Jake Diebler’s biggest miss so far at Ohio State opts to hit the transfer portal in a move that was easy to see coming
The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball program is undergoing some big roster changes this offseason after finishing 17-15 and missing a third straight NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State has had C Austin Parks and F Evan Mahaffey opt to hit the transfer portal. So far the Buckeyes have made one addition by the way of Indiana transfer G Gabe Cupps.
The Buckeyes have now lost their third player to the transfer portal and it was easy to see coming after his leave away from the team.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Ohio State senior G Meechie Johnson Jr. is entering the transfer portal. If Johnson is granted a waiver, he will have one year of eligibility remaining wherever he ends up.
Johnson appeared in 10 games in his second stint with the Buckeyes after transferring back to Columbus from South Carolina. After averaging 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds with the Gamecocks last season, Johnson’s numbers dropped to 9.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game with the Buckeyes in 2024-2025.
Mental health concerns were the reason that Johnson took a leave from the team and played in just 10 games, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio State had the emergence of freshman John Mobley Jr. who took over Johnson’s role and provided a spark for the offense.
Johnson was originally recruited to Columbus by Chris Holtmann as a member of the 2020 recruiting class. Johnson played in 43 games over the first two seasons with Ohio State and averaged 4.4 points per game as a freshman. After that, the Cleveland native went on to spend two years with South Carolina.
An expected departure for the Buckeyes and bringing Johnson back to Columbus is the biggest miss for Diebler early in his Ohio State tenure.
