Bronny James is transferring from USC. Is Ohio State his next destination?

When Bronny James was hounded by draft speculation recently, his father, LeBron James, had words for whomever would listen.

“Let the kid be a kid,” he wrote on X, in a post that was eventually deleted.

Dad may want to break out that admonishment once again as it appears Bronny will have to make a decision about his basketball future. Reports suggest his transfer from USC in light of his coach Andy Enfield's departure is assured.

That puts Bronny in another likely recruiting scenario with a lot of thirsty fanbases salivating at the possibility of him going to their school.

You just know that Buckeye Nation is clamoring for it given Bronny James’ Ohio roots.

Then one of LeBron James’ best friends, Dru Joyce III, was just named head coach of Duquesne, so there’s that connection and, apparently, given that Oregon came close to landing him initially, some have speculated he could end up there.

Even sportsbooks are getting in on the act. BetOnline has established odds for who lands Bronny James, with the Buckeyes being the favorite:

• Ohio State: 3/1

• Oregon: 4/1

• Duquesne: 5/1

• Duke: 7/1

• SMU: 7/1

Let the kid just be a kid?

It would seem that LeBron James has succumbed to reality about his son. He’s growing up and with that comes life-altering decisions. He didn’t confirm his son’s entrance into the transfer portal.

"I don't know where it came from, but at the end of the day Bronny's his own man and he has some tough decisions to make. When he's ready to make those decisions he'll let us all know, but as his family we're going to support whatever he does," James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

The kid is growing up and, with that, a father is learning to let him.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Bronny James is transferring from USC. Is Ohio State next?