Deng Ngor commits to Ohio State starting Jake Diebler's 2027 class with a bang

The recruiting trail never rests in College Basketball, and it is really starting to heat up, especially in Columbus.

Ohio State Head Coach Jake Diebler has officially landed his first recruit from the 2027 freshman class, receiving the commitment from four-star small forward Deng Ngor. The 6-foot-8 wing took an official visit in Columbus two weekends ago and has decided to stay in the Scarlet and Gray.

The Canadian wing ranks 19th overall on Rivals150 in the 2027 class. Ngor cut his list to four schools back in August, down to Ohio State, Duke, Florida, and Washington. The skilled forward has now officially chosen to join Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes to start his college career. 

Ngor is a prospect who skyrocketed up the class rankings this offseason. Went from being unranked to now sitting towards the top of the class. 

What does Ngor bring as a prospect?

Ngor is just scratching the surface as a prospect, and that can be great for Ohio State long-term. A major strength in his game is his ability to be disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. He has ridiculous length that allows him to get in passing lanes and make the offense uncomfortable. That factor, plus his quickness, gives him the versatility to guard multiple positions.

On the other side of the floor, the upside is there for Ngor to be a really good offensive player. The rising small forward is a very strong finisher around the rim, especially with the left hand. If you watch any highlights of his game, you may think he is a left-hander with the way he finishes. Ngor also has a smooth-looking jumper that, with good development, could increase his ceiling as a prospect. 

Overall, Ngor is an elite competitor who has the tools to be a great two-way player. The top 20 prospect will give Jake Diebler the flexibility to utilize his skill set in many different ways right away once he steps into Columbus.

Ngor took his first official visit to Ohio State two weekends ago. He was scheduled to visit the other four contenders in the race for his recruitment in Washington, Duke, and Florida later. But he now plans to make Columbus his home before the process goes any further.

This is a major recruiting win for Jake Diebler. He went toe-to-toe for a top 20 recruit with Jon Scheyer at Duke and Todd Golden at Florida for a top 20 recruit, two of the top coaches and player developers in College Basketball. In this recruiting process, the Ohio State head coach didn't even let those two get an official visit from one of the top small forwards in the 2027 class.

This being the first commit landed for Jake Diebler in 2027 is a great start to the class. How the Buckeye basketball coach plans to build around him could be crucial. One of the great things about Ngor's game is that he does not need the ball to be impactful. This should be able to help Diebler in his recruiting process to go after recruits that could benefit from playing alongside the highly-talented wing next season in Columbus.

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