How does the Diallo transfer impact recruiting for Ohio State?
It was announced in the early evening on Monday night that former Ohio State big man Ibrahima Diallo is looking to play elsewhere and is entering the transfer portal after appearing in just 13 games, none of which he played any meaningful minutes in, in his two seasons with the Buckeyes.
RELATED: Ibrahima Diallo enters transfer portal
While you never like to see a player transfer, this decision is going to benefit both parties in the long run as Diallo was brought to Columbus as a part of the 2019 recruiting class as more of a project which has not progressed as quickly as some hoped for.
With great size and a quality build for a big man in today’s game, Diallo has the chance to be a difference maker somewhere else with continued development, however Ohio State was not the place for him.
The decision benefits Ohio State in the fact that it frees up one more scholarship heading into next season.
Obviously the recruitment of Efton Reid is still open and I would assume the Buckeyes have remained in contact with him after he delayed his commitment a couple of weeks ago as they likely had knowledge that a spot would open at some point moving forward.
There is still no time table set for the commitment of Reid, however it is certainly one to keep an eye on as he has been one of Ohio State’s most coveted targets throughout the 2021 recruiting cycle and there have also not been many developments in his recruitment after the delayed commitment.
Another big man to possibly keep an eye comes by way of the transfer portal and is former Shawnee State standout EJ Onu, who recently announced that he is going to test the market.
Onu was a major steal for an NAIA program such as Shawnee State and that was made clear this past season when he led the school to a national title in a campaign where he averaged 16.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per games on 67% shooting from two-point range and 40% from deep.
A 6-foot-11 big with a 7-foot-6 wingspan who can stretch the floor, Onu would be a big get for the Buckeyes as he has been dominating at the NAIA level over the past several seasons.
Lastly, I think former North Carolina big man Sterling Manley could possibly be a name to keep an eye on throughout the process of filling this last scholarship.
While I have not heard anything regarding contact between Ohio State and the former Tar Heel, he is a local kid who attended Pickerington High School Central and has both the length and skillset to contribute to the Buckeyes on the interior immediately.
After being plagued with injuries over the course of his senior year of high school and first several years of college, Manley seems to be back to his old ways as a video of him dominating in an open run setting surfaced on Twitter last week.
While it is unknown how Ohio State is going to fill this scholarship, I am sure the staff has been thinking it through over the past several weeks and has a handful of options to look at, these are just a few possibilities which still loom.