South Carolina junior Meechie Johnson Jr. will reportedly withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft and transfer to Ohio State, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Johnson was among 201 players who applied as early draft prospects. He declared, maintaining his remaining college eligibility and will now return to Ohio State after playing the last two years at South Carolina.
The 6-foot-1 point guard was named to the All-SEC second team last season after averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists on 39.9% shooting from the field. He recorded 10 20-point games, including a season-high 29 points and five rebounds on November 28.
Meechie Johnson told me he plans to withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft and play for Ohio State next season.
Averaged 14.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG last season at South Carolina.
-Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 17, 2024
Johnson, who is from Cleveland, played the first two years of his college career with the Buckeyes. He announced last month that he would return to Columbus if he opted out of the NBA draft and would play for rookie coach Jake Diebler.
He projects to be a great addition to the Buckeyes next season. He joins Sean Stewart (Duke), Micah Parrish (San Diego State) and Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky) in transferring to the team, while the program also added recruits Juni Mobley and Colin White.
The Buckeyes finished 22-14 last season, including 9-11 in conference play, and will look to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
