Even though it is football season, college basketball is just around the corner, with the Buckeyes tipping off on Nov. 3. There were a lot of roster changes for Ohio State heading into the 2025-26 season, and over the next couple of months we will be dropping one player preview per week to get you caught up on the current roster.
The Mathieu Grujicic File
Name: Mathieu Grujicic
Position: Guard
Class: Freshman
High School/Former School: Alba Berlin
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 205
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Breakdown
Prior to coming to the United States, Grujicic played for FC Barcelona’s U18 team after growing up playing for ALBA Berlin.
In his final season with FC Barcelona, Grujicic averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range. He was named the MVP on four different occasions in one calendar year at different events.
According to Ohio State Athletics, Grujicic was also named to the Global All-Star Five at the NBA Basketball Without Borders Global Camp event during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2025.
Scoring his first points at age 17, Grujicic became one of the youngest ever to score in a EuroLeague game, and played for Germany’s U16 national team. He also represented the country at the 2023 European U16 Championship.
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In the FIBA U18 EuroBasket championship, Grujicic’s strong play earned him a spot on a list of 10 rising stars from the tournament.
“The Ohio State commit showcased a rare combination of size, physicality, smoothness, and multi-level shooting touch, which allowed him to make an impact as a slasher, rebounder, and three-point shooter,” said FIBA Basketball’s Ignacio Rissotto. “Grujicic was one of the most skilled scorers in Belgrade, and his freshman season with the Buckeyes will be one to watch.”
Grujicic averaged a tournament-best 24.6 points per game, and led Germany to a win against Turkey with 36 points on 11-for-20 shooting, adding eleven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
The German national is a tall guard that can rebound, sees the floor well and commits on the defensive end. He can be a three-level scorer, but his three-point shooting is sometimes inconsistent. Grujicic can create off the dribble and knock down tough, contested shots from the midrange and finish at the basket.
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Grujicic was the final addition to the team this season, and is one that is expected to fill a role and provide guard depth.
Expected Role
While Grujicic is talented, he is also a freshman that is coming to the United States for the first time in his career. He will see the floor, but Bruce Thornton and John Mobley will see the floor for at least 30-32 minutes a game at the guard position, and Taison Chatman and Gabe Cupps will also see minutes in the guard rotation.
Grujicic is tall for the position at 6-foot-6, so if Jake Diebler wants to run a three guard lineup and keep size on the floor, Grujicic will be his best bet to do that.
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However, he is only just joining the Buckeyes from Germany, and will not have nearly as long to get acclimated with the system and play style over other guys joining the program. He is also only a freshman, so I would expect him to see limited minutes this year and the focus for him to be getting settled in the United States and adjusting to his new life.
If he plays well and gets adjusted fast, his minutes will go up, but I expect him to play very few minutes early on.
