The Ohio State Buckeyes are reportedly in on a major portal recruit to improve their basketball program.
The Ohio State Buckeyes need a ton of help on the hardwood as they turn their attention to the 2026 season.
The Buckeyes needed a miracle to make this year's NCAA tournament, and when they got in, they were the very first team to be eliminated. What they are isn't quite enough, and it will be much harder next season.
One of the best players in the history of the Ohio State basketball program is leaving the program in Bruce Thornton, and then their second-best player, Devin Royal, is allegedly hitting the road to play at UConn.
Jake Diebler has his work cut out for him, on top of the fact that the pressure on him will be as high as ever, as the guy Ohio State hired him over just won the National Championship.
So, to begin to fix this, the Buckeyes are going to need to go shopping in the transfer portal, and they will need to be big game hunting.
The first target that they should have at the top of their list is BYU point guard Rob Wright III. Wright officially entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, and he is exactly what the Buckeyes could need.
Last year for BYU, Wright III averaged 18 points per game while being a legitimate sharpshooter with a 41 percent clip from behind the arc. On a team with the future No. 1 overall pick AJ Debansa, that type of consistent scoring is more than impressive.
As it stands right now, Wright III is a top-five player available in the portal, and Ohio State is reportedly one of the few teams interested in him.
The Buckeyes will be competing with Kentucky and Arkansas for the elite guard, and that is going to be a very tough battle. While Kentucky is trending down, the Arkansas Razorbacks could possibly be the team that makes the most sense for Wright III.
Playing for John Calipari nearly means that he is going to the NBA, and if he goes there, he replaces Darius Acuff, with the hope of picking up right where he left off.
If Ohio State wants to be serious about competing next year, landing Wright III is a non-negotiable and would just be the first step in what is an incredibly important offseason for the state of this program.
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