Ohio State’s leadership picture has changed fast, and the Buckeyes now belong to John Mobley Jr.
For two seasons, Mobley could lean into a supporting role while Bruce Thornton handled the loudest voice in the room. Thornton was a four-time team captain and the program’s all-time leading scorer, and Devin Royal was another older presence in the lineup. Now Thornton is gone and Royal has transferred to Villanova, which leaves the junior guard from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, as the player expected to steer the Buckeyes into the 2026-27 season.
"Juni is definitely different this year," said sophomore forward Amare Bynum, who joins Mobley as the team's two returning starters. "He's got that real confidence to him, like he did last year. But this year he is the leader of the team and he is ready to get after them."
Mobley has already shown that new role in action. After Ohio State’s outdoor exhibition loss to Cincinnati on Oct.
7, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Mobley addressed the team before coach Jake Diebler made it back to the locker room. His message was simple: keep moving, keep perspective, and treat the exhibition as just the first step in a long season.
That voice will matter again Sunday, when Ohio State closes its exhibition slate against Butler of the Big East. The game is set for 2 p.m., and former OSU and Butler coach Thad Matta will be honored at halftime. Big Ten Network-Plus will webcast the game, and Ohio State’s two BTN-Plus regular-season games are Nov. 6 against Youngstown State and Nov. 16 against Prairie View A&M.
Mobley remains the centerpiece on the court, too. He was Ohio State’s only double-figure scorer against Cincinnati, finishing with 15 points and four assists in 30 minutes. The shot making wasn’t clean - he went 4 of 13 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point range - but the production was there.
He also reportedly looked strong in the Buckeyes’ closed scrimmage at Louisville last Saturday. Ohio State lost that game 97-88, but took the second half after a rough opening stretch.
Sunday’s matchup with Butler will be the final tuneup before the season opener against BYU in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Mon., Nov. 2.
Mobley’s path to this point has taken him far from his Reynoldsburg roots. He grew up an Ohio State fan before his family moved to Las Vegas, where he played varsity basketball at Bishop Gorman High School. A highly regarded recruit in the 2024 class, ranked No. 43 overall by the 247Sports Composite, he drew offers from LSU, Creighton and Arizona State before committing to Ohio State in October 2022, before his junior year.
He later transferred to Wasatch Academy in Utah for his senior season so he could face elite competition in the EYBL Scholastic League, and the move paid off. Mobley averaged 21.5 points, 5.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while leading the Tigers to a 17-7 record and a No. 8 national ranking. He also finished second in the Nike EYBL Scholastic league in scoring in 2024 at 19.9 points per game.
Once he got to Ohio State, he made noise immediately. In his first game, a win over Texas, Mobley drilled all four of his 3-point attempts and scored 14 points in 13 minutes. Later that season, after Meechie Johnson abruptly quit the team in December 2024, Mobley stepped into the starting lineup next to Thornton at shooting guard.
His first two seasons produced plenty of volume and a clear rise in responsibility. Mobley has played in 63 games with 53 starts.
As a freshman in 2024-25, he averaged 13.0 points and 2.2 assists, shot 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and made 77 threes - the second-most by an Ohio State freshman and tied for 10th in a single season in school history. He had five games of 20 points or more, including 23 against Campbell.
Last season pushed him even higher. Mobley finished second on the team in scoring behind Thornton at 15.7 points per game, added 2.8 rebounds per night and hit 41.1 percent of his threes, making 97 of 236. Over his career, he is a 40 percent shooter from deep and an 88 percent foul shooter.
His long-range shooting flared at different points throughout the year. He had nine games with five made 3-pointers, including a career-best eight at Penn State, where he also set his scoring high with 28 points. That was one of nine 20-point performances on the season.
Mobley’s best stretch came over a 10-day window from Jan. 17 to Jan. 26. Ohio State went 3-1 in that span, beating UCLA, Minnesota and Penn State while losing at Michigan, and Mobley averaged 25.3 points while knocking down 46.5 percent of his 3s, going 20 of 43.
This year’s roster gives him more help around him, but also puts more on his shoulders. Ohio State has six returnees and nine newcomers - four transfers and five signees - giving the Buckeyes depth across the board.
In the backcourt, Cal transfer Justin Pippen is expected to share point guard duties with Mobley. Memphis transfer Curtis Givens III, Duquesne transfer Jimmie Williams and freshman LJ Smith add depth there, while freshman Anthony Thompson is slated as a wing forward.
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