According to his agent Stevan Petrovic, Vuk Lazarevic, a 7-foot-1 Serbian center in the 2026 class, has chosen to attend Ohio State.
In his senior year at Wasatch Academy in Utah, Lazarevic averaged 8. 0 points and 5. 0 rebounds while hitting 72% of his shots, contributing to the team’s 24-7 overall record.
Lazarevic averaged 6. 0 points and 5. 0 rebounds in the ABA League while playing for the youth team of KK Crvena Zvezda in Serbia before coming to the United States.
The seventh newcomer for the Buckeyes is Lazarevic. He joins four transfers in Memphis guard Curtis Givens, Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavic, Duquesne guard Jimmie Williams, and Cal guard Justin Pippen.
Jake Diebler will also extend invites to two newcomers: three-star small forward Alex Smith (ranked No. 148 in the nation) and five-star small forward Anthony Thompson (ranked No. 10 in the nation).
Ohio State ended the previous season with a 21-13 overall record, which was enough to place them eighth in the Big Ten. They were given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they lost to TCU in the opening round.
Vuk Lazarevic, a 2026 center, pledges to play men’s basketball at Ohio State.
According to Joe Tipton and a source with close ties to the Ohio State program, the men’s basketball team’s frontcourt gained depth and increased the already pressing need for a team pronunciation guide by securing a commitment from 2026 center Vuk Lazarevic on Friday.
Lazarevic, a 7-foot-1, 200-pound center, attended Wasatch Academy in Utah for his senior year of high school basketball. This is the same institution where former Buckeye Roddy Gayle Jr. and current Buckeye guard John Mobley Jr. completed their high school careers. In his senior year, Lazarevic averaged 8 points, 4. 8 rebounds, and 1. 2 blocks in less than 22 minutes of play each game. He made 75% of his free throws (15 of 20) and 67% of his shots overall.
In a 64–52 win against Long Island Lutheran High School on February 6, Lazarevic played a fantastic game, leading the team with 16 points on a flawless 7-for-7 shooting performance.
Lazarevic played for KK Crvena Zvezda 19U in the Adriatic Basketball League before his year at Wasatch. During the 2024–25 season, Lazarevic averaged six points per game on 75% shooting for KK Crvena in a restricted number of minutes.
Lazarevic is not rated by 247Sports, although it was reported earlier this week that he was considering joining the Huskies at UConn. He will, however, visit Columbus and enroll at Ohio State, joining five-star forward and McDonald’s All-American Anthony Thompson and three-star forward Alex Smith as the third member of the university’s 2026 recruiting class.
Joining Ivan Njegovan (7-foot-2), Andrija Jelavic (6-foot-11), and Josh Ojianwuna (6-foot-10), he will be the fourth player on Ohio State’s 2026–27 roster who is at least 6-foot-10.
The freshman, who will be 19 in November, will be responsible for gaining minutes at center over fellow Europeans Njegovan and Jelavic, as well as Ojianwuna, who was Baylor’s starting center two seasons ago before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.
Despite having the same name, Lazarevic should not be mistaken for the Serbian Prince Vuk Lazarevic, who we all know was put to death for treason in 1410 by Musa Celebi, the Ottoman Empire’s monarch.
