OSU Forward Brandon Noel Ready For Big Ten Challenge After Navigating Transfer Portal

Image Via Wright State Athletics

When Ohio State graduate forward Brandon Noel first joined Wright State in 2020, he didn’t envision he would still be playing college basketball in year six, let alone playing with the Buckeyes. However, when the opportunity arose to join Ohio State, Noel, who averaged 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists with Wright State during the 2024-25 season, didn’t hesitate.

“I was given the opportunity to have this last year and go somewhere else, and I jumped on it,” Noel said during a media availability at the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday. “When I went to the portal, I had no idea what to expect, and thus far, I couldn’t be any happier.”

The 6-8 power forward, who entered college during the infancy of the transfer portal and at a time when players were not yet able to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness, got his own taste of the hectic nature of an offseason in college basketball. After a breakout fifth year for the Raiders that garnered him All-Horizon League second-team honors, Noel entered the portal only to be bombarded by interested coaches.

“It’s just as crazy as you read,” Noel said of the transfer portal. “I have an agent, which is also a totally new landscape for college basketball, so between me and my agent, I couldn’t tell you how many calls and texts and stuff like that he and I took. It’s crazy, it’s not exactly for the faint of heart, but it’s something that to be in this position, you have to go through with it.”

For Noel, who helped lead Wright State to a 13-7 finish in the Horizon League during the 2023-24 season, continuing to win at his next destination was a priority. Considering the Buckeyes haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 2022, it may seem surprising that Noel decided to go to Columbus. However, Noel believes the talent that head coach Jake Diebler was able to retain on the roster is something that could lead to a breakthrough season in 2025-26.

“I think there are two key reasons,” Noel said when asked why he thinks Ohio State is on the cusp of a successful season. “One of them is that they returned so many guys. You go down the line, and they have seven or eight returners, and all of them made some sort of impact here. Then the second thing is the coaching staff. When they were preaching to me their message and the things that they want to get done, I aligned with those things and I believed them.”

Although Noel is done with the obstacle of navigating the transfer portal, the challenge of translating his game from the Horizon League to the Big Ten has only begun. According to Noel, though, the belief he has in himself and the support he has from his teammates and his staff will help him deal with the higher level of competition.

“The staff believe in me, they brought me here for a reason, I didn’t just happen to luck into this,” Noel said. “I probably played six or seven high-major games in my career thus far, and I’m going to play a schedule full of 25+ high-major games, so it’s going to definitely be an adjustment. There’s definitely going to be some new things I’m not used to, but I’m going to have to tackle that head-on, and I have my guys around me that’ll back me up and be right there with me.”