Legacy prospect lands offer

It was a disappointing home loss to Nebraska on Saturday night for the Ohio State basketball program but recruiting never stops and shortly after the contest, head coach Thad Matta put out a scholarship offer to one of Ohio's top young prospects.

Class of 2019 Pickerington (Ohio) Central point guard Jeremiah Francis, son of former Buckeye Jerry Francis, was on campus for the Nebraska game and got the good news from Matta shortly afterwards.

"I had went to the Nebraska vs. OSU game," Francis explained. "I spoke with Coach Matta after and the blessing came after that when I received the offer. It was shocking because I was with my dad and he's a former Buckeye. My dad showed a lot of emotion after hearing that from coach."

Francis has been pulling in a lot of high-major offers recently and he still has two years before he has to make a decision. But the ties to Ohio State and being part of a group that will be expected to return the Buckeyes to the NCAA tournament has Francis thinking very seriously.

"I thought about this really hard, because Ohio State wants to keep their kids home," Francis shared. "That's what I'm thinking. I could bring an impact to this City again, bring it back alive. I've also been comparing myself to what Trae Young did who's from Norman and decided to stay home and go to Oklahoma. But I've been really thinking about this."

Francis is in the midst of an outstanding sophomore season. Central's playoff run begins on Saturday and the Tigers are one of the top-seeded teams in the district.