Ohio State 2027 commit L.J. Smith climbs in ESPN recruiting rankings

Ohio State men’s basketball commitment L.J. Smith has climbed in the latest ESPN recruiting rankings.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard playing his junior season at Mouth of Wilson (Virginia) Oak Hill Academy is now a five-star recruit and the No. 8 overall player in the 2027 class according to ESPN’s latest update, up two spots from his previous ranking.

A native of Lincolnton, North Carolina, Smith has averaged 16.8 points per game while playing in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League this season. Prior to that, he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and three assists per game as a sophomore at Lincolnton.

He committed to the Buckeyes in November, giving them back-to-back recruiting classes with a five-star commitment. Ohio State has signed Cincinnati native Anthony Thompson, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, as part of its two-man 2026 class.

Thompson is playing at Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy. Upper Arlington native Alex Smith, a four-star forward playing at Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Prolific Prep, signed alongside Thompson.

Smith is shooting a team-best 38.7% from 3-point range (43 for 111) in league play this season and is second in the conference in made 3s per game with 3.1. He also leads his team and is second in the league in minutes played per game at 30.9.

More: After signing for Ohio State, five-star forward Anthony Thompson has prolific game

ESPN ranks him as the top shooting guard in his class. He is Ohio State’s first commitment in the 2027 class.

Smith will visit Ohio State for its March 7 regular-season finale against Indiana.

Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball recruit L.J. Smith breaks ESPN’s 2027 rankings