Buckeyes Now

Ohio State Hoops Commit Marcus Johnson Wins Impressive Individual Honors

Marcus Johnson is expected to be hooping for the Ohio State Buckeyes sometime in the near future. For now, though, he's dominated at the high school level.

Andrew Kulha

Jan 20, 2024; Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA; Reynoldsburg Tejuan Barbour (20) guards Garfield Heights Marcus Johnson (11) during the Jared Sullinger Play-By-Play Classic 2024 at Reynoldsburg High School Summit Campus.
Jan 20, 2024; Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA; Reynoldsburg Tejuan Barbour (20) guards Garfield Heights Marcus Johnson (11) during the Jared Sullinger Play-By-Play Classic 2024 at Reynoldsburg High School Summit Campus. / Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Marcus Johnson is a very exciting recruit for the Ohio State basketball program. He's a 4-star point guard prospect from Cleveland, Ohio who is ranked as the No. 6 player at his position in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Johnson has been committed to OSU for quite some time now — since April of 2024 — and the Buckeyes have to be extremely excited with what they have in him. Not only is that an exceptionally long commitment in today's recruiting environment (which points to Johnson's character) but he's simply an extremely talented athlete.

So much so that after his junior season for Garfield Heights High School, he was named Ohio's 2025 Mr. Basketball. Not to be outdone, he was also named the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year.

Johnson averaged 29.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals a game in his junior season.

He's the second player ever from Garfield Heights to be named Ohio Mr. Basketball. Ironically, the other was his father, Sonny Johnson, who coaches Garfield Heights as well.

“He’s the kind of teammate you can always rely on — someone who lifts those around him and makes everyone better. He embodies unselfishness yet has the rare ability to take over a game when it matters most," the elder Johnson said in a statement.

According to Eleven Warriors, Johnson is considering a reclassification to the class of 2025 so he can get to Columbus early, but whether he's a 2025 or 2026 recruit, he is all-in with the Buckeyes.

"I just got off the phone with [Ohio State head coach Jake] Diebler today. He's a really good coach, a really good guy," Johnson told Eleven Warriors this past weekend. "Definitely locked in with Ohio State."

Not only is Johnson one of the top players from the state of Ohio — ranked No. 2 by the 247Sports Composite behind 5-star small forward Anthony Thompson — but he's also a Top 30 2026 recruit nationally.

He's a big deal, and he's a Buckeye through-and-through.

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Andrew Kulha
ANDREW KULHA

Andrew Kulha has been a professional sports writer for over 15 years, starting as an intern at Bleacher Report in 2010 and working his way through basically the entire online sports media landscape.

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