Ohio State loses commitment from 4-star in-state point guard star

The Ohio State Buckeyes got some bad news on Monday.

Marcus Johnson has decommitted.

Johnson is a four-star point guard, and he's an Ohio kid.

The Garfield Heights superstar just won Ohio's Mr. Basketball award for the 2024-25 season.

Johnson had been committed since April 2024, but the Class of 2026 star is now going to look for a new home.

As a high school junior, Johnson averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

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Johnson took his official visit to Ohio State on Aug. 30.

He and his father, Sonny, were there on Oct. 26 for the Buckeyes' exhibition against Ohio University, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. 

The Akron Beacon Journal also spoke to Sonny Johnson about his son's decision:

"What Marcus told coach Diebler when he talked to him was, ‘Hey coach, hopefully you’re still recruiting me. Hopefully, you still want me. If not, I understand,' " Sonny Johnson said. "He wanted to watch some games. He wanted to make sure it’s the right style and system for him. I think that’s so classy."

Sonny added this, via the Beacon Journal:

"(Committing in 2024) was an easy choice when you’ve got somebody who’s non-stop watching you and recruiting you and he gets the job as an interim and he’s playing a certain style of basketball that really fits your game," Sonny Johnson said. "Last year ... was a different style than what we committed to. We talked about that with coach Diebler. We went to a couple practices this year and Marcus was wondering if it fits. Then we went to the game (Oct. 26 against Ohio), which it looked pretty good. Their style was fine for how he plays, but we’re in a situation where you’ve got a signing period coming up. The style of basketball that Ohio State played last year was different than it’s supposed to be this year. So right now, we just want to see it. Nothing’s wrong with that."

Last week, OSU got a commitment from five-star Ohio kid Anthony Thompson, but now, the Class of 2026 has lost a member.

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