2018 Three-Star Small Forward Justin Ahrens (Re)Commits To Ohio State Buckeyes

On Saturday, Buckeye fans got some exciting news as 2018 prospect Justin Ahrens announced that he had recommitted to the Ohio State Buckeyes. He had decommitted earlier this summer soon after former head coach Thad Matta had been let go.

Ahrens comes out of Versailles, Ohio and is rated as the No. 6 player in Ohio and the No. 160 player in the nation by 247Sports. He is listed as a small forward and 6-foot-5 and 181 pounds and projects to the wing at Ohio State.

On top of an offer from Ohio State, Ahrens also attracted major interest from around the Big Ten and midwest. He also had offers from Dayton, Iowa State, Michigan, Missouri, Purdue, and Xavier among others. There’s little debating that he was one of the midwest’s bigger prospects and could have went to a number of landing spots.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Ahrens’ commitment is that it comes just a few months after the forward decided to reopen his recruitment in the summer. He had previously committed to Ohio State, but decommitted during the coaching change. It appears that new head coach Chris Holtmann won him over the last few months.

Ahrens joins what is looking like a loaded 2018 recruiting class for the Buckeyes. With four commitments in the last week, Ohio State’s class is now rated ninth nationally and second in the conference. While those team rankings are still early, it’s a notable rise from No. 45 nationally, which is where Ohio State finished in the 2016 cycle.

There will still be a lot for Holtmann to prove in the coming months, but he has certainly hit the ground running on the recruiting trail and Ahrens is just the latest part of that rise.