Top-30 prospect Marcus Johnson withdraws commitment from Ohio State

Top-30 senior Marcus Johnson announced Monday that he has decommitted from Ohio State, more than a year and a half after pledging to the program.

Johnson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Garfield Heights High School in Ohio, originally committed to the Buckeyes in April 2024, shortly after Jake Diebler was promoted to full-time head coach. Diebler, who had served as an assistant under Chris Holtmann, made Johnson his first major high school commitment as head coach. Ranked No. 28 in the SC Next 100 for the class of 2026, Johnson earned Ohio’s Mr. Basketball honors last season after averaging 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists as a junior. He further boosted his national profile on the Nike EYBL circuit with Indy Heat, where he averaged 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists across 15 games, including three 30-point outings.

Johnson’s father, Sonny Johnson, also won Ohio’s Mr. Basketball award in 1998 before playing collegiately at Ohio University. His decision to reopen his recruitment follows Ohio State’s recent addition of five-star prospect Anthony Thompson, the Buckeyes’ highest-ranked men’s basketball recruit in over ten years. Thompson (No. 13) and four-star Alex Smith now make up Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class, both hailing from Ohio.