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Second-year center Felix Okpara (34) throws down a slam dunk on an alley-top pass. Ohio State defeated Michigan 84-61 March 3 at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor

Despite announcing he’ll be returning to Ohio State for his junior season 20 days ago, center Felix Okpara has elected to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple sources.

“As I thought of the player I want to become and the program moving forward in a new direction, I believe it is in my best interest to continue my pursuit of my dream at a different school,” Okpara said on Instagram.

Okpara, the Buckeyes’ starting center, reeled in a team-high 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in 2023-24. Okpara’s 2.4 blocks placed him second within the Big Ten in that category and 11th in the country. For Ohio State, he started 34 of its 36 games in his sophomore season. Okpara missed one start with the flu and another on Senior Day, allowing former senior forward Zed Key to start the game.

The move from Okpara comes five days after the Buckeyes landed Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw in the transfer portal. The 7-foot-1, 226-pound player was the top center prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports.

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Okpara finished his high school career at Link Academy and helped lead them to the finals of the GEICO National Tournament. Out of high school, he was a consensus four-star recruit and a Top-60 ranked prospect, according to 247 Sports.

Okpara becomes the fifth Buckeye to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Ohio State lost Key, who landed at Dayton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Scotty Middleton and Bowen Hardman.

Junior guard Bruce Thornton is now the only of four players from the class to remain at Ohio State for a third year, following the departure of Okpara and junior guard Gayle, who previously announced his decision to transfer. The fourth player, Brice Sensabaugh, is in the NBA on the Utah Jazz.

The Buckeyes have two scholarships available to fill out their roster for the 2024-25 season and will likely continue to evaluate potential fits in the transfer portal.