Ohio State officially added two members to its 2025 recruiting class on Tuesday when Branson (Mo.) Link Academy four-star center A’mare Bynum (6-8, 210) and Cleveland Richmond Heights four-star shooting guard Dorian Jones signed with the Buckeyes on the first day of the early signing period for men’s college basketball.
Bynum is the highest-rated of the two early signees, joining Ohio State as the nation’s 104th-best prospect, 18th-best center and sixth-best player out of Missouri. The Omaha, Neb., native, committed to the Buckeyes on Oct. 22 over finalists Iowa, Colorado, LSU and Xavier, also holding offers from Creighton, Iowa State, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas Tech, among others.
The 6-8 Bynum is listed as a center but will likely transition to power forward at Ohio State. He is described by the program as a “versatile forward who can defend either position and has an emerging offensive game,” a set of skills that was on full display his junior season at Omaha (Neb.) Bryan where he averaged 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.
Bynum will now have the opportunity to put those skills on display on a bigger stage his senior year at Link Academy, known as one of the top basketball prep school programs in the country, before taking his talents to Columbus, where he will be welcomed with open arms.
“I’m excited to welcome Amare to our Buckeye family,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said in a statement released Nov. 13. “He’s got great energy and great enthusiasm for the game and he’s someone that you just love to be around. Amare embodies what our program is about on and off the court.
“His versatility is what makes him special. He can handle the ball, he is comfortable both on the perimeter and inside, while being able to guard multiple positions. Buckeye Nation is going to enjoy watching him in Scarlet and Gray.”
Jones was Diebler’s first commit of the 2025 class and the second-ever pledge as Ohio State head coach — the first being Cleveland Garfield Heights four-star 2026 point guard Marcus Johnson (6-1, 175) — announcing his services to the Buckeyes on July 1. He chose the Buckeyes over finalists Michigan, Rutgers and Missouri and held offers from Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan State and Syracuse, among others.
The Cleveland native has been a highly sought after recruit for Ohio State for a long time, getting an offer from the Buckeyes in July of 2022, and he comes into the program as the top-rated prospect out of Ohio, along with the No. 108 overall prospect and No. 18 shooting guard.
Jones has put his stamp on high school basketball in Ohio in his first three seasons, helping lead Richmond Heights to a combined 73-13 record and three consecutive OHSAA Division IV state championships. Last season, he earned first-team All-Ohio Division IV honors by averaging 14.1 points per game while also serving as a dominant defender, and the year before that he was even more dominant, totaling 20.1 points per game and earning Division IV Player of the Year honors as a sophomore.
Diebler said in a statement that Jones will bring a winning pedigree to Ohio State that will be valuable to the program, as will his special set of skills on the court.
“I’ve built a great relationship with Dorian and am glad that he’s now officially a Buckeye,” he said. “There is a rich tradition of players from Northeast Ohio in our program and Dorian continues that. He has enormous potential as both a scorer and as a defender. He also comes from a great high school program in Richmond Heights that has won three consecutive state titles. Dorian knows how to win and I’m excited for him to join our family.”
Following the official signings of Bynum and Jones, the Buckeyes now own the 39th-best recruiting class for the 2025 cycle with 44.73 total points per 247Sports, a mark that is seventh-best in the Big Ten behind Michigan (fifth, 61.41), Northwestern (10th, 56.67), Penn State (15th, 53.26), Rutgers (20th, 50.98), Michigan State (29th, 48.35) and Washington (30th, 47.77).
The Buckeyes are looking to add to that ranking by signing at least one more member to the 2025 class. That won’t likely come until the next Division I signing period this spring, which will take place from April 16-May 21.
As BSB went to press, Ohio State was still in strong pursuit of Bynum’s Link Academy teammate and four-star combo guard Jerry Easter (6-3, 183), while top-notch players such as Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep five-star power forward Niko Bundalo (6-10, 215) — who visited Ohio State this fall — are also still on the board for the Buckeyes.
