Ohio State’s men’s basketball staff is kicking off a packed official-visit stretch this week, with a pair of 2027 prospects set to be on campus as Jake Diebler and his crew keep working the recruiting board.
The first stop comes Wednesday, when Pennsylvania center Jaydn Jenkins is scheduled to arrive. Then on Friday, Ohio guard Joshua Tyson begins his visit. Both are national top-60 prospects, and both would be major additions for the Buckeyes.
Tyson, in particular, has been on Ohio State’s radar for a while. A source said he has been “a priority recruit for the last couple of years for Diebler.” The same source also pointed to the kind of backcourt the Buckeyes could be building, saying Diebler may see next season’s group as one that could include Tyson, LJ Smith, Justin Pippen and “maybe even John Mobley Jr. as a senior as being something special.”
Tyson has already visited Xavier, which could be Ohio State’s toughest competition if the race turns into a financial battle. He also has visits lined up with Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Michigan State. He will play his senior season at La Lumiere prep school in Indiana.
The staff’s approach this month is deliberate, with visits spread out so the program can give each recruit and family plenty of attention. As the source put it, “Overall, the staff has done a great job of spreading out these visits so the entire OSU basketball machinery can give each player and his family the fullcourt press. It's not a football weekend this weekend, but students are back on campus so it should be pretty lively.”
More official visitors are on deck after that. Canadian forward Deng Ngor is set for Sept. 5, during the Ball State football weekend.
Massachusetts guard Antonio Pemberton follows on Sept. 19, when Kent State comes to town. Indiana guard Jason Gardner Jr. visits Oct.
3, Georgia guard MJ Curry comes Oct. 10 for the Maryland football weekend, and North Carolina guard Geren Holmes is scheduled for Nov. 7, when Oregon is in town for football.
There could still be another name added to the list. The source said the staff will see whether it can bring in more visitors, especially Arizona national top-five forward DeMarcus Henry, who “will want to come to campus to see his brother Chris play football.”
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