlier this month, joining center Austin Parks and guard Evan Mahaffey.