The Ohio State basketball program has been waiting on John Mobley Jr.’s NBA Draft decision and the Buckeye has now made his call.
The Ohio State basketball program has had a busy offseason, with the transfer portal and roster reshaping ahead of next season, following its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
Ohio State lost PG Bruce Thornton and C Christoph Tilly to graduation, but was able to return F Amare Bynum for his sophomore season as a key piece. After several additions through the transfer portal, the Buckeyes now have confirmation they’ll be returning their second-leading scorer from last season.
John Mobley Jr. has made a decision on his Ohio State future
First reported by Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express, Ohio State G John Mobley Jr. has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft process. Mobley had previously entered his name into the draft with the ability to withdraw and maintain his college eligibility. Mobley will return as the favorite to be Ohio State’s leading scorer next season.
During the 2025-2026 season, Mobley averaged 15.7 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game while making 3.1 three-pointers a game at a 41 percent clip. Mobley started all 31 games he played in and it was an improvement over his freshman season where he averaged 13.5 points per game as a newcomer.
The 6-foot-1 Reynoldsburg native will likely start alongside California transfer Justin Pippen to make up Ohio State’s backcourt. Incoming five-star freshman Anthony Thompson and Bynum will man the forward spots. Expect Josh Ojianwuna or Kentucky transfer Andrija Jelavic to be the starting center.
Getting Mobley back was the single biggest thing the Buckeyes had to do this offseason to be able to get back to the NCAA Tournament and try to make a run next season. Some good news in Columbus to start the week.