On March 29th, Ohio State basketball just hit a snag in the offseason with four redoven royals set to enter the transfer portal. The 6'6", 230 pound junior from Pickerington Central has one year of eligibility left after playing in 96 of the Buckeyes 102 games over three seasons. He started as a top in state recruit, Ohio's Mr. Basketball in 2023 and built himself into a key piece.
Royal showed real growth on the court. As a freshman, he averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds. Then, sophomore year, he jumped to 13.7 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds, hitting 52.5% from the floor with some big gains like 31 points and 15 boards against Valpo. This past season, he started all 32 games, putting up 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Fans and analysts see this as a big loss for Ohio State, who finished 8th in the Big Ten with a 21 and 13 record overall. 12 and 8 in conference. Royal was their go-to guy inside for scoring and boards, a homegrown talent who went from four star prospect to everyday starter. But with five star forward Anthony Thompson incoming, his spot was looking shaky anyway.
No specific suitors have popped up yet for Royal, but the portal's buzzing this time of year. Ohio State loses a reliable vet and he'll chase minutes elsewhere. Keep an eye on how the Buckeyes rebuild around that new talent could shake up next season big time. //