Christoph Tilly Signs with NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder After Exploring Return to Ohio State

Christoph Tilly is officially going pro and won’t return to Ohio State.

After exploring a return to the Buckeyes this summer for a fifth year of eligibility, former Ohio State center Christoph Tilly signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, closing the door on a return to college basketball.

Following a preliminary injunction issued by a Colorado judge this summer that gave a fifth year of eligibility to athletes from the 2022 recruiting class who exhausted their eligibility last season, Ohio State and Tilly engaged in talks around the possibility of Tilly returning to the Buckeyes. Those talks slowed, however, after that injunction was stayed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in August, which would have forced Tilly to obtain a temporary restraining order against the NCAA to return to college basketball.

Tilly went through the 2026 NBA draft process and played in the NBA Summer League with the Thunder, but did not sign a contract at the time. Now that he has signed a contract, Tilly officially won’t be returning to Ohio State.

As such, Ohio State’s roster for the 2026-27 season – which was already at the limit of 15 players for the season after the Buckeyes signed Lee Aaliya in August – is now officially set.

2026-27 Ohio State Men’s Basketball Roster

Name

Pos

Hometown (Previous School)

JOHN MOBLEY JR.

6-2

185

Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Wasatch Academy)

AMARE BYNUM

6-8

240

Omaha, Nebraska (Link Academy)