Meet the Buckeyes 2023 hoops recruiting class

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has officially turned verbal pledges into pen-to-paper commitments.

Coach Christ Holtmann and the Buckeyes program gained four new additions on Wednesday: Scotty Middleton, Taison Chatman, Devin Royal and Austin Parks all signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Ohio State.

Ohio State ends the 2023 cycle with the No. 8 nationally-rated class according to On3 — the highest-rated class in the Holtmann era. The Buckeyes have the No. 2 rated class in the Big Ten and only trail Michigan State.

Lettermen Row breaks down all four members of the Buckeyes 2023 class.

Scotty Middleton

Four-star Miami (Fla) Sunrise Christian small forward Scotty Middleton announced his verbal commitment to Ohio State back on Aug. 7.

Middleton is the No. 7 rated small forward and the No. 39 overall prospect according to the On3 Consensus.

Ultimately I chose Ohio State because of the culture and the trust I’ve built with the coaches,” Middleton told On3. “They have a saying at Ohio state ‘once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye’ so really seeing all the former guys come back to work out, compete and teach the players just shows how true that is.”

Taison Chatman

Four-star Minneapolis (Minn.) Totino-Grace shooting guard Taison Chatman was the final prospect to send a verbal pledge the Buckeyes’ way.

Chatman made his decision on Sept. 20, shortly after he was on campus for an unofficial visit. He quickly replaced former Ohio State and now Michigan commit George Washington III.

“I chose Ohio State because I believe they can help me reach my goals and develop me the most both on and off the court,” Chatman said to On3. “Also, I have a really good relationship with the staff so when I went on my visit it just felt right and felt as if I was already a part of the team.”

Chatman is the No. 4 ranked shooting guard and the No. 34 overall prospect according to On3.

Devin Royal

Four-star Pickerington (Ohio) Central power forward Devin Royal was a major addition for Holtmann and staff.

Royal is rated as the top Ohio prospect according to both On3 and the On3 Consensus. He’s certainly a special talent and his scouting report via Jamie Shaw is indicative of that.

Devin Royal has long arms and a strong frame. The 6-foot-6 forward is an advanced scorer with a great feel. He has touch and range off the catch from three. Royal moves well off the ball, finds the open space in the defense, has great balance, and is squared up at the basket. The foot speed may be a question and would like to see him rebound at a higher rate. He is a tweener forward, but his offensive feel would allow him to play either way. He is a bonafide top 100 talent.

Devin Royal scouting report via Jamie Shaw.

Austin Parks

Three-star Saint Mary’s (Ohio) Memorial center Austin Parks rounds out the Buckeyes 2023 class.

He was the second commit to the class behind the aforementioned Washington. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man is the No. 7 rated Ohio prospect according to On3.

“I had to go through with my family and make a pros and cons list of each school,” Parks told The Columbus Dispatch. “To be honest, there weren’t many negatives of (any of the schools). It led me to Ohio State because growing up, my whole family in Ohio has been OSU fans and that played a part. With the distance, that was also a major factor, being an hour and a half away down the road and having my mom’s work schedule. This was just the best choice for me.”