By JAMES MADDEN & SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY, KS — Ohio State landed in-state product Marcus Johnson back in April 2024. The 6-foot-1 point guard has thought about playing for the Buckeyes since a very young age.
“It was my dream school,” Johnson told ZAGSBLOG. “Coach [Jake] Diebler is a very good guy. He’s been recruiting me since I was in 9th grade. So when he got the head job, there was really no other choice for me. I really want to play for him.”
Marcus’ cousin, Meechie Johnson, played at Ohio State for two years before transferring to South Carolina and then back to the Buckeyes in 2024-25.
“We both wanted to go there growing up,” Johnson said. “That was my dream school as a child. I always wanted to be a Buckeye, so when I got the offer and coach Diebler got the head job, that’s just where I wanted to go.”
Johnson is a rising senior at Garfield Heights High School (OH) and is spending his summer playing with the Indy Heat on the Nike EYBL circuit. Through 11 games this summer, Johnson’s posted averages of 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He’s scored 30+ points on three different occasions.
Ohio State commit Marcus Johnson in today’s game vs Mokan Elite:
19 PTS
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) May 24, 2025
“I feel like the summer is going okay,” Johnson said. “We’re finding ourselves and everything is starting to come together. We just got to win games and keep going.”
Johnson is a true lead-guard and is very confident in his ability to run an offense.
“I would say I’m a really good point guard that can pass and score the ball at a high-level that teammates like playing with,” Johnson said.
The current coaching staff at Ohio State has touched on his future role with the Buckeyes and what he could possibly bring to Columbus.
“They say I’ve just got to be ready,’ Johnson said. “They tell me the one thing to do when I get on campus is to be ready, and they’ll put the ball in my hands. They didn’t compare me to someone, but they said I’ll have the ball in my hands like Bruce Thornton.”
While Diebler is entering his second full season as the head coach in Columbus, Johnson has built a strong relationship with him going back to his years as an assistant.
“When I was a freshman he offered me,” Johnson said. “As a sophomore, he was able to contact me. He was calling and texting me mostly everyday. So just seeing the love from him made the decision to commit there.”
Johnson plans on returning to Columbus for Ohio State football’s home game vs. Texas on Aug. 30.
“Best football team in the land,” Johnson said. “So getting to watch some games is fun.”
The four-star guard joins stretch big Alex Smith in Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class so far. He’s also trying to recruit four-star power forward TJ Crumble, another in-state product. Johnson is ranked the No. 37 overall prospect in the class of 2026 by 247Sports.
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