Ohio State season preview: Bruce Thornton is off the roster

Where last season ended

Ohio State finished 2025-26 at 21-13 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten, eighth in the league, according to Sports-Reference. The Buckeyes reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, then lost 66-64 to TCU in the opening round on March 19, 2026. Jake Diebler is the head coach. In June he added Mike Wells as an assistant and Dave Richardson as strength and conditioning coach, and he promoted Jamall Walker to associate head coach.

Who is gone

Bruce Thornton is the biggest name missing. The Big Ten named him to the All-Big Ten second team for 2025-26, and he is not on the 2026-27 roster. The sources checked do not say where he went. They also do not give a complete list of other 2025-26 departures, so treat this section as the notable change at guard, not a full exit list.

Who is back

John Mobley Jr., a junior guard from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, earned Big Ten honorable mention for 2025-26 and is on the 2026-27 roster, which makes him the most clearly verified returner in this group. Ivan Njegovan, a junior center listed at 7-2 and 260 pounds, is on the roster. Andrija Jelavic, a junior forward listed at 6-11, is also on the roster after playing at Kentucky. Braylen Nash, another guard, is listed as a junior. Amare Bynum, a sophomore forward, and Myles Herro, a sophomore guard, are also listed. The roster page does not mark returners, so this section does not claim each player's 2025-26 role.

Who is new

Three transfers bring the most college experience. Curtis Givens III, a junior guard, comes from LSU and Memphis. Jimmie Williams, a fifth-year guard, has played at Wallace State, USF and Duquesne. Josh Ojianwuna, a fifth-year forward, comes from Baylor. Justin Pippen, a junior guard, transferred from Cal, where he averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 assists, according to the Big Ten's media day preview. Justin Pippen, a junior guard, transferred from Cal, where he averaged 14.2 points and 4.6 assists, according to the Big Ten's media day preview.

The freshman class is listed below.

Incoming freshmen

Ohio State adds five freshmen, and four of them are forwards. Anthony Thompson, rated No. 7 overall by 247Sports, is the highest-ranked player in the class.

• Anthony Thompson, forward, 6-9, Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio (No. 7 overall per 247Sports)
• Alex Smith, forward, 6-9, Prolific Prep, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (top 150 in the 2026 class, per 247Sports)
• LJ Smith, guard, 6-4, Oak Hill Academy, Lincolnton, N.C. (No. 57 in the 247Sports player rankings)
• Vuk Lazarevic, forward, 7-1, Red Star Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
• Lee Aaliya, forward, 6-9, UCAM Murcia, La Plata, Argentina

The number to know

The number to know is scoring margin per game, which is points scored minus points allowed, averaged over games. In 2025-26, Ohio State averaged 79.3 points and allowed 72.6, a margin of +6.7, according to Sports-Reference. The average covers all 34 games on the season record, including the NCAA loss. It shows how much the Buckeyes outscored opponents on average. It does not show pace, shot quality, or the quality of opponents, so use it as a starting point rather than a final grade.

Questions for this season

Who replaces the guard minutes? Mobley, Pippen and Nash are on the roster, and LJ Smith is the only first-year player listed as a guard. Givens and Williams add experience, but the backcourt has the most open questions.

Can the big men share the floor? Jelavic and Njegovan give Ohio State size. The question is whether the staff can pair them with wings who guard on the perimeter.

How much do the freshmen play? Four of the five first-year players are forwards. Their early minutes will show whether the depth up front turns into rotation minutes.

Our early read

Our tier is Tournament team (5th-9th). This is our opinion, not a sourced ranking. Ohio State has a returning core, led on paper by Mobley, a Big Ten honorable mention pick, and it posted a positive scoring margin last season. The guard group is the largest unknown, and three of the freshmen are forwards who need time. We see a team that can win enough Big Ten games to finish in the upper half of the table. We project the Buckeyes sixth.