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Jake Diebler, Ohio State building momentum in recruitment of Darryn Peterson, Niko Bundalo
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Lori Schmidt/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Could Ohio State pull off a massive 1-2 combo of commitments before the November signing period?
Could Ohio State and new head coach Jake Diebler send shockwaves across the country by landing two Ohio-born five-star recruits in Darryn Peterson and Niko Bundalo? We’ll know the answer to that question over the next five weeks or so, but right now the Buckeyes appear to be in a good spot with each of the five-star players in the 2025 class.
Peterson, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard, is the No. 3 player in the country and the top-rated combo guard in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He was born in Canton and played his first two years of high school basketball at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Cuyahoga Falls before transferring to Huntington Prep (VA) and later Prolific Prep (CA). His father played basketball collegiately at Akron from 2001-2004 and his brother currently plays football at the University of Wisconsin.
Bundalo is a 6-foot-10, 215-pound power forward and is currently the No. 26 player in the 2025 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. He’s a five-star recruit and the No. 7 power forward in the nation. Bundalo’s father is Serbian and his mother is Bosnian, and both came to America as refugees in 1999.
Bundalo was raised in Green, Ohio – just south of Akron. He played two years at Green, followed by one season at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, and will now play his senior season at Prolific Prep in Napa, California — with Peterson.
After growing up roughly 20 miles away from each other, the two elite Ohio prospects have come full circle and reconvened at the California powerhouse prep school that saw two alumni get selected in the NBA Draft this past summer. Bundalo is currently considering nine college programs, while Peterson is down to four.
Both prospects have stated previously that they would like to make decisions before Prolific Prep’s season begins and before the early signing period in early November – that means we can expect commitments from both in the next five to six weeks.
There are two programs that are on both Bundalo and Peterson’s lists – Kansas and Ohio State. Peterson has long been tied to the Jayhawks, partially because of the historic NIL deal he signed with Adidas last year. Kansas is the only Adidas-branded school he is considering, but his father clarified this month that the NIL deal does not have to carry into college and will not be a make-or-break factor in his decision. Still, Kansas is considered the favorite at the moment.
Bundalo posted a final eight of Ohio State, Michigan State, UConn, Kentucky, Pitt, Texas, Xavier, and North Carolina last month, but weeks later added Kansas to that group. Bundalo has visited UConn, MSU, and Ohio State. He plans on visiting Kentucky, Kansas, and UNC before he makes his final decision.
Both Peterson and Bundalo recently visited Ohio State, and while the Buckeyes have their work cut out for them in both recruitments, it sounds like Diebler is rolling out the red carpet for both players here in the stretch run.
Two days day after concluding a “great” visit at Ohio State on Sept. 1, Peterson cut his list from eight to four and included the Buckeyes. His father told the Columbus Dispatch that Darryn wasn’t planning on cutting it to four so soon, but after the Ohio State visit his son was ready to move the process along.
“After that Ohio State visit, Darryn got a little excited and said I’m ready to get this stuff moving forward and get it done, so we put out the final four,” Darryl Peterson told the Dispatch. Peterson went on to say that his son’s visit at Ohio State was “One of the best visits they’ve had” and that Ohio State “Really made us feel like home is the place to be.”
Peterson also said that Ohio State’s visit and time with Darryn will be hard for another program to follow up.
So while Kansas has long been the assumed landing spot for Peterson, it seems Jake Diebler has, in the very least, given the five-star and his family a reason to pause and consider coming back to the Buckeye state for his one year of college. If there’s a dark horse candidate to get Peterson, the Buckeyes appear to be that program, and Diebler that coach.
Like Peterson, Bundalo is being courted by the nation’s best programs, including Kansas, UConn, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The two-time defending champion Huskies looked like an early favorite to get Bundalo, but On3’s prediction machine now has Ohio State as the favorites to get a commitment from Bundalo.
Bundalo made a trip to Columbus this past weekend for an official visit, and was able to attend Ohio State’s annual alumni dinner on Friday, followed by an on-field pass for the Ohio State vs Marshall football game Saturday, where he hung out with current and former Buckeyes.
Former Ohio State guard and current San Antonio Spur, Malaki Branham – a northeast Ohio native like Bundalo – spent much of the game talking to the rising high school senior about his experience at Ohio State. The two allegedly exchanged numbers and Branham followed up with Bundalo the day after his visit concluded.
“He really took me under his wing;” Bundalo told the Columbus Dispatch after the visit. “He gave me his phone number and was texting me. His willingness to be within this process and help out in general as a kid that’s from the same area as him has been great.”
Bundalo also noted that Diebler getting the head coaching job mattered a lot to him, and that it’s a “match made in heaven” that the former assistant coach who wanted him at Ohio State is now the man who controls everything about the program. While his decision will not come down to location or proximity to family, Bundalo said that Ohio State “feels like home” and that when he cuts his options down to a final few, the Buckeyes will definitely be on that short list.
With Kansas and Ohio State both possibilities for both recruits, there’s a real chance that the two wind up playing for the same college team one year after playing together during their senior year of high school. But if that happens, will it be in Lawrence, or Columbus?
Even if Ohio State winds up getting one or neither of the two, Diebler and his staff have without a doubt inserted themselves as major players for both northeast Ohio natives. Time will tell, but there’s a scenario that exists in the universe where Ohio State pulls off the 1-2 combo for the ages, landing both Peterson and Bundalo.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Lori Schmidt/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Could Ohio State pull off a massive 1-2 combo of commitments before the November signing period?
Could Ohio State and new head coach Jake Diebler send shockwaves across the country by landing two Ohio-born five-star recruits in Darryn Peterson and Niko Bundalo? We’ll know the answer to that question over the next five weeks or so, but right now the Buckeyes appear to be in a good spot with each of the five-star players in the 2025 class.
Peterson, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard, is the No. 3 player in the country and the top-rated combo guard in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He was born in Canton and played his first two years of high school basketball at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Cuyahoga Falls before transferring to Huntington Prep (VA) and later Prolific Prep (CA). His father played basketball collegiately at Akron from 2001-2004 and his brother currently plays football at the University of Wisconsin.
Bundalo is a 6-foot-10, 215-pound power forward and is currently the No. 26 player in the 2025 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. He’s a five-star recruit and the No. 7 power forward in the nation. Bundalo’s father is Serbian and his mother is Bosnian, and both came to America as refugees in 1999.
Bundalo was raised in Green, Ohio – just south of Akron. He played two years at Green, followed by one season at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, and will now play his senior season at Prolific Prep in Napa, California — with Peterson.
After growing up roughly 20 miles away from each other, the two elite Ohio prospects have come full circle and reconvened at the California powerhouse prep school that saw two alumni get selected in the NBA Draft this past summer. Bundalo is currently considering nine college programs, while Peterson is down to four.
Both prospects have stated previously that they would like to make decisions before Prolific Prep’s season begins and before the early signing period in early November – that means we can expect commitments from both in the next five to six weeks.
There are two programs that are on both Bundalo and Peterson’s lists – Kansas and Ohio State. Peterson has long been tied to the Jayhawks, partially because of the historic NIL deal he signed with Adidas last year. Kansas is the only Adidas-branded school he is considering, but his father clarified this month that the NIL deal does not have to carry into college and will not be a make-or-break factor in his decision. Still, Kansas is considered the favorite at the moment.
Bundalo posted a final eight of Ohio State, Michigan State, UConn, Kentucky, Pitt, Texas, Xavier, and North Carolina last month, but weeks later added Kansas to that group. Bundalo has visited UConn, MSU, and Ohio State. He plans on visiting Kentucky, Kansas, and UNC before he makes his final decision.
Both Peterson and Bundalo recently visited Ohio State, and while the Buckeyes have their work cut out for them in both recruitments, it sounds like Diebler is rolling out the red carpet for both players here in the stretch run.
Two days day after concluding a “great” visit at Ohio State on Sept. 1, Peterson cut his list from eight to four and included the Buckeyes. His father told the Columbus Dispatch that Darryn wasn’t planning on cutting it to four so soon, but after the Ohio State visit his son was ready to move the process along.
“After that Ohio State visit, Darryn got a little excited and said I’m ready to get this stuff moving forward and get it done, so we put out the final four,” Darryl Peterson told the Dispatch. Peterson went on to say that his son’s visit at Ohio State was “One of the best visits they’ve had” and that Ohio State “Really made us feel like home is the place to be.”
Peterson also said that Ohio State’s visit and time with Darryn will be hard for another program to follow up.
So while Kansas has long been the assumed landing spot for Peterson, it seems Jake Diebler has, in the very least, given the five-star and his family a reason to pause and consider coming back to the Buckeye state for his one year of college. If there’s a dark horse candidate to get Peterson, the Buckeyes appear to be that program, and Diebler that coach.
Like Peterson, Bundalo is being courted by the nation’s best programs, including Kansas, UConn, Kentucky, and North Carolina. The two-time defending champion Huskies looked like an early favorite to get Bundalo, but On3’s prediction machine now has Ohio State as the favorites to get a commitment from Bundalo.
Bundalo made a trip to Columbus this past weekend for an official visit, and was able to attend Ohio State’s annual alumni dinner on Friday, followed by an on-field pass for the Ohio State vs Marshall football game Saturday, where he hung out with current and former Buckeyes.
Former Ohio State guard and current San Antonio Spur, Malaki Branham – a northeast Ohio native like Bundalo – spent much of the game talking to the rising high school senior about his experience at Ohio State. The two allegedly exchanged numbers and Branham followed up with Bundalo the day after his visit concluded.
“He really took me under his wing;” Bundalo told the Columbus Dispatch after the visit. “He gave me his phone number and was texting me. His willingness to be within this process and help out in general as a kid that’s from the same area as him has been great.”
Bundalo also noted that Diebler getting the head coaching job mattered a lot to him, and that it’s a “match made in heaven” that the former assistant coach who wanted him at Ohio State is now the man who controls everything about the program. While his decision will not come down to location or proximity to family, Bundalo said that Ohio State “feels like home” and that when he cuts his options down to a final few, the Buckeyes will definitely be on that short list.
With Kansas and Ohio State both possibilities for both recruits, there’s a real chance that the two wind up playing for the same college team one year after playing together during their senior year of high school. But if that happens, will it be in Lawrence, or Columbus?
Even if Ohio State winds up getting one or neither of the two, Diebler and his staff have without a doubt inserted themselves as major players for both northeast Ohio natives. Time will tell, but there’s a scenario that exists in the universe where Ohio State pulls off the 1-2 combo for the ages, landing both Peterson and Bundalo.
Continue reading...