Ohio State will be cycling through to a new backcourt depth piece in 2026-27.
Buckeye guard Gabe Cupps will enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7 after one lackluster season in Columbus. He will bring two years of eligibility to his next collegiate destination.
Ohio State guard Gabe Cupps plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agency @excelsm told @On3.
The 6-2 redshirt sophomore began his career at Indiana. https://t.co/G0aBnLxGuS pic.twitter.com/YiOKbNM34P
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 5, 2026
Cupps finished the season as the No. 4 guard in Ohio State’s rotation behind starters Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. and fellow redshirt sophomore Tasion Chatman. In 12.3 minutes per game, he averaged 1.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He shot just 37.8% from the field. Though he offered some decent perimeter defensive help, he did little to alleviate the depth issues that hurt the Buckeyes in many of their losses in 2025-26.
Cupps spent the first two years of his college basketball career at Indiana, where he started as a freshman in 2023-24. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.2 assists per game that year before a torn meniscus cost him all but four games of his second season and led to a medical redshirt. A former Ohio Mr. Basketball, Cupps was the No. 94 prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the recruiting class of 2023, the No. 16 point guard and No. 3 recruit out of Ohio.
Chatman becomes the No. 2 guard in Ohio State’s pecking order with Cupps gone for now, though the Buckeyes are likely to add a veteran to pair with Mobley as a starter via the portal. A second guard for depth purposes would also be advised, though OSU is looking for Chatman to take another step after showing equal measures of good potential and inconsistent play in his first season in relatively good health. He averaged 4.3 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range this past season.
So far, Cupps is the third Buckeye who will enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7, joining forward Devin Royal and Colin White. Amare Bynum and John Mobley Jr. have announced their intentions to return to Ohio State. Mobley declared for the NBA draft but will maintain his eligibility if he remains in college.
