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Will former Buckeyes commit make final pledge to Ohio State?

Jusitn Ahrens
Jusitn Ahrens (GoldandBlack.com)

Justin Ahrens was once committed to Ohio State, but when the Buckeyes decided to part ways with Thad Matta, the Rivals150 wing decided to open up the recruiting process and take a look at his options again.

Over the summer, Ahrens became a popular target for schools all over the Midwest. But as the early signing period creeps up on us, he’s starting to move closer to a decision. His list sits at three with Michigan, Ohio State and Xavier still battling it out. Michigan had him on campus last week, Ohio State gets him on Sept. 22, and the Xavier goes last at the end of the month.

All three schools stopped by his school this week.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

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Ahrens spoke on the three schools involved.

Michigan: “It went really well. It was awesome. I liked it a lot. They just talked about how they could use me. I was with the team a lot and we got along really well. They are funny guys and easy to get along with. They were talking about how they could use me like Nik Stauskas coming off ball screens and making plays at my height.”

Ohio State: “They are really cool. They are saying they are the one place that needs me really bad and want me really bad. They feel like they could use me right away with the roster they have and I feel like I could be a great player there.

“I de-committed when I didn’t know who the staff was going to be. I wanted to take a step back and look at everything again. And I knew that if the staff there was somebody I got along with, they were going to recruit me again. You could say they were my dream school growing up, but I’m just trying to do what’s best for me and my future, which is winning a lot, being at a place where I fit in, and a place where I’m needed and wanted really bad. It’d be a plus to go to Ohio State with it being my dream school, but that’s not really going to weigh into my decision.

“My brother [Michigan State small forward Kyle Ahrens] always jokes with me about where I go, but he says he’ll respect my decision and root for me no matter what.”

Xavier: “It was really cool when Coach (Chris) Mack came the other day. They brought in a jar that had 4,000 airsoft BB’s in it, and it had a cartoon with me on it and then it had cartoon of J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett on the other side. The 4,000 BB’s represented how many points they are going to be losing this year and that’s why they want me. They think I can come in and be a great scorer for them. Coach Mack said he was going to open the jar and knock it over and make me pick them all up to realize how many points they are losing.”

RIVALS REACTION

Mack pulled out all the stops in his most recent visit with Ahrens and going last on his official visit tour gives them the final shot to win him over, but Ohio State is going to be hard to beat here. Ahrens said multiple times that he’s looking for a school that he feels needs him and really wants him, and also said that’s exactly what Chris Holtmann’s pitch has been. At the end of the day, it’s hard to see Ahrens not picking the Buckeyes.

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