Ohio State’s big recruiting weekend won’t be limited to the football field.
While Buckeye football is set to host a slate of key prospects, Jake Diebler’s men’s basketball program will also be working the campus spotlight. After bringing in guard Joshua Tyson for a visit last weekend, Ohio State is set to host a pair of national top-60 2027 prospects this weekend in Canadian forward Deng Ngor and Illinois point guard Jaxson Davis.
Ngor, a 6-8 forward, has made a major climb in the rankings, jumping from the 150 range to No. 55 in 247Sports.com’s list of the top 2027 prospects. Davis, who stands 6-foot, is ranked No. 39.
“These are a pair of intriguing prospects,” a hoops recruiting source said. “Ngor was very impressive as the Canadian team upset the U.S. team to win the U18 AmeriCup.
Ngor had 15 points in the gold medal game to help Canada to that win. He was then a star on the travel circuit as well.
The competition there will be tough, with Duke, Florida and Washington also expecting him to visit.
“Davis is a pure point guard and a lefty, which can be hard for some teams to deal with. He is a great facilitator and also can get his own offense despite his height.
Ohio State got in on him in time to get a visit scheduled. He has moved from his high school in the Chicago area to Monarch Academy in Kansas City for his senior year.
He's also looking at Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan State in addition to Ohio State.
“If the Buckeyes land him, they can then really go after a top scorer to play the two-guard like Joshua Tyson, MJ Curry or Geren Holmes.”
Both recruits are expected to get the full Ohio State experience, including a look at a basketball workout and attendance at Saturday’s football season opener against Ball State.
In Other News...
Ohio State Defense Faces An Early Test It Can't Dodge
Ohio States defense has no shortage of names to sort through after losing a wave of elite production from last season, and the first real chance to start answering those questions comes against Ball State. The Buckeyes are trying to replace proven playmakers at multiple spots, with the linebacker room drawing particular attention and several transfers expected to be part of the solution as the staff figures out what this group looks like in live action.
Jay Timmons is one of the more intriguing pieces in that mix, a freshman cornerback whose role could grow as the season settles in. For a defense that needs both confidence and chemistry, a game like this matters beyond the final score because it gives Ohio State a chance to see which combinations hold up, which ones need more time, and where the early uncertainty still lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Giving Jim Tressel One Of Its Highest Honors
Ohio State is adding Jim Tressel to one of the programs most visible tributes, with his name set to join the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium. It is a fitting nod to a coach whose tenure in Columbus helped define an era, from the 2003 national championship to eight Big Ten titles, all of which will now be part of the display alongside his name.
Tressels place in Buckeyes history has long been secure, and this honor only reinforces how central his run from 2001 through 2010 remains to the programs identity. Already in the College Football Hall of Fame, he now gets another permanent reminder inside the stadium where his teams built so many of their biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Reopened A Debate Ohio State Fans Never Settled
Jaxon Smith-Njigba revisited one of the most lingering Ohio State what-ifs during an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show, where he addressed the hamstring injury that kept him out of the College Football Playoff and his decision not to play. He said he wanted to be on the field to help Ohio State win a national championship, but the injury left him unable to go, putting a painful cap on a season that had already made him one of the Buckeyes most electric playmakers.
Since then, Smith-Njigba has only added to the intrigue around that missed opportunity. He has become one of the NFLs top receivers, leading the league in receiving yards and earning a contract extension, which only sharpens the old debate over how much Ohio State might have gained if he had been able to suit up. For Buckeyes fans, it is the kind of conversation that never really dies, especially when the player at the center of it has gone on to prove just how high his ceiling really was. [Read more 🡒]