Sports
Ohio Men’s Basketball lands first transfer of offseason, signs Toledo’s Javan Simmons
By: Grant Kiefer
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The transfer portal for college basketball has been open for the past two weeks, and Ohio has signed its first player of the offseason. The Bobcats will welcome local standout Javan Simmons, whom fans may recognize.
Simmons, who played at Toledo the last two seasons, averaged 14 PPG and 9 RPG across three games against the Bobcats this season. The Rockets won all three games.
A graduate from Gahanna-Lincoln High School in Columbus, Ohio, was a three-star prospect coming out of high school. He provided an intense presence in Toledo’s frontcourt, which helped it win the MAC regular season title in the 2023-2024 season.
Simmons, who stands at 6’7″ and 235 lbs, will provide major help to Ohio’s frontcourt next season, as the Bobcats are projected to return just one frontcourt starter in Aiden Hadaway. Incoming sophomore Ayden Evans and incoming redshirt freshman Kiir Kuany will look to insert themselves into the rotation underneath the basket as well. In addition, Ohio signed high school senior Zay Mosley, a 6’7″ forward, in December.
Ohio has only lost two players in the portal, sixth-man guard Elmore James and forward Ben Nicol. Nicol transferring opened up a spot in the frontcourt for the Bobcats to fill via the transfer portal.
Per sources, Simmons was also considering offers from the College of Charleston and Oregon State. However, it’ll be Athens, Ohio that Simmons will be playing his college basketball at in the 2025-2026 season.