Four-star guard Malaki Branham commits to the state of Ohio

For nearly three years, he and his Ohio state staff chased Malaki Branham, and on Wednesday afternoon, the four-star shooting guard ended his recruitment by announcing a momentous commitment to play with the Buckeyes.

New Beginnings @TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/emJrq8892e

– Malaki Branham (@MalakiBranham) July 22, 2020

Branham, a Columbus native who has lived in Akron since high school began, chose the Buckeyes over the offerings of Marquette, Pittsburgh, Baylor, Wake Forest, Florida, Cincinnati, Iowa, and others. Louisville and Xavier were among the schools that were chasing him the most before falling short in their search, and Alabama made a belated effort.

The San Vicente-St. Mary becomes the third Ohioan to join a 2021 class in the state, which already has four-star combo Meechie Johnson of Garfield Heights and four-star striker Kalen Etzler of Convoy Crestview. Branham, ranked as the state’s No. 1 player in the cycle, is Holtmann’s highest-rated promise as head coach.

Ohio State now has the top-rated 2021 recruiting class of the Big Ten and the second-place class in the nation.

Branham, a 175-pound, 6-foot-4-inch guard known for his ability to reach the basket and score from the rebound, is rated No. 27 overall prospect and fifth-best shooting guard of the cycle. It’s a high-end four-star prospect on the brink of five-star status that, along with Johnson, gives the Buckeyes a pair of high-powered scoring guards in the 2021 cycle.

Ohio State, with Holtmann and assistant coach Ryan Pedon at the helm, was the first major conference school to offer him a scholarship, pulling the trigger in May 2019 amid Branham’s explosion on the national scene.

“I was just smiling,” said Branham. Eleven warriors at the time. “I was so happy. I was happy for my family.”

As the undisputed No. 1 priority for the Buckeyes for over a year, Branham has made several visits to Columbus, though he has not returned to campus to see Holtmann and his staff since the NCAA suspended recruitment in March.

He made an official visit to the state of Ohio on October 5, appearing on the bench before the soccer team’s game against the state of Michigan with Holtmann, his coaching staff and other recruits. Branham also saw the basketball team win on February 23 against Maryland from behind the Buckeyes bench, sitting with Etzler, Johnson and the recent engagement of Baylor Kendall Brown.

Ohio State coaches also looked at him firsthand, even as Holtmann and Pedon showed up to sit front and center at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s bow on December 14 with Sierra Canyon at Nationwide Arena.

“I definitely grew a relationship with them and a trust with them, so it’s definitely good,” Branham said last week.

Even beyond the Ohio state coaching staff, Branham was Etzler’s and Johnson’s primary target shortly after each of them got engaged. Etzler, especially, did his best to stay in constant communication with his primary objective.

“I try to mention to him, the reason I got engaged to the state of Ohio is because of my hometown,” Etzler told Eleven Warriors in June. “I grew up around the state of Ohio, and as soon as I got that offer, it’s the most comfortable thing. I grew up wearing Ohio State on my shirt. Every time I play basketball, it’s more comfortable for me when I play at home, you know. It’s the same thing: I go to Ohio State and play for my home team.

“I guess it’s just a comfort thing with me, and I hope it’s the same for him. It was easy for me to make a decision, so I hope he introduces himself as well. ”

It was not such a fast process for Branham. It took more than 365 days more than Etzler for his recruitment to come to a conclusion. Finally, over the weekend, he told Eleven Warriors that he was “very close” to committing. Less than a week later, he kept that promise.

The state of Ohio remained patient and was rewarded with a pivotal promise Wednesday afternoon.