LJ Smith Added to 2026 Signing Class
6/16/2026 11:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler has announced the addition of LJ Smith to the 2026 signing class. Smith will be one of four freshmen for the 2026-27 season.
“I’m excited about adding LJ to this year’s team,” Diebler said. “He’s a mature player who fits our program and will handle this transition well. He has the ability to score from multiple levels on the floor and will be a great addition to our backcourt.”
Smith is a native of Lincolnton, N.C., and was a five-star prospect in the 2027 class. He announced his reclassification following three years of high school prep. He played two seasons at Lincolnton before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia last season.
As a sophomore in 2024-25, Smith earned MaxPreps All-America honors as he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. His 940 total points were the fourth-most in a single-season in North Carolina high school history.
Last year in 14 EYBL games at Oak Hill, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the three-point arc. As one of the elite shooters in the class, he also shot 42 percent from long range with Team Thad last summer on the Nike EYBL U17 Circuit.
Smith becomes the fourth member of the now highly touted 2026-27 freshman class, joining Anthony Thompson, Alex Smith and Vuk Lazarevic.
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