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2027 NC CB Xavier Hasan (Verbal Offer)
- By pnuts34
- Football Recruiting
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Class: 2027
Position: CB
School: Durham(NC) Cardinal Gibbons
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185lbs
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Rivals
HudL
Class: 2027
Position: CB
School: Durham(NC) Cardinal Gibbons
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185lbs
Login to view embedded media
LGHL You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State true freshman are you most excited to watch this season?
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You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State true freshman are you most excited to watch this season?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
There’s a new kid on the block at “Wide Receiver U,” and if spring practice was any indication, you should make note of the name Quincy Porter.
At 6-4, 205 pounds, Porter joins the ranks of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and more in Brian Hartline’s stacked receiver room, and if spring practice is any indication, Porter can hold his own even as a freshman.
Last season, as a high school senior at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, New Jersey, Porter averaged 17.0 yards per carry, amassing 969 yards and 11 touchdowns on 57 passes, helping to lead his team to a state title. He amassed an identical number of yards in his junior season, on 16 fewer passes and with five additional touchdowns. A multi-sport athlete, Porter also ran track and field in high school.
His impressive football stats made him a five-star prospect, with 247Sports ranking him as the No. 23 player in the country and the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2025 class. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins even predicted Porter would be a future first-round NFL Draft pick, saying there is “no shortage of potential.”
Porter hit the ground running in spring practice, becoming the only freshman to shed his black stripe, a tradition started by Urban Meyer meant to signify that a newcomer has proven themselves to be a true Buckeye ready to play for the team. It took him just 11 practices.
Wide receivers coach Brian Hartline cited Porter’s consistency and ability to make big plays as a driving force for the removal of the black stripe—and mentioned that Porter’s peers had started to demand that the stripe be removed.
Day added that Porter, who has been compared to the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., was making “a lot of contested catches,” ones that stood out even at the team’s most competitive practices.
He looked great in the spring game as well, netting 50 yards on 4 catches.
While losing your black stripe or playing well in the spring game aren’t always the best indicators of someone’s success as a freshman, especially as a member of a receiver room with this much power, in Porter’s case, he takes his job seriously. This bodes well for him this season and throughout his career.
It remains to be seen how much playing time we can expect from him, since Smith now has a year of experience under his belt, with a talent that seems even more freakish by the minute. But Porter was in the two-deep for most of spring practice and still managed to establish himself as someone who can contribute to the team in a meaningful way.
Will he see regular playing time once the season kicks off in earnest? Most likely, no. But it’s not stopping him from setting lofty goals for himself, and it doesn’t mean he won’t find ways to establish himself as a star-in-the-making. He’s willing to block, he’s able to move the chains, and he’s hungry to make a name for himself.
With all of this in mind, all signs point to a strong freshman season from a player we should be paying attention to. I, for one, am excited to sit back and watch.
Look, I get it, going for the true freshman quarterback is the basest level of college football commentary, I know. But, guys, what if he is the greatest QB of all time? I know that as Buckeye fans, we have a tendency to get overexcited and put waaaaaaay too much pressure on young players before they’ve even really begun their collegiate careers. But it’s an endearing kind of pressure, right?
Tavien St. Clair comes to Columbus as the No. 7 player in 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 3 quarterback in the country for the 2025 recruiting cycle. He is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and while he needs to get accustomed to more complex offenses than what he ran at Bellefontaine High School, scouts already believe that he has the tools to be a multi-year starter for the Buckeyes and an NFL Draft pick.
But here’s the real reason that I am curious about St. Clair. As an Ohio kid, he committed to the Buckeyes in June 2023. At that point, Julian Sayin was still an Alabama commit, but by the time that St. Clair and the rest of the 2025 class signed their letters of intent, he knew that the No. 6 player and No. 1 quarterback from the 2024 class was already in the fold. And yet, St. Clair stayed true to his pledge to the team he grew up rooting for.
Of course, it is always nice to have multiple elite-level quarterbacks on the roster, but ideally, you would like them to be spaced out by a couple of years, so that you can get two years of starting time from them before they go pro after their third season. There’s no reason to presume that, barring injury, anyone other than Sayin is going to start behind center this fall as a true sophomore. So, he would be the presumed starter heading into the 2026 season as well, and St. Clair would have one year of experience as a backup.
The question then becomes if that is for there to be a legitimate competition between the two a year from now. Will St. Clair have grown enough to erase the year of experience that Sayin has on him? Or, will Sayin lead the team to another national title, guaranteeing him the starting spot for one more year?
Obviously, we don’t yet have the answers to those questions, but the cornucopia of talent in the OSU QB room is exciting, and whether it’s one year, two years, or, heck, even three years, I’m excited to get a first glimpse at what future Ohio State starter Tavien St. Clair looks like on the field.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Which Ohio State true freshman are you most excited to watch this season?
Jami’s Take: Quincy Porter
There’s a new kid on the block at “Wide Receiver U,” and if spring practice was any indication, you should make note of the name Quincy Porter.
At 6-4, 205 pounds, Porter joins the ranks of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and more in Brian Hartline’s stacked receiver room, and if spring practice is any indication, Porter can hold his own even as a freshman.
Last season, as a high school senior at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, New Jersey, Porter averaged 17.0 yards per carry, amassing 969 yards and 11 touchdowns on 57 passes, helping to lead his team to a state title. He amassed an identical number of yards in his junior season, on 16 fewer passes and with five additional touchdowns. A multi-sport athlete, Porter also ran track and field in high school.
His impressive football stats made him a five-star prospect, with 247Sports ranking him as the No. 23 player in the country and the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2025 class. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins even predicted Porter would be a future first-round NFL Draft pick, saying there is “no shortage of potential.”
Porter hit the ground running in spring practice, becoming the only freshman to shed his black stripe, a tradition started by Urban Meyer meant to signify that a newcomer has proven themselves to be a true Buckeye ready to play for the team. It took him just 11 practices.
Wide receivers coach Brian Hartline cited Porter’s consistency and ability to make big plays as a driving force for the removal of the black stripe—and mentioned that Porter’s peers had started to demand that the stripe be removed.
Day added that Porter, who has been compared to the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., was making “a lot of contested catches,” ones that stood out even at the team’s most competitive practices.
He looked great in the spring game as well, netting 50 yards on 4 catches.
While losing your black stripe or playing well in the spring game aren’t always the best indicators of someone’s success as a freshman, especially as a member of a receiver room with this much power, in Porter’s case, he takes his job seriously. This bodes well for him this season and throughout his career.
It remains to be seen how much playing time we can expect from him, since Smith now has a year of experience under his belt, with a talent that seems even more freakish by the minute. But Porter was in the two-deep for most of spring practice and still managed to establish himself as someone who can contribute to the team in a meaningful way.
Will he see regular playing time once the season kicks off in earnest? Most likely, no. But it’s not stopping him from setting lofty goals for himself, and it doesn’t mean he won’t find ways to establish himself as a star-in-the-making. He’s willing to block, he’s able to move the chains, and he’s hungry to make a name for himself.
With all of this in mind, all signs point to a strong freshman season from a player we should be paying attention to. I, for one, am excited to sit back and watch.
Matt’s Take: Tavien St. Clair
Look, I get it, going for the true freshman quarterback is the basest level of college football commentary, I know. But, guys, what if he is the greatest QB of all time? I know that as Buckeye fans, we have a tendency to get overexcited and put waaaaaaay too much pressure on young players before they’ve even really begun their collegiate careers. But it’s an endearing kind of pressure, right?
Tavien St. Clair comes to Columbus as the No. 7 player in 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 3 quarterback in the country for the 2025 recruiting cycle. He is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and while he needs to get accustomed to more complex offenses than what he ran at Bellefontaine High School, scouts already believe that he has the tools to be a multi-year starter for the Buckeyes and an NFL Draft pick.
But here’s the real reason that I am curious about St. Clair. As an Ohio kid, he committed to the Buckeyes in June 2023. At that point, Julian Sayin was still an Alabama commit, but by the time that St. Clair and the rest of the 2025 class signed their letters of intent, he knew that the No. 6 player and No. 1 quarterback from the 2024 class was already in the fold. And yet, St. Clair stayed true to his pledge to the team he grew up rooting for.
Of course, it is always nice to have multiple elite-level quarterbacks on the roster, but ideally, you would like them to be spaced out by a couple of years, so that you can get two years of starting time from them before they go pro after their third season. There’s no reason to presume that, barring injury, anyone other than Sayin is going to start behind center this fall as a true sophomore. So, he would be the presumed starter heading into the 2026 season as well, and St. Clair would have one year of experience as a backup.
The question then becomes if that is for there to be a legitimate competition between the two a year from now. Will St. Clair have grown enough to erase the year of experience that Sayin has on him? Or, will Sayin lead the team to another national title, guaranteeing him the starting spot for one more year?
Obviously, we don’t yet have the answers to those questions, but the cornucopia of talent in the OSU QB room is exciting, and whether it’s one year, two years, or, heck, even three years, I’m excited to get a first glimpse at what future Ohio State starter Tavien St. Clair looks like on the field.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
Continue reading...
LGHL Players to Watch: Brandon Inniss is poised for a breakout season
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Players to Watch: Brandon Inniss is poised for a breakout season
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Similar to Carnell Tate last season, Inniss can make a giant impact as the third receiver on the depth chart this season
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
When discussing the Ohio State wide receiver room for the upcoming season, most of the attention is focused on Jeremiah Smith, and any remaining attention is focused on Carnell Tate. However, another formerly top-ranked recruit has patiently waited for his moment, and this season could be just that.
The man in question is rising junior, Brandon Inniss.
The 6-foot, 200-pound junior from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is entering the season as the likely third receiver, slotting in behind Smith and Tate and right in front of Mylan Graham, at least to start the season.
As a prospect, he was a high four-star, ranked as the No. 5 receiver, the No. 9 player in Florida, and No. 35 overall in the 2023 class. Andrew Ivins, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, praised Inniss highly in his recruiting scouting profile.
“Arguably the most established prospect in the class of 2023. Burst onto the scene making plays as an eighth grader down in South Florida and never left racking up accolade after accolade,” Ivins said in his evaluation. “Listed as a wide receiver and will likely get paid one day to catch passes, but could also be labeled as just a straight up alpha as he’s someone that absolutely hates to lose and will do whatever it takes to win.”
He continued to say Inniss, “has evolved as a wide receiver over the years and seems to be settling in as a game-changing inside receiver that can work all the different numbers of the route tree.”
He also projected him as a first-round pick and compared him to the Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown. He had offers from Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma, and many more.
However, he has been behind multiple first-round picks and has only gotten spot opportunities thus far.
In his career, Inniss has 15 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns, which is good for 15.6 yards per reception. During his freshman season, he had one catch for 58 yards and a touchdown in eight games, and during his sophomore season, he recorded 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 16 games.
Still, he showed up in some big moments this past season, scoring a touchdown against Penn State and recording a big first down in the national championship game against Notre Dame.
On special teams, Inniss had 14 punt returns for 107 yards and three kick returns for 47 yards with no touchdowns. He averaged 7.6 yards per punt return and 15.7 yards per kick return.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26009228/usa_today_25695627.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“When you feel like now’s your time, your mentality also changes,” Inniss told 247Sports in April. “And last year, still being the ‘backup,’ now the opportunity to be a starter, now your mentality totally changes. And I feel like the number change, my body’s changing, and it’s all coming together.”
There is still a lot in front of Inniss, as Smith and Tate will see the lion's share of targets, and new tight end Max Klare is one of the best in the country, but Inniss has waited long enough and knows how to take advantage of his opportunity when it knocks.
“We call it competitive excellence, making the play when your number’s called,” Inniss said. “And I feel like every time I get the opportunity to get in the game, it’s either I’m putting good stuff on film or bad things, and I don’t want to put bad things on film. So that was just my mindset every play. Just put everything on film.”
Look for Inniss to be a contributor in his third season. As teams try to clamp down on Smith and Tate, that can open up more opportunities for the junior.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Similar to Carnell Tate last season, Inniss can make a giant impact as the third receiver on the depth chart this season
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
When discussing the Ohio State wide receiver room for the upcoming season, most of the attention is focused on Jeremiah Smith, and any remaining attention is focused on Carnell Tate. However, another formerly top-ranked recruit has patiently waited for his moment, and this season could be just that.
The man in question is rising junior, Brandon Inniss.
The 6-foot, 200-pound junior from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is entering the season as the likely third receiver, slotting in behind Smith and Tate and right in front of Mylan Graham, at least to start the season.
As a prospect, he was a high four-star, ranked as the No. 5 receiver, the No. 9 player in Florida, and No. 35 overall in the 2023 class. Andrew Ivins, the Director of Scouting for 247Sports, praised Inniss highly in his recruiting scouting profile.
“Arguably the most established prospect in the class of 2023. Burst onto the scene making plays as an eighth grader down in South Florida and never left racking up accolade after accolade,” Ivins said in his evaluation. “Listed as a wide receiver and will likely get paid one day to catch passes, but could also be labeled as just a straight up alpha as he’s someone that absolutely hates to lose and will do whatever it takes to win.”
He continued to say Inniss, “has evolved as a wide receiver over the years and seems to be settling in as a game-changing inside receiver that can work all the different numbers of the route tree.”
He also projected him as a first-round pick and compared him to the Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown. He had offers from Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma, and many more.
However, he has been behind multiple first-round picks and has only gotten spot opportunities thus far.
In his career, Inniss has 15 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns, which is good for 15.6 yards per reception. During his freshman season, he had one catch for 58 yards and a touchdown in eight games, and during his sophomore season, he recorded 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 16 games.
Still, he showed up in some big moments this past season, scoring a touchdown against Penn State and recording a big first down in the national championship game against Notre Dame.
On special teams, Inniss had 14 punt returns for 107 yards and three kick returns for 47 yards with no touchdowns. He averaged 7.6 yards per punt return and 15.7 yards per kick return.
“When you feel like now’s your time, your mentality also changes,” Inniss told 247Sports in April. “And last year, still being the ‘backup,’ now the opportunity to be a starter, now your mentality totally changes. And I feel like the number change, my body’s changing, and it’s all coming together.”
There is still a lot in front of Inniss, as Smith and Tate will see the lion's share of targets, and new tight end Max Klare is one of the best in the country, but Inniss has waited long enough and knows how to take advantage of his opportunity when it knocks.
“We call it competitive excellence, making the play when your number’s called,” Inniss said. “And I feel like every time I get the opportunity to get in the game, it’s either I’m putting good stuff on film or bad things, and I don’t want to put bad things on film. So that was just my mindset every play. Just put everything on film.”
Look for Inniss to be a contributor in his third season. As teams try to clamp down on Smith and Tate, that can open up more opportunities for the junior.
Continue reading...
LGHL Players to Watch: Christoph Tilly gives Ohio State basketball a presence in the paint
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Players to Watch: Christoph Tilly gives Ohio State basketball a presence in the paint
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
James Snook-Imagn Images
The center from Santa Clara should be able to step in immediately for the Buckeyes and form a potent combo with Devin Royal down low.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
Ohio State’s men’s basketball program hasn’t done much to inspire confidence over the last few seasons. The last time the Buckeyes made the NCAA Tournament was back in 2022 when they beat Loyola-Chicago in the first round before losing to Villanova. Ohio State hasn’t made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in over 10 years, with their last trip to the Sweet Sixteen coming in 2013.
Jake Diebler’s first full season as head coach of the Buckeyes was a rocky one. Diebler took some swings in the transfer portal that didn’t work out, bringing back Meechie Johnson Jr., along with scooping up Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart.
Johnson only played a handful of games in his second stint in the scarlet and gray before personal issues sidelined him for the rest of the season in December. Bradshaw dealt with an off-court legal issue which resulted in the Kentucky transfer being away from the team for a few weeks, while Stewart frequently found himself in foul trouble when he was on the court.
Even though Bradshaw and Stewart have size, they weren’t really a force in the paint. With both bigs having already transferred to new schools during the offseason, Diebler was forced to look for reinforcements to give the Buckeyes a presence down low for the 2025-26 season.
Enter Santa Clara seven-footer Christoph Tilly, who will be a senior this season after spending three years in the WCC with the Broncos. If Tilly can put up numbers anywhere close to what he was able to do at Santa Clara, he will form a scary combo in the paint with Devin Royal.
Tilly was born in Berlin, Germany and played for two squads in Germany’s Pro B North League, as well as for Germany’s U18 team in the 2021 Euro Challengers Tournament before heading to Santa Clara. Despite not starting a game as a freshman with the Broncos, Tilly did make an impact on the court, averaging 5.0 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game, playing just 12 minutes per game.
Tilly was able to score at least 10 points in five games during the 2022-23 season, with his best scoring output coming in the NIT loss to Sam Houston State when he scored 16 points.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26021361/2204244170.jpg "West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament - Quarterfinals")
Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images
As a sophomore, Tilly became a fixture in the Santa Clara starting lineup, starting in 28 of the 29 games he appeared in. One of those games came against Ohio State in the Emerald Coast Classic. Unfortunately for Tilly and the Broncos, the game wasn’t much of a contest, as Ohio State won by 30 points in Florida.
Tilly had just seven points in 16 minutes in the loss, but one of his better games of the season came in the portion of the tournament that was on-campus. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Tilly netted 20 points, which was only bested during the season by the 22 points he scored against Portland. For the year, Tilly averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Last season Tilly grew even more as a player, averaging 12.5 points per game and 4.9 points per game. The junior not only registered three double-doubles during the season, he also eclipsed 20 points in five games. Along with scoring a season-high 25 points against Loyola Marymount, Tilly recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds against Pacific.
In Santa Clara’s final game of the season, which would also end up being Tilly’s final game with the Broncos, the German big man scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the loss to UAB in the second round of the NIT.
Along with his noticeable improvement on the court over the last few years, what has also been impressive about Tilly is he is smart with the shots he takes. Last year Tilly led the WCC with a 55.4% field goal percentage. In each of his three seasons at the college level, Tilly has shot at least 50 percent.
Even though the majority of Tilly’s shots have come from close to the basket, he has shown the ability to step outside and hit the occasional three-pointer. Last season Tilly hit 17 of the 54 three-pointers he attempted, which translates to just over a 30 percent success rate from beyond the arc.
Will bringing in Tilly make Ohio State a national title contender in 2025-26? I wouldn’t start booking hotels in Indianapolis for the Final Four just yet. At least what Tilly will bring to the team this year is some toughness to go along with some of the senior leadership that Bruce Thornton and Micah Parrish will bring to the table.
On a team that felt like it lacked direction at times last year, the more experience that Diebler can bring in will help to make his job easier.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26021362/2207269695.jpg "Santa Clara v Pepperdine")
Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images
For those who might be worried about Tilly’s ability to play in the Big Ten, it’s not like he was playing against scrubs in the West Coast Conference while with Santa Clara. Tilly spent the last three years matching up with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, along with a usually ambitious non-conference schedule for the Broncos.
Plus, with his past professional experience in Germany, Tilly could be a sleeper to make some noise in the Big Ten as the Buckeyes look to end their recent postseason drought.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
James Snook-Imagn Images
The center from Santa Clara should be able to step in immediately for the Buckeyes and form a potent combo with Devin Royal down low.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
Ohio State’s men’s basketball program hasn’t done much to inspire confidence over the last few seasons. The last time the Buckeyes made the NCAA Tournament was back in 2022 when they beat Loyola-Chicago in the first round before losing to Villanova. Ohio State hasn’t made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in over 10 years, with their last trip to the Sweet Sixteen coming in 2013.
Jake Diebler’s first full season as head coach of the Buckeyes was a rocky one. Diebler took some swings in the transfer portal that didn’t work out, bringing back Meechie Johnson Jr., along with scooping up Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart.
Johnson only played a handful of games in his second stint in the scarlet and gray before personal issues sidelined him for the rest of the season in December. Bradshaw dealt with an off-court legal issue which resulted in the Kentucky transfer being away from the team for a few weeks, while Stewart frequently found himself in foul trouble when he was on the court.
Even though Bradshaw and Stewart have size, they weren’t really a force in the paint. With both bigs having already transferred to new schools during the offseason, Diebler was forced to look for reinforcements to give the Buckeyes a presence down low for the 2025-26 season.
Enter Santa Clara seven-footer Christoph Tilly, who will be a senior this season after spending three years in the WCC with the Broncos. If Tilly can put up numbers anywhere close to what he was able to do at Santa Clara, he will form a scary combo in the paint with Devin Royal.
Tilly was born in Berlin, Germany and played for two squads in Germany’s Pro B North League, as well as for Germany’s U18 team in the 2021 Euro Challengers Tournament before heading to Santa Clara. Despite not starting a game as a freshman with the Broncos, Tilly did make an impact on the court, averaging 5.0 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game, playing just 12 minutes per game.
Tilly was able to score at least 10 points in five games during the 2022-23 season, with his best scoring output coming in the NIT loss to Sam Houston State when he scored 16 points.
As a sophomore, Tilly became a fixture in the Santa Clara starting lineup, starting in 28 of the 29 games he appeared in. One of those games came against Ohio State in the Emerald Coast Classic. Unfortunately for Tilly and the Broncos, the game wasn’t much of a contest, as Ohio State won by 30 points in Florida.
Tilly had just seven points in 16 minutes in the loss, but one of his better games of the season came in the portion of the tournament that was on-campus. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Tilly netted 20 points, which was only bested during the season by the 22 points he scored against Portland. For the year, Tilly averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Last season Tilly grew even more as a player, averaging 12.5 points per game and 4.9 points per game. The junior not only registered three double-doubles during the season, he also eclipsed 20 points in five games. Along with scoring a season-high 25 points against Loyola Marymount, Tilly recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds against Pacific.
In Santa Clara’s final game of the season, which would also end up being Tilly’s final game with the Broncos, the German big man scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the loss to UAB in the second round of the NIT.
Along with his noticeable improvement on the court over the last few years, what has also been impressive about Tilly is he is smart with the shots he takes. Last year Tilly led the WCC with a 55.4% field goal percentage. In each of his three seasons at the college level, Tilly has shot at least 50 percent.
Even though the majority of Tilly’s shots have come from close to the basket, he has shown the ability to step outside and hit the occasional three-pointer. Last season Tilly hit 17 of the 54 three-pointers he attempted, which translates to just over a 30 percent success rate from beyond the arc.
Will bringing in Tilly make Ohio State a national title contender in 2025-26? I wouldn’t start booking hotels in Indianapolis for the Final Four just yet. At least what Tilly will bring to the team this year is some toughness to go along with some of the senior leadership that Bruce Thornton and Micah Parrish will bring to the table.
On a team that felt like it lacked direction at times last year, the more experience that Diebler can bring in will help to make his job easier.
For those who might be worried about Tilly’s ability to play in the Big Ten, it’s not like he was playing against scrubs in the West Coast Conference while with Santa Clara. Tilly spent the last three years matching up with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, along with a usually ambitious non-conference schedule for the Broncos.
Plus, with his past professional experience in Germany, Tilly could be a sleeper to make some noise in the Big Ten as the Buckeyes look to end their recent postseason drought.
Continue reading...