Ohio State transfer guard Meechie Johnson is making his way back to Columbia, announcing his commitment to return to South Carolina in an Instagram post Tuesday afternoon.
This marks Johnson’s second stint with the Gamecocks, having previously played there from 2022 to 2024. During that time, he posted his best collegiate numbers, averaging 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists over 63 games.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard started his college career at Ohio State in 2020-21 and returned to the Buckeyes for the 2024-25 season, averaging 9.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 10 games before sitting out the rest of the season due to personal reasons. He is expected to qualify for a redshirt, making him eligible to play for South Carolina in 2025-26.
Meechie Johnson returns to South Carolina as the No. 174 transfer in the 2025 class, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. A former three-star prospect out of Andrews Osborne Academy, Johnson was ranked No. 161 overall in the 2020 recruiting cycle by the On3 Industry Ranking, which factors in all major recruiting services.
Johnson initially transferred back to Ohio State for what was expected to be his final collegiate season, citing a desire to be closer to family.
“The first time, it just wasn’t going how I wanted it to I guess,” “It was not ideally what I wanted. I did not want to leave. It wasn’t ultimately my decision to want to leave. To be able to come back, it was everything. Like I said, I was able to come and play with a good guard. There are a lot of places I could have went around the country.
“But knowing Bruce [Thornton] and what he wanted for himself and for this team and for this program, where I’m from. I always wanted to get to a tournament, which I’ve done before here, but to go far it just everything made sense. We were able to get on the same page with Coach and we feel like he has put together a good roster for us to go far. But like I said, that was then and this is now. I’m just excited for what’s ahead.”
Johnson is the fourth Ohio State player to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal since it opened a week ago, joining guard Evan Mahaffey, center Austin Parks, and forward Aaron Bradshaw.
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