Connor Lemons
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You’re Nuts: Which transfer portal player should Ohio State roll out the red carpet for?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jake Diebler and his staff have a crucial spring and summer ahead of them after missing the NCAA Tournament in year one.
Ohio State isn’t playing in the NCAA Tournament (again), but in a weird way, the FOMO isn’t as bad as we thought it would be. That’s partially because the Buckeyes have jumped on the transfer portal early — two Buckeyes have left the program via transfer (Austin Parks and Evan Mahaffey), and one has joined the team (Gabe Cupps).
As of Friday morning, Ohio State only had one open spot remaining on the 2025-2026 roster. The transfer portal will stay open until April 22, however, and we expect that at least one more spot — if not more — will open up on the men’s basketball roster. Today, we’ll be talking about specific players who have entered the portal, which we think Jake Diebler and his staff should prioritize right away.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which position should be the immediate priority for Ohio State when scouring the portal. Connor said a starting center, and Justin said a shooting wing to play the small forward spot, replacing what Micah Parrish provided and Jamison Battle before that.
By an overwhelming margin, the readers sided with Connor, with 90% of them agreeing that the Buckeyes should focus on a center first. As it turns out, Ohio State did neither, as Gabe Cupps — a point guard — was the first player to transfer into the program this spring.
Connor- 88
Now that the portal is open, time is money, and money is time. If you’re not lining up visits with players, those players are visiting elsewhere. And if you’re a player and you don’t put your name into the portal immediately when it opens, that just means teams are going to add players that fit what they need, and you’ll be left out in the cold. It’s a three-week blitz and then a slow trickle for the rest of the summer after that. Almost all of the movement will be over by the end of April, so teams have to use their time wisely.
You ever hear the phrase “best available vs best fit” when it comes to the NBA or NFL draft? I think that’s the situation here, as Swain does not play a position Ohio State desperately needs, and yet he would still make them a much better team.
As shown in the video here, Swain is an above-average on-ball defender with good instincts and a huge wingspan that could help him become a better shot blocker. He averaged 5.5 rebounds per game last season at Xavier, playing 28.4 minutes per game, and was a starter for the first time in his college career.
Swain also averaged 11 points per game on 53.2% overall shooting, but was just 7-of-28 from three-point land for the season. His 81.6% career free-throw percentage shows that there is potential for his jump shooting to improve, however.
Positionally, I’m not sure where Diebler would slot Swain into the lineup. It’s possible Swain could play small forward, Devin Royal would play power forward, and then someone would play center (either a transfer or Sean Stewart). That lineup would probably lack shooting, but it should be a stronger rebounding lineup than what Ohio State had last season as well as a better defensive lineup.
Also, Ohio State was fourth in the Big Ten this past season in team three-point shooting, and where did it get them? Perhaps sacrificing a bit of perimeter shooting at the cost of getting better defensively and on the glass is a trade worth making.
On top of the X’s and O’s, it would just be fun. Swain is very good friends with Royal, who has taken it upon himself recently to recruit his buddy to Ohio State. Swain is also from Columbus, and one of the very few Columbus City League athletes to get an Ohio State offer when he was playing for Africentric High School.
Three years ago, Swain was talking about how he grew up and Ohio State fan and that Ohio State “wasn’t just another school on his list.” Ultimately, he wound up at Xavier and the Buckeyes took Scotty Middleton and Devin Royal. Maybe things could be coming full circle?
Dailyn Swain would be a great get and feels like a nice plug-and-play option, but after losing Micah Parrish last year and Jamison Battle the year before, I think the Buckeyes need to add a guy who can shoot from deep a little bit better.
Swain is only a 25 percent three-point shooter, while Powell is a 35 percent three-point shooter on 5.7 attempts per game as a freshman at West Virginia. Those are solid numbers for a first-year guy who will likely get better as he gets more comfortable.
Powell was a top-ten recruit in Ohio last year and was a prospect the Buckeyes were high on until they got their two commitments from John Mobley and Colin White.
Powell ended up committing to West Virginia and averaged 8.3 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game. He played in 32 games, starting in 23, and averaged 30 minutes per game.
Similar to Mobley for Ohio State, Powell played heavy minutes as a freshman and had his ups and downs, but he gained valuable experience and should be able to have a big second-year jump.
In an ideal world, you get Swain and Powell, but due to his youth and three-point shooting prowess, I would prefer Powell.
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Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jake Diebler and his staff have a crucial spring and summer ahead of them after missing the NCAA Tournament in year one.
Ohio State isn’t playing in the NCAA Tournament (again), but in a weird way, the FOMO isn’t as bad as we thought it would be. That’s partially because the Buckeyes have jumped on the transfer portal early — two Buckeyes have left the program via transfer (Austin Parks and Evan Mahaffey), and one has joined the team (Gabe Cupps).
As of Friday morning, Ohio State only had one open spot remaining on the 2025-2026 roster. The transfer portal will stay open until April 22, however, and we expect that at least one more spot — if not more — will open up on the men’s basketball roster. Today, we’ll be talking about specific players who have entered the portal, which we think Jake Diebler and his staff should prioritize right away.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which position should be the immediate priority for Ohio State when scouring the portal. Connor said a starting center, and Justin said a shooting wing to play the small forward spot, replacing what Micah Parrish provided and Jamison Battle before that.
By an overwhelming margin, the readers sided with Connor, with 90% of them agreeing that the Buckeyes should focus on a center first. As it turns out, Ohio State did neither, as Gabe Cupps — a point guard — was the first player to transfer into the program this spring.
After 197 weeks:
Connor- 88
Justin- 84
Other- 19
(There have been six ties)
Now that the portal is open, time is money, and money is time. If you’re not lining up visits with players, those players are visiting elsewhere. And if you’re a player and you don’t put your name into the portal immediately when it opens, that just means teams are going to add players that fit what they need, and you’ll be left out in the cold. It’s a three-week blitz and then a slow trickle for the rest of the summer after that. Almost all of the movement will be over by the end of April, so teams have to use their time wisely.
This week’s question: Which transfer portal player should Ohio State roll out the red carpet for?
Connor: Dailyn Swain
You ever hear the phrase “best available vs best fit” when it comes to the NBA or NFL draft? I think that’s the situation here, as Swain does not play a position Ohio State desperately needs, and yet he would still make them a much better team.
As shown in the video here, Swain is an above-average on-ball defender with good instincts and a huge wingspan that could help him become a better shot blocker. He averaged 5.5 rebounds per game last season at Xavier, playing 28.4 minutes per game, and was a starter for the first time in his college career.
Swain also averaged 11 points per game on 53.2% overall shooting, but was just 7-of-28 from three-point land for the season. His 81.6% career free-throw percentage shows that there is potential for his jump shooting to improve, however.
Positionally, I’m not sure where Diebler would slot Swain into the lineup. It’s possible Swain could play small forward, Devin Royal would play power forward, and then someone would play center (either a transfer or Sean Stewart). That lineup would probably lack shooting, but it should be a stronger rebounding lineup than what Ohio State had last season as well as a better defensive lineup.
Also, Ohio State was fourth in the Big Ten this past season in team three-point shooting, and where did it get them? Perhaps sacrificing a bit of perimeter shooting at the cost of getting better defensively and on the glass is a trade worth making.
On top of the X’s and O’s, it would just be fun. Swain is very good friends with Royal, who has taken it upon himself recently to recruit his buddy to Ohio State. Swain is also from Columbus, and one of the very few Columbus City League athletes to get an Ohio State offer when he was playing for Africentric High School.
Three years ago, Swain was talking about how he grew up and Ohio State fan and that Ohio State “wasn’t just another school on his list.” Ultimately, he wound up at Xavier and the Buckeyes took Scotty Middleton and Devin Royal. Maybe things could be coming full circle?
Justin: Jonathan Powell
Dailyn Swain would be a great get and feels like a nice plug-and-play option, but after losing Micah Parrish last year and Jamison Battle the year before, I think the Buckeyes need to add a guy who can shoot from deep a little bit better.
Swain is only a 25 percent three-point shooter, while Powell is a 35 percent three-point shooter on 5.7 attempts per game as a freshman at West Virginia. Those are solid numbers for a first-year guy who will likely get better as he gets more comfortable.
Powell was a top-ten recruit in Ohio last year and was a prospect the Buckeyes were high on until they got their two commitments from John Mobley and Colin White.
Powell ended up committing to West Virginia and averaged 8.3 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game. He played in 32 games, starting in 23, and averaged 30 minutes per game.
Similar to Mobley for Ohio State, Powell played heavy minutes as a freshman and had his ups and downs, but he gained valuable experience and should be able to have a big second-year jump.
In an ideal world, you get Swain and Powell, but due to his youth and three-point shooting prowess, I would prefer Powell.
Continue reading...