John Mobley Jr. still intends to go through the NBA draft process despite a clerical error from the NBA that left him off the league’s initial list of early entrants.
An Ohio State spokesperson told Eleven Warriors that Mobley still intends to go through the draft process and is working with the NBA to be placed back on the list of entrants. An earlier report by Eleven Warriors incorrectly said that he had withdrawn his name from the draft and was returning to the Buckeyes based on the NBA's release.
Mobley previously announced on March 31 that he would declare for the 2026 NBA draft but that he would return to Ohio State if he returned to college basketball. The transfer portal closed last week.
The Buckeye guard, who still has two more years of eligibility, can still return to Ohio State for his junior season if he withdraws from the NBA draft by May 27, the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft and maintain their collegiate eligibility.
Mobley emerged as Ohio State's No. 2 scorer in 2025-26, the second half of one of the Big Ten's best starting backcourt tandems alongside four-time captain and Ohio State scoring record holder Bruce Thornton. Mobley picked up 15.7 points per game and shot 41.1% from 3-point range, good for fifth in the Big Ten among qualified shooters. He added 2.8 assists per game en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.
A top-50 prospect out of high school, Mobley was thrust into a starting role 11 games into his freshman season in 2024-25 after starting guard Meechie Johnson Jr. sat out the final 22 games of Ohio State's season for mental health issues. Mobley shot 38.5% from three but just 38.9% overall from the field, a number that jumped to 43.2% this past season. He averaged 13 points and 2.2 assists per game in his freshman year, all told.
Should Mobley return to Ohio State, he will have three new backcourt running mates for his junior year after guards Justin Pippen (Cal), Jimmie Williams (Duquesne) and Curtis Givens III (Memphis) committed to Ohio State out of the transfer portal. The Buckeyes have also added former Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavić.
