2026 top-25 prospect Marcus Johnson commits to Ohio State

COLUMBUS — Eight days after South Carolina star point guard Meechie Johnson transferred back to Ohio State, his cousin, Marcus Johnson, a top-25 overall prospect in the 2026 class, committed to the Buckeyes.

The four-star point guard from Garfield Heights in Cleveland, Ohio, chose Ohio State over Alabama, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Illinois and several other schools that offered him.

“I chose Ohio State state due to Jake Diebler’s recruiting process with me, showing love and going hard for me,” Johnson told On3’s Joe Tipton.

“Also, Ohio State has always been my dream school since a kid and I want to stay home.”

Johnson is the No. 22 overall prospect in the 2026 class as well as the No. 4 point guard and No. 1 Ohio recruit in his cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Although Diebler has been heavily involved in Ohio State’s recruiting success for years, Johnson is the first high school recruit he’s received a commitment from since he took over as full-time head coach.

The Buckeyes are welcoming a 2024 recruiting class this offseason that includes four-star Mt. Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy point guard Juni Mobley and three-star Ottawa (Ohio) Ottawa-Glandorf wing Colin White. Both have reaffirmed their commitments to the program since Diebler’s hiring after originally signing while Chris Holtmann was still at the helm.

Even though Mobley finished his high school career in Utah and was born in Rochester, New York, he lived in Reynoldsburg — a suburb of Columbus — from when he was 4 years old until the pandemic rolled around. White is an Ohio native, as is Marcus Johnson.

And, as of now, the Buckeyes are in line to return four Ohio players for the 2024-25 season, plus, of course, Meechie Johnson — he also played his high school ball at Garfield Heights in Cleveland.

In part thanks to the Johnson family, Ohio State is still placing an emphasis on in-state recruiting under Diebler, who will likely ramp up those efforts in the Buckeyes’ backyard as his tenure unfolds.

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