Where are Ohio State's incoming freshmen in the ESPN recruiting rankings?
Adam JardyThree of Ohio State’s incoming freshmen are among the nation’s top 50 prospects in ESPN’s final 2023 rankings.
The Buckeyes have signed four players in the class that is headlined in the ESPN rankings by Scotty Middleton, a small forward from Miami who played his final two seasons at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. Listed at 6-6, 195 pounds, Middleton is ranked No. 34 nationally and fourth in the Big Ten.
Middleton is ahead of future teammate Taison Chatman, a four-star guard from Minneapolis Totino-Grace who helped lead his team to consecutive state championships. The 6-3, 175-pound guard is ranked No. 45 nationally and listed as a point guard. He’s projected to play both point and shooting guard for the Buckeyes this season.
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Pickerington Central’s Devin Royal is just inside the top 50. A four-star power forward listed at 6-6, 215 pounds, Royal is the No. 49 national prospect after helping the Tigers win a state title as a junior and finish as runners-up during his senior year.
Ohio State’s fourth member of the class, center Austin Parks, is ranked as the No. 6 prospect from Ohio and the No. 23 center in the nation. He recently told The Dispatch that he is up to 6-11, 260 pounds after averaging 21.8 points and earning first-team Division II all-state honors.
The three highest-rated prospects signed to play in the Big Ten are all headed to Michigan State. Five-star center Xavier Booker is atop that list at No. 15 nationally, ahead of future teammates Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears. Carr and Fears are four-star prospects ranked Nos. 24 and 26, respectively. Carr is a small forward and Fears a point guard.
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George Washington III, a four-star shooting guard and one-time Ohio State commitment who signed with Michigan, is ranked No. 93 and the only Wolverine on the list. He is one spot behind Africentric’s Dailyn Swain, a four-star small forward who was recruited by the Buckeyes but signed with Xavier.
ESPN has not updated its team rankings since Jan. 23, when it had the Buckeyes at No. 7 and behind just Michigan State in the Big Ten.
Where is Bronny James in the ESPN top 100?
Bronny James, an uncommitted guard prospect who has been recruited by the Buckeyes, is listed as the No. 19 national prospect and is one of only three top-25 prospects without a decision.