Six days after adding a top prospect to its 2026 recruiting class, the Buckeyes have lost one.
Marcus Johnson, who was the first player to commit to Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class when he committed to the Buckeyes in April 2024, decommitted from Ohio State on Monday.
NEWS: 4 Marcus Johnson (@marcusjjohnson_) has decommitted from Ohio State and will reopen his recruitment, his father told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 27, 2025
Johnson, one of the top point guards in the 2026 class, had been committed to the Buckeyes since his sophomore season. Now a senior, the 6-2 pic.twitter.com/465ERWCvnt
Johnson’s decommitment leaves Ohio State with two commits in the 2026 recruiting class: Five-star forward Anthony Thompson, who committed to the Buckeyes last Tuesday, and four-star forward Alex Smith.
Johnson’s father, Sonny, told the Columbus Dispatch his son decided to decommit because of concerns about Ohio State’s play style.
"(Committing in 2024) was an easy choice when you’ve got somebody who’s non-stop watching you and recruiting you and he gets the job as an interim and he’s playing a certain style of basketball that really fits your game," Sonny Johnson told the Dispatch. "Last year ... was a different style than what we committed to.
"We talked about that with coach Diebler. We went to a couple practices this year and Marcus was wondering if it fits. Then we went to the game (Oct. 26 against Ohio), which it looked pretty good. Their style was fine for how he plays, but we’re in a situation where you’ve got a signing period coming up.
"The style of basketball that Ohio State played last year was different than it’s supposed to be this year. So right now, we just want to see it. Nothing’s wrong with that."
Sonny Johnson told the Dispatch that his son is still considering Ohio State despite the decommitment.
Ranked as the No. 3 prospect from Ohio, No. 4 point guard and No. 47 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Johnson decommitted from Ohio State just 16 days before the first signing day for his class, which is set for Nov. 12. His decommitment will leave the Buckeyes looking to add at least one more player to their 2026 class, particularly in the backcourt.
Johnson is the cousin of former Ohio State guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who had two stints with the Buckeyes from 2020-22 and again last season. Meechie Johnson played in just 10 games for Ohio State last season before sitting out the rest of the year due to mental health issues. That allowed the elder Johnson to get a medical hardship waiver for his final year of eligibility and transfer back to South Carolina, where he spent two seasons before transferring back to Ohio State, for the 2025-26 season.
Now, it appears Marcus Johnson’s Ohio State career has ended before it ever began.
