Anthony Thompson is the highest-rated Big Ten signee in the 2026 class, finishing as the No. 7 prospect overall. He is a five-star recruit from Ohio and will play for Ohio State in 2026-27.
Mentioned in this story
Anthony Thompson is the highest-rated Big Ten signee in the final 247Sports.com rankings for the 2026 class.
Thompson, one of three freshmen signed to play for Ohio State in 2026-27, finishes his high school career as the No. 7 prospect in his class. A 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward, Thompson is the top prospect from Ohio, the No. 3 small forward and a five-star recruit.
It’s the highest rating for an Ohio State signee since Jared Sullinger was No. 3 in the 2010 class, according to the 247Sports composite. A native of Lebanon, Ohio, Thompson remained within the state and played his final two seasons of prep basketball at Hudson Western Reserve Academy.
Anthony Thompson, a forward in the 2026 class from Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy, poses while on a visit to Ohio State.
Thompson is the first McDonald's All-American to sign with Ohio State since D'Angelo Russell in 2014. He will participate in a Team USA U18 camp in late May.
He is the headliner of a three-man freshman class that includes two players who sit outside of the website’s top 150. Upper Arlington native Alex Smith, who played his senior year at Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Prolific Prep, finished No. 153 overall.
BETTER SEARCHES: Prefer The Dispatch on Google
Anthony Thompson is a 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the 2026 class and the top prospect from Ohio.
Thompson's ranking is significant as it marks the highest rating for an Ohio State signee since Jared Sullinger, who was No. 3 in the 2010 class.
Anthony Thompson played his final two seasons of prep basketball at Hudson Western Reserve Academy in Ohio.

Hearts ready to make history in title showdown with Celtic

See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
The 6-9, 195-pound forward is the No. 25 small forward and No. 26 player from Florida in the class. He's also listed as a four-star prospect.
Smith and Thompson both signed with Ohio State in the early signing period. The Buckeyes then added Vuk Lazarevic, a 7-1, 200-pound center in early May. Lazarevic is unranked by 247Sports after playing at Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy in 2025-26.
The class is ranked No. 40 nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.
Former Ohio State commitment Marcus Johnson, a guard from Garfield Heights, Ohio, is No. 56 in the class. He signed with South Carolina as the No. 3 player from Ohio and the No. 6 point guard in the class.
The Buckeyes will have four new players from the transfer portal to go with the three-man freshman class.
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 247Sports rankings put Ohio State's Anthony Thompson atop Big Ten