Ohio State’s 2027 recruiting board is starting to take shape, and the Buckeyes are lining up a busy stretch of official visits as Jake Diebler and his staff work the Schottenstein Center and campus hard in the weeks ahead.
There still isn’t a verbal commitment in the class yet. LJ Smith was once part of the 2027 group, but he reclassified to 2026 and will join this year’s team as a freshman.
That leaves Ohio State with room to build, and the staff could end up signing as many as three or four players in the 2027 cycle. The early signing period opens Nov. 11, giving the Buckeyes a clear timeline to keep pushing on their top targets.
So far, Ohio State has scheduled official visits with seven 2027 prospects:
- Pennsylvania center Jaydn Jenkins on Aug. 26
- Ohio guard Joshua Tyson on Aug. 28
- Canadian forward Deng Ngor on Sept. 5, during Ball State football weekend
- Massachusetts guard Antonio Pemberton on Sept. 19, during Kent State football weekend
- Indiana guard Jason Gardner Jr. on Oct. 3
- Georgia guard MJ Curry on Oct. 10, during Maryland football weekend
- North Carolina guard Geren Holmes on Nov. 7, during Oregon football weekend
The staff has also locked in a visit for one of the nation’s top guards, Brady Pettigrew of Bolingbrook, Ill. The 6-3 Pettigrew, ranked 18th nationally, is set to be in Columbus on Nov. 7 for the Oregon football weekend. His schedule also includes stops at Michigan, Florida, Illinois and Arkansas over the next several months.
One of the biggest names on Ohio State’s board is Arizona small forward DeMarcus Henry, who has climbed to No. 4 nationally in the 2027 class. The 6-7 Henry is also the younger brother of current OSU football wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. and women’s basketball player Seini Henry.
Below is a look at 16 2027 prospects who hold Ohio State offers and have either set visits or included the Buckeyes in their most recent cutdown lists, according to 247Sports.com.
Antonio Pemberton, a 6-1 point guard from Stow (Mass.) Masters Academy International, is ranked 34th nationally and sixth at his position.
In 11 games at the final two adidas 3SSB weekends with Mass Rivals, he averaged 26.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His top eight schools are Tennessee, Kansas, Creighton, Michigan State, Ohio State, Boston College, UCLA and Marquette.
He is scheduled to visit Ohio State on Sept. 18.
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