Prized recruit commits to OSU

8/23/2013

COLUMBUS — The five-star pipeline from Plano, Texas, to Columbus has delivered another member of the Mitchell family to Ohio State.

As linebacker Mike Mitchell prepares for his freshman season with the Buckeyes football team, his younger brother, Mickey, gave his commitment Thursday to the OSU basketball team, according to several recruiting services.

Ranked among the nation's top prospects, the 6-foot-8, 245-pound Mitchell represents the latest Texas-sized coup for the Buckeyes.

Fans can start by thanking Mike, who was rated by Rivals.com as the top football recruit in Texas. He had been working with OSU basketball coach Thad Matta to get his brother — a prospect even more touted in hoops circles than Mike was as a football player — to join him in Columbus.

"I've talked to Thad, and we've both talked about us wanting him here," Mike Mitchell said recently. "It would be cool to have my brother here at the same college."

Mickey, who missed his sophomore season with a torn ACL, is ranked the No. 15 overall prospect in the Class of 2015 by Scout.com and 20th overall by Rivals. He chose OSU over offers from Texas, Kansas, and Florida among others.

The Mitchell brothers are the son of former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Ken Mitchell, and Mickey also stars at quarterback. But for now, the younger Mitchell plans to cut a new path on the hardwood.

His addition is another step toward ensuring the Buckeyes remain among the standards for basketball success at a football school.

Matta’s 2013 class included Mr. Basketball winner and St. John’s Jesuit graduate Marc Loving, while his next haul is ranked by many recruiting services as the second-best class in the nation, behind only North Carolina. Ohio State’s Class of 2014 commits includes 6-4 shooting guard D’Angelo Russell of Louisville and 6-7 forward Keita Bates-Diop of Normal, Ill. Both are five-star prospects ranked by Scout among the top 20 overall recruits.

Contact David Briggs at: dbriggs@theblade.com, 419-724-6084 or on Twitter @DBriggsBlade.