
Jake Diebler and his staff are adding a tall, versatile guard as the last piece of the 2025-2026 roster.
Ohio State is going the international route to round out the 2025-2026 roster, getting a commitment from Serbian guard Mathieu Grujicic today. Grujicic is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard who was born in Serbia but moved to Germany as a five-year-old and spent most of his life there.
Grujicic most recently played for FC Barcelona’s U18 team, averaging 8.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game for one of the highest-level programs in all of Europe.
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Mathieu Grujicic (2007) s’est imposé en finale avec 22 points et des lancers francs clutchs ✌️ pic.twitter.com/h4C3Yoaffu
— GOATOGUY (@goatoguy) February 9, 2025
Grujicic turned 18 on Monday, coincidentally, making him the same age as a college freshman, although he comes to America with far more experience than most players his age. The Ohio State coaching staff reportedly sees Grujicic as someone who will contribute right away this season, and although there may be a minor learning curve for the guard, they do not expect it to be long before he looks comfortable on the floor alongside guys like Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr.
Grujicic was selected as an All-Star at the 2025 NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in February, showing off a blend of playmaking, scoring, three-point shooting, and defensive prowess during All-Star Weekend.
While he does intend on playing professionally at some point, the 18-year-old has opted to play college basketball before pursuing professional options. 247Sports reported in March that there were schools from the Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten all recruiting Grujicic. Louisville and Kansas State were two programs reportedly pursuing Grujicic this spring once he made it known he was going to play college basketball.
The Ohio State coaching staff expects him to play both guard spots as well as the combo guard/small forward position for the Buckeyes. He will provide bench depth behind Thornton and Mobley, and will compete with Taison Chatman and Gabe Cupps for backcourt minutes behind the starting guards. With Chatman and Cupps both coming off of serious lower-body injuries last season, Grujicic also provides something of an insurance policy in case either of those two guards isn’t 100% healthy.
As of now, Grujicic is expected to be the final addition to the 2025-2026 Ohio State roster. It’s not yet known if he will report to campus next month with the rest of the team or if he will be a late arrival, like Ivan Njegovan was last season.
Grujicic’s mother is French, and his father is Serbian. He spent much of his upbringing in Germany, while his mother worked at the French embassy in the German capital. He currently plays in Spain and speaks fluent Spanish, English, German, and French.