Lifelong Ohio State fan Jalen Shelley says Buckeyes offer 'felt different'

When the offer from Ohio State arrived, Jalen Shelley posted the news to Twitter. Like most recruits, the four-star small forward in the class of 2024 announced the development with a customary photo showing the school’s logo as well as another of the team’s home crowd.

In Shelley’s case, though, there was one extra photo featuring him and his mother, Janine, from several years ago. In it, she’s wearing a Buckeye necklace and he’s got a scarlet Ohio State hat framed by a gray Buckeyes hooded sweatshirt.

This was no boilerplate collection of photos to accompany the news, and this was no regular offer for the 6-8, 175-pound Dallas native.

“Yeah, it definitely did (feel different),” Shelley said of his Ohio State offer. “To be honest, I never really had a dream school but if I had to pick one it would be Ohio State, so yeah, it felt different.”

Although Shelley lives in Texas and will play his senior season at Branson (Missouri) Link Academy, his family has significant ties to the Columbus area. His parents lived there for several years and his oldest brother was born in Columbus. Shelley’s father, Jason, played Arena League Football for the Columbus Destroyers in 2007 and 2008. Shelley’s maternal grandparents, in addition to aunts and uncles, still live in the Columbus area.

Owing to his dad’s football career, Shelley grew up in self-described football household. It was there that he became a Buckeye fan.

“Growing up in a football family, I really don’t know much about the basketball side of Ohio State but my mom and my brother, we were both pretty big on the Ohio State football team,” he said. “Ever since I knew about football, Ohio State was always my team.”

That didn’t immediately put him on Ohio State’s radar, however. Shelley made his debut in the 247Sports.com composite database as the No. 38 national recruit in April 2022, but the Buckeyes did not start recruiting him until late June 2023.

“I tried to actually catch the coaches’ attention last year growing up, because I’ve always just been interested in Ohio State, but they never noticed me and now it just happened,” he said.

Within a week, they had offered him a scholarship. That landed on the final day of June, and when Shelley announced a list of his top eight schools on July 17, Ohio State was included alongside Arkansas, Colorado, Houston, Louisville, LSU, Marquette and Texas A&M. Most schools view him as a small forward at the next level, he said, but his versatility has allowed him to play essentially anywhere but center during his prep career.

“I’m just going to do what it takes to help my team win,” he said. “So if I’ve got to get 10 rebounds this game, then I will. If I’ve got to score 20 points this game, I will. That’s where my versatility comes in. I’m pretty flexible and I’m a put-in-and-play type of guy and I can play with many other players.”

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This year, that will be at Link Academy, the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference program where Ohio State sophomore center Felix Okpara played his final year of prep basketball. Shelley likened the stress of his decision to transfer to his current college recruiting process. He ultimately transferred because of the relationships he had built at Link, a school he’d been considering since the start of his junior year, he said.

As a junior, Shelley averaged 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while helping Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian win a state championship. He is now the No. 46 national prospect per 247Sports and the No. 14 small forward in the country.

Shelley has never been to an Ohio State football game, but that will change this fall. As he plans official visits with an eye on signing with a college during the early signing period in November, Shelley said he’s planning to be in Columbus for the Sept. 9 home opener against Youngstown State.

“I’m really paying attention to the relationships with the program and my development to get ready for the next level and winning,” he said. “I want to go to a winning program, have a chance to do good, win conference and try to win the tournament.”

Ohio State is likely to sign two or three players in the 2024 class. The Buckeyes have a commitment from four-star guard John “Juni” Mobley Jr.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State offer 'felt different' for four-star forward Jalen Shelley