Anthony Thompson, of Lebanon and Western Reserve, commits to Ohio State Buckeyes

Former Lebanon High School forward Anthony Thompson announced his commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-8 Thompson, who now plays for Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, is the No. 7 recruit in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports.com. He’s the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Ohio State since Jared Sullinger, the No. 3 player in the 2010 class.

Thompson chose Ohio State over six other schools he listed in his top seven in July: Kentucky; Indiana; North Carolina; Michigan; Texas; and Purdue.

“My relationship with the coaching staff was different,” Thompson told ESPN of Ohio State. “They recruited me hard and consistently made me a priority. Coach (Jake) Diebler really cares about all his players. He is on the court working with his players during individual workouts. He was very consistent in his communication and recruitment of me. I know I can rely on him to help me. I watched the team practice. They had great energy and buy-in.”

Thomspon joins 6-2 guard Marcus Johnson, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, and 6-9 forward Alex Smith, of Prolific Prep (Calif.) in Ohio State’s 2026 class.

Thompson averaged 11.3 points per game as a freshman at Lebanon in the 2022-23 season and 15.8 points as a sophomore. In May 2024, he announced he would transfer to Western Reserve, a prep school in northeast Ohio.