Ohio State officially added the first member of its 2027 basketball recruiting class on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when four-star forward Deng Ngor signed with the Buckeyes on the first day of the early signing period, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Ngor, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound senior at Fort Erie International Academy in Ontario, Canada, was the first of two 2027 prospects to verbally commit to Ohio State, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The second, four-star guard Jaxson Davis of Kansas City Monarch Academy, has indicated he will sign with Ohio State on Friday.
According to the 247Sports composite cited by The Columbus Dispatch, Ngor is the No. 98 national prospect in his class, the No. 18 power forward and the No. 1 player from Canada in the class of 2027.
Ngor took his official visit to Ohio State during the weekend of Sept. 5, The Columbus Dispatch reported, and also made trips to Washington on Sept. 18, Florida on Sept. 22 and Duke on Oct. 15 before choosing the Buckeyes.
With Ngor signed and Davis expected to follow by Nov. 13, Ohio State’s two-man 2027 class features a pair of prospects rated as four-star recruits by all the major recruiting services, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The signing gives the Buckeyes an early foundation for the 2027 class well ahead of the regular signing period, with a frontcourt piece in Ngor and a backcourt piece in Davis arriving from two of the stronger prep programs in North America.
The early signing period opened Wednesday across college basketball, and Ohio State wasted no time locking in its top-rated 2027 target. Ngor’s signing was reported by The Columbus Dispatch on Nov. 11, the first day schools could receive binding commitments from the class.
Ohio State’s staff can now turn its attention to rounding out the class around its two four-star signees as the early signing period continues this week.