After Myles Herro and Mathieu Grujicic’s commitments, Ohio State get a set back in form of 4-star recruit’s release request

The Ohio State Buckeyes basketball program has been having a strong offseason. On Monday, three-star recruit Myles Herro committed to the Buckeyes. He is the brother of Miami Heat star Tyler Herro.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the Buckeyes received confirmation that German wing Mathieu Grujicic is committing to the team. He played for FC Barcelona II this past season, averaging 129 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.0 apg.

While both are significant commitments, Ohio State coach Jake Diebler got bad news on Wednesday. Four-star Dorian Jones, who had previously signed with the Buckeyes, requested a release, according to a report by On3.

"Four star Dorian Jones has requested his release from Ohio State and will reopen his recruitment, source told On3 Recruits," Tiptonedits wrote. "The 6-5 shooting guard is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Ohio for the 2025 class."

According to 247Sports, Dorian Jones is the No. 84-ranked player in the nation and No. 13-ranked shooting guard. There has not been an indication from Jones about which team he is considering committing to next. Before signing with Ohio State, he had been considering offers from Michigan, Missouri and Rutgers.

There had been heavy speculation that Jones was considering requesting a release since Friday. According to The Lantern, Jones made a since-deleted Instagram post on Friday announcing his decision not to enroll at Ohio State.

"As I reflect on my development, this next year is an opportunity for me to grow more prior to college," Jones wrote. "I won't be enrolling at Ohio State this year, but I look forward to continuing our relationship."

Since the post was deleted, there was speculation that his decision was not final. However, on Wednesday, it was confirmed that he will not be playing for the Buckeyes.

Jake Diebler will look to improve the Ohio State Buckeyes without Dorian Jones

Jake Diebler took over for the Buckeyes midway through the 2023-24 season. Although he did a decent job, finishing the season 8-3, his team struggled in 2024-25. In his first full year leading the team, the Buckeyes finished with a 17-15 record and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

This was the third season in a row that the Buckeyes have not qualified for March Madness. They last participated in the tournament in 2021-22, making the second round. Diebler will be trying to end that drought and bring the Buckeyes back to their success of the late 2000s and early 2010s.