Jake Diebler has his first big building block in Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting class, and this one comes with real juice.
Canadian forward Deng Ngor, a 6-8 prospect from Fort Erie (Ont.) International Academy, has verbally committed to the Buckeyes, giving Diebler another highly rated addition at the front of the class. Ngor is ranked No. 55 nationally, No. 10 among power forwards and No. 1 in Ontario for 2027 by 247Sports.com.
The commitment is another early win for Diebler, who also landed the first pledge in Ohio State’s 2027 class when he signed LJ Smith from Virginia last November. Smith later reclassified to 2026 this spring, is now enrolled at Ohio State and will suit up for the Buckeyes in the 2026-27 season.
Ngor’s rise has been quick. He entered the spring and summer travel season ranked No. 150, then surged after strong play for Team Canada at the 18U AmeriCup and for the Brookwood Lu Dort Elite squad on the adidas 3SSB circuit.
His offer sheet reflected that jump. Ngor had 24 scholarship offers and had narrowed things down to Ohio State, Washington, Florida and Duke. He visited Columbus over the weekend of Sept. 5, the same weekend as the Ball State football game, and had other visits lined up with Washington, Florida and Duke before deciding to end the process and choose the Buckeyes.
For Ohio State, Ngor gives the 2027 class a versatile forward to build around. He projects primarily as a power forward, and his game has been compared to current OSU sophomore Amare Bynum. At the same time, Ngor has shown enough growth as a three-point shooter to slide to the wing in some lineups.
Ohio State still has plenty of work to do in the class, especially in the backcourt and frontcourt around Ngor. The Buckeyes have already hosted two guards on official visits: Ohio native Joshua Tyson, now at La Lumiere School in Indiana, and Illinois native Jaxson Davis, now at Monarch Academy in Kansas City.
Massachusetts guard Antonio Pemberton was supposed to visit this weekend, but that trip now appears to be off as he is set to announce his commitment on Friday. Pennsylvania center Jadyn Jenkins is scheduled to visit next weekend, when Illinois football comes to town.
There are more top-end visitors on the calendar, too. Guards Jason Gardner Jr. of Indiana, MJ Curry of Georgia and Geren Holmes of North Carolina are all expected in the coming weeks, and each is ranked inside the national top 75.
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Safety Earl Little Jr. acknowledged the need for improvement and stressed that every defender has to own his assignment if the unit is going to hold up against conference offenses. The coaching staff has kept practice demanding for exactly that reason, pushing the Buckeyes to sharpen the details now rather than hope they sort themselves out later. [Read more 🡒]