Report: Ohio State forward Zed Key plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Ohio State forward Zed Key plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, The Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy reported. Key spent the last four years with the Buckeyes and came mostly off the bench this past season.

Key’s biggest year at Ohio State came in 2022-23 when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds as he carved out a starting role. While he appeared in 36 games in 2023-24, he only started twice and largely contributed off the bench as the Buckeyes went 22-14 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play.

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Zed Key played high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran (NY), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 135 overall player from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Ohio State also lost Roddy Gayle Jr. to the portal earlier this week. However, the Buckeyes got some big news when leading scorer Bruce Thornton announced his plan to return next season rather than declare for the NBA Draft. He led the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game, and his production is important for Jake Diebler as he takes over as full-time head coach.

Diebler also got an old friend to return to the program, as well. Meechie Johnson previously transferred to South Carolina, but is now returning to Ohio State out of the portal. He is coming off a breakout 2023-24 season in which he averaged 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds to help lead the Gamecocks to a turnaround season under Lamont Paris.

“I am a lifelong Buckeye,” Johnson said in a statement. “It was my dream to be a Buckeye, since I was a little kid. My story didn’t go exactly as planned but that’s life. I’m blessed to be able to have this opportunity to get back to where I belong and still have at least the ending I’ve always dreamed about, and I wouldn’t pass that up for anything.

“I’m coming back to The Ohio State University not just to come home but to be a leader, both on the court and in the community; in my hometown and state. Sure, I can be a leader and role model in communities elsewhere but it doesn’t have the same impact as it does to be a role model in your hometown, where I can tell kids when I meet & spend time with them that I’m from the same place as you.”