Ohio State junior guard John Mobley Jr. has been named to the Top 20 preseason watch list for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, Ohio State announced Tuesday, October 27, putting the Reynoldsburg native among the nation’s top shooting guards heading into the 2026-27 season.
The award, presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame, is in its 13th year and honors the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, according to Ohio State’s announcement. It is named for the late Jerry West, a Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and the 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player.
Mobley earned the spot after a breakout sophomore season in which he earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors in 2025-26, Ohio State said. He averaged 15.7 points and 2.8 assists per game while ranking among the Big Ten leaders in three-point percentage and three-pointers made, and his 97 three-pointers last season were the fourth-most in a single season in Ohio State history.
He also helped lead the Buckeyes back to the NCAA Tournament last year, finishing his first tournament appearance with 15 points and six assists against TCU, according to Ohio State. Through two seasons in Columbus, the Reynoldsburg product has appeared in 63 games with 53 starts, averaged 14.3 points per game and made 174 career three-pointers.
Fans can take part in the award’s selection process, Ohio State said. Fan voting in each of the award’s three rounds begins Friday, October 30, and the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10 in February and to five finalists in March, when the finalists will be presented to West’s family and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
Mobley is one of several Big Ten guards on the 20-player list, which also includes Michigan’s Trey McKenney, Illinois’ Quentin Coleman and Duke’s John Blackwell, according to the watch list published by Ohio State. Other names on the list include Arizona’s Caleb Holt, Arkansas’ Jeremiah Wilkinson and BYU’s Collin Chandler.
The honor adds to the expectations around the Buckeyes before a game has been played. Ohio State opens the regular season on Monday, November 2, on the road against No. 25 BYU in Salt Lake City, according to Ohio State.