Four-star guard Marcus Johnson, who was the first player to commit to Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class when he committed to the Buckeyes in April 2024, decommitted from Ohio State on Monday according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Marcus Johnson (@marcusjjohnson_) has decommitted from Ohio State and will reopen his recruitment, his father told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 27, 2025
Johnson, one of the top point guards in the 2026 class, had been committed to the Buckeyes since his sophomore season. Now a senior, the 6-2… pic.twitter.com/465ERWCvnt
The new Indiana target has not ruled out still joining Ohio State next year, but the elder Johnson made it clear a style of play is a key factor.
Johnson’s father, Sonny, told the Columbus Dispatch his son decided to decommit because of concerns about Ohio State’s play style.
"(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 told the Dispatch. "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.
A 6-foot-2, 190 pounf point gaurd from Garfield Heights High School (Ohio), Johnson is ranked No. 28 in the SC Next 100 for the class of 2026. He was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio last spring after his junior season where he averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. During the summer for the Nike EYBL circuit with the 'Indy Heat', Johnson averaged 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 15 games.
Johnson's father Sonny Johnson, who was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio in 1998 played at Ohio University from 1999-2002.
Indiana is hoping to land Marcus Johnson after offering him Tuesday. indiana will have to get in line for Johnson as he has a long list of impressive offers from Alabama, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, Villanova, West Virginia and Cincinatti.
Indiana currently holds one member for the 2026 recruiting class in Virginia native Prince Moody-Alexander.