In the end, Marcus Johnson is following in the footsteps of his cousin.
On Thursday, the four-star guard prospect and former Ohio State commit pledged his services to South Carolina, the current home of his cousin Meechie Johnson, a redshirt senior who is also a former Buckeye.
NEWS: 4 Marcus Johnson (@marcusjjohnson_) has committed to South Carolina, he told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) November 13, 2025
The 6-2 point guard decommitted from Ohio State last month. Cousin of current Gamecock Meechie Johnson. https://t.co/RMuj3WhiWS pic.twitter.com/4hwuNn5uHk
The composite No. 47 overall prospect and No. 4 point guard in the recruiting class of 2026, Marcus Johnson committed to Ohio State on April 10, 2024, less than two weeks after Meechie committed to the Buckeyes out of the transfer portal from South Carolina. The elder spent his first two collegiate seasons at OSU before transferring to the Gamecocks for the first time.
Meechie Johnson's second stint at Ohio State didn't go as planned. He played just 10 games before sitting out the rest of the season for purported mental health issues and taking a medical redshirt, then transferred back to South Carolina for a second senior season. But cousin Marcus Johnson remained committed to the Buckeyes until late October.
Six days after the Buckeyes landed a massive pledge from five-star small forward Anthony Thompson, Marcus Johnson decommitted on Oct. 27, his father citing a change in playstyle from Ohio State last season.
"(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 Columbus 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."
Meechie will exhaust his eligibility before Marcus arrives for the 2026-27 season. Ohio State signed four-star power forward Alex Smith alongside Thompson for its 2026 recruiting class.
