Ohio State basketball starting forward plans to enter transfer portal

The most recent basketball season might be over for Ohio State, but in the modern era of college basketball, what happens off the court is almost just as chaotic as what happens on it. The main culprit for this is the transfer portal, and on Sunday, Ohio State’s offseason seems to have gained some traction.

According to a report, Ohio State forward Devin Royal plans to enter the transfer portal after three seasons with the Buckeyes, perhaps ending a career that began with high expectations and finished with a strong junior season. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Pickerington Central product leaves with one season of eligibility remaining after appearing in 96 of 102 games at Ohio State.

Royal arrived in Columbus as a consensus four-star recruit and Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2023, becoming the 12th player in Ohio State basketball history to earn that honor. At Pickerington Central, he helped lead the program to a state title-game appearance in each of his final two seasons and earned first-team All-Ohio recognition as a junior and senior.

 As a freshman in 2023-24, Royal played in 33 of 36 games and averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, emerging as more of a threat as the season progressed. He had a nice sophomore leap, starting 27 games and averaging 13.7 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor. Royal delivered a breakout season with six 20-point games, three double-doubles, and a career-high 31 points and 15 rebounds against Valpo. He followed that with another solid season in 2025-26, starting all 32 games he played and averaging 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Royal’s potential departure is a significant roster move because he developed into one of Ohio State’s most reliable interior scorers and rebounders. Ohio State finished No. 8 in the Big Ten this season, with a record of 21-13 and 12-8 within the conference. However, with the arrival of 5-star forward Anthony Thompson, his starting spot would seem to be very much in jeopardy.

For the Buckeyes, it may close the book on a homegrown player who went from top in-state recruit to everyday starter in three years. As of now, there aren’t any suitors known, but as all of this becomes more official, we’ll bring you further news.

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