Wright State’s Tanner Holden Transferring To Ohio State

On Apr 2, 2022

Wright State junior guard Tanner Holden announced on Saturday afternoon he is transferring to Ohio State, where he’ll have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-6 and 185-pound Holden garnered national attention for his 37-point performance in the Raiders’ win over Bryant in the First Four on the NCAA Tournament on March 16. It capped a season in which he averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and was named a first-team All-Horizon League performer.

A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Holden was actually recruited by the football program during the 2019 recruiting cycle after Shelley Meyer, the wife of former head coach Urban Meyer, watched him score three receiving touchdowns and record a pick-six against their son’s high school team.

Holden ultimately chose to play basketball instead and ended up at Wright State over a lone scholarship offer from Ohio. He averaged 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 92 career games, including 91 starts, for the Raiders over the last three seasons.

On the same day he was named to the Lou Henson All-America Team as one of the best-major players in college basketball, Holden entered his name into the transfer portal on March 29. It took him just four days to find his new home, where he is now expected to fill the void left by freshman Malaki Branham, who declared for the 2022 NBA Draft on Friday evening.

Of course, Branham left the door open for a return to Columbus, so he and Holden could potentially team up to make one of the best backcourts in the country next season. But the guard position has still be decimated by departures, with fifth-year seniors Jamari Wheeler, Cedric Russell and Jimmy Sotos all out of eligibility, so the Buckeyes will likely look to address that with one or two more transfers.