The start of college football season also means the start of college basketball campus visit season. As Ohio State hosts No. 1 Texas in an Aug. 30 showdown at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes‘ men’s basketball team will be trying to make the most of the moment by hosting several highly rated recruits.

Ohio State has two four-star players verbally committed for its class of 2026: guard Marcus Johnson and forward Alex Smith. Johnson will play at Garfield Heights, Ohio, as a senior while Smith has transferred from Upper Arlington to Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Prolific Prep.

It’s not yet known how big Ohio State’s class of 2026 could become or how many players coach Jake Diebler hopes to sign in future classes.

Here’s a list of who is scheduled to be on campus during the weekend of Aug. 30. As always, visits and plans are subject to change.

Marcus Johnson, 2026 (official)

The first player to commit in the Jake Diebler era, Johnson is a four-star point guard prospect in the 247Sports.com rankings. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard will play his senior season at Garfield Heights, Ohio, after turning down multiple options to transfer to a prep school and finish out his prep career elsewhere. He’s the No. 3 player in Ohio according to 247Sports, which ranks him as the No. 27 national prospect as well.

Johnson averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a junior while helping Garfield Heights reach the Division III state semifinals. He earned Ohio Mr. Basketball honors, following in the footsteps of his father and coach, Sonny Johnson, who won it in 1998. The two are the first father-son combo to win the award in Ohio history.

More: Where is ‘dark horse’ Ohio State in Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament projection at ESPN?

Anthony Thompson, 2026 (official)

A 6-8, 205-pound power forward from Lebanon, Ohio, Thompson played his first two years of prep basketball there before transferring within the state to Hudson Western Reserve Academy, which operates outside of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. He is the No. 10 national player in the 247Sports rankings, the No. 4 small forward in the country and the top prospect from Ohio.

Thompson is also the highest-rated prospect from Ohio to play his senior season within the state since Jared Sullinger was the No. 3 prospect in the 2010 class.

The five-star prospect has continually kept Ohio State among his list of schools. The Buckeyes are the first of many visits he is planning to take before hopefully making a college decision this fall and signing during the early signing period.

Demarcus Henry, 2027 (unofficial)

A 6-6, 190-pound small forward at Chandler (Arizona) Compass Prep, Henry is not the only player from his household to earn a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. His older brother, Chris Henry, is a five-star wide receiver in the 2026 class who has already committed to Ohio State.

This Henry is the No. 22 prospect in his class, the No. 9 small forward in the nation and a four-star prospect according to 247Sports. Demarcus Henry played part of his freshman year at Cincinnati Withrow before transferring.

LJ Smith, 2027 (unofficial)

After a strong spring, the 6-4, 180-pound Smith picked up a host of scholarship offers including one from Ohio State. On the first day college coaches could call players in the 2027 class, Diebler called Smith and offered him. He has a tie to Ohio: Smith’s mother’s family is from Cincinnati and they are Ohio State fans.

As a sophomore, he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and three assists at Lincolnton, North Carolina. He will play for Mouth of Wilson (Virginia) Oak Hill Academy this year. 247Sports ranks him as a four-star prospect, the No. 26 player in his class, the No. 2 combo guard in the country and the No. 2 player in Virginia.

Josh Tyson, 2027 (unofficial)

Ohio State offered the 6-2, 170-pound combo guard while his West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West team participated in its team camp at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in June. A four-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings, Tyson is the No. 78 prospect in the 2027 class, the No. 8 combo guard in the nation and the No. 3 player in Ohio.

This will be his second visit to Ohio State in less than a month.

Kam Mercer, 2028 (unofficial)

A five-star prospect according to ESPN, Mercer is from Cincinnati and would have played for Winton Woods but transferred to Huntington (West Virginia) Prep for his freshman year. Now, he will play for the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta while preparing for college. The Buckeyes offered before he began playing prep basketball.

A 6-5, 185-pound sophomore, Mercer is the No. 5 player in his class and the No. 3 small forward in the country according to ESPN. He also visited Ohio State on Aug. 1, the first day coaches could host him on a visit.

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Instagram at hoops_and_scoops, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.