Ohio State has now lost all 5 players in its 2015 recruiting class
And then there were none.
After JaQuan Lyle was arrested early Saturday morning, news broke that the Ohio State standout had actually quit the team in early April, meaning that none of the five members from the 2015 recruiting class are left on the Buckeyes.
Thad Matta's haul that year was lauded as one of the best in the country, with four of the five players appearing on the ESPN 100, helping to place them as the ninth overall class in the nation.
Just two years later, nobody is left on the Buckeyes roster.
| Player | Position | Rating/100 | Current team |
|---|---|---|---|
| JaQuan Lyle | PG | 87 | Quit Ohio State |
| Austin Grandstaff | SG | 86 | DePaul |
| Daniel Giddens | C | 85 | Alabama |
| A.J. Harris | PG | 84 | New Mexico State |
| Mickey Mitchell | SF | 80 | Arizona State |
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Ohio State's performance over the past two seasons has been among the worst in Matta's illustrious tenure. After six straight years of 24-plus wins, the Buckeyes went 21-14 two seasons ago and just 17-15 in 2016-17.
The exodus from the 2015 class was swift, as only Lyle remained on the team for this past season, averaging 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Austin Grandstaff, Daniel Giddens, A.J. Harris, and Mickey Mitchell all opted to transfer after their first season with the Buckeyes. Giddens made the biggest impact of the group, averaging 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.2 minutes of action per contest.
Matta signed just one player from the ESPN 100 in the 2016 class, Derek Funderburk, and currently has only a single player from that list committed for 2017 in Kaleb Wesson.
The longtime head coach was given a vote of confidence by athletic director Gene Smith following the disappointing season, but with recruits leaving in droves, it will be hard for Matta to turn things around quickly at the Big Ten program.