BOOM! Ohio State lands commitment from four-star guard George Washington III

Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes woke up this morning and decided to drop a bomb on us, as 2023 top-50 prospect George Washington III (great name) announced his commitment to Ohio State. A 6-foot-2, 165 pound combo guard out of Christian Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, Washington also held offers from Auburn, Liberty, Tennessee, and his hometown school — Louisville.

Ohio State extended a scholarship offer to Washington this past June, and he made his official visit just this past weekend, attending the Ohio State vs Penn State game on Saturday night. The Buckeyes — along with Louisville — were the first school to offer him a scholarship on June 15.

Washington is the first member of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class, and is the fifth top-50 recruit to commit to the Buckeyes since Holtmann arrived in 2017 (E.J. Liddell, D.J. Carton, Malaki Branham, and Bruce Thornton). With Jamari Wheeler and Cedric Russell on their way out the door after this season, the Ohio State coaching staff is looking to add to their future backcourt that will could also feature Meechie Johnson, Malaki Branham, Bruce Thornton, and Roddy Gayle by 2023.

“Ohio State has always been at the top of my list,” Washington said told ESPN on Wednesday. “They were my first offer. There was no point in continuing to search when I had already found the school I wanted. I was looking for a school that needed someone like me to produce and make things happen at a position of need. I love their style of play.”

Washington comes from a basketball family. His parents, Jackie Bucher and George Washington Jr., both played basketball at Abilene Christian. Washington’s sister played basketball at Texas. His younger brothers both play basketball at Christian Academy with Washington.

Washington is just the second player in the 2023 class to commit, as five-star point guard Caleb Foster committed to Duke in September. Washington was largely a recruiting unknown before this summer, but his hot shooting this summer in the Nike EYBL 16U circuit helped him soar up recruiting boards.

How many additional players the Buckeyes add to the 2023 class will likely depend on which upperclassmen utilize their “bonus” year granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19.