Former Ohio State guard Meechie Johnson announced on Monday afternoon he is transferring to South Carolina, where he’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
A former four-star prospect from Garfield Heights, Ohio, Johnson joined the Buckeyes midway through the 2020-21 season after reclassifying. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in 43 games since then, including five starts.
Johnson missed three games last season with a facial fracture suffered in practice, which forced him to wear a mask when he returned, as well as two games with an ankle injury late in the year.
He was back to full strength by the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around, but scored just six points and pulled down three rebounds in 31 total minutes off the bench against Loyola Chicago and Villanova.
After entering his name into the transfer portal on April 12, Johnson visited finalists DePaul, Pittsburgh and South Carolina. His trip to Columbia on April 19 is what ultimately sealed the deal for the Gamecocks.
Johnson’s decision to enter the portal came on the heels of Ohio State landing a commitment from Wright State transfer guard Tanner Holden earlier this month. He is one of five guards to depart the program this offseason, joining Jamari Wheeler , Cedric Russell and Jimmy Sotos , who all exhausted their eligibility, and Malaki Branham , who declared for the NBA Draft.
That said, the Buckeyes also secured a pledge on Sunday night from West Virginia transfer guard Sean McNeil to add to a roster that returns rising junior Eugene Brown III and will soon including incoming freshmen Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle and Bowen Hardman at the guard position.
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