Duke transfer forward Sean Stewart committed to Ohio State on Friday.
He announced on April 19 that he was entering the transfer portal after one season with the Blue Devils.
New Ohio State coach Jake Diebler got to know Stewart as a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, when Diebler was the recruiter trying to sell him on the Buckeyes.
The relationship they had forged paid dividends for Ohio State this time around.
“Me and Diebler picked up our previous vibe from the first time recruiting me,” Stewart told The Columbus Dispatch. “He was the lead recruiter when I was in high school. We talked almost every day leading up to my decision day, so to have that call when he called me the first day when I entered the portal, it was exciting to talk to him again. He kept reiterating how crazy it was that this came full circle that he recruited me as an assistant coach and now he’s a head coach.
“It’s a lot of chemistry since the first day he started recruiting me.”
Stewart averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games off the bench for Duke. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-9 Stewart, from Windermere Fla., was a five-star prospect in the 2023 draft class as ranked by the 247 Sports composite. Another blue-chip recruit in that class, former Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw, also is transferring to Ohio State.
–Field Level Media
