With dad's unique backstory, Ohio State recruit Jonathan Sanderson's recruitment wide-open

The assumptions, misguided as they may be, are never far from the conversation when it comes to Jonathan Sanderson.

An ambidextrous talent from Saline, Michigan, the sophomore guard who plays ping-pong left-handed but primarily uses his right hand to shoot a basketball has grown into one of the top prospects from his state. In its updated rankings for the class of 2026, Sanderson checks in as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 player from Michigan and the No. 7 point guard in the nation.

But astute fans of Big Ten basketball know Sanderson boasts a unique profile that has nothing to do with his ability to make plays or shoot with either hand. His father, Jon Sanderson, was raised in Mansfield, Ohio, and played his first two seasons of college basketball at Ohio State. After reaching the Final Four with the Buckeyes in 1998-99, Sanderson transferred to Ohio University to finish out his career.

Since 2009, the elder Sanderson has worked as the head strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports, including the men’s basketball program, at the University of Michigan.

So what impact does that have on the recruitment of the 6-2½, 175-pound sophomore?

“No. 1, it has to be his decision,” Jon Sanderson said. “Good parents guide their kids instead of making the decision for them. The first thing everybody asks my wife and myself is, ‘Is he recruitable?’ Just because he grew up here or I’m from Ohio and my wife’s from Ohio doesn’t mean that any particular school is where he should go.”

Jon Sanderson’s wife, Jennifer (Sessor), is from Heath, Ohio, and was a four-star starter at point guard for Mercer University. Her family still resides in Central Ohio, and Jon Sanderson said he considers the Columbus area to be his second home.

Their shared experiences as collegiate athletes will help inform but not restrict their son’s recruitment, he said.

“Being my son, and this is my 15th year at Michigan, he’s seen our operation and how we do things from the time he was a little kid,” Jon Sanderson said. “The biggest thing my wife and I have impressed on him is the importance of culture, having coaches that believe in you and a culture that’s really positive. A championship culture where people are doing the right things. A great locker room with great people is so important.

“To me, that’s foundational in any decision you’re going to make: culture and people.”

With that in mind, Jonathan Sanderson has steadily put himself on the radar of much of the Big Ten. After having visited Indiana in late August, Sanderson took an unofficial visit to Michigan on Sept. 2 before following that up with a visit to Ohio State the following weekend. He was on campus alongside the likes of five-star forward Jayden Quaintance, a member of the 2024 class.

After watching the Buckeyes beat Youngstown State in football on Sept. 9, Sanderson earned a scholarship offer from Ohio State. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and the Buckeyes are known to have offered him from the Big Ten. Ohio University has offered, too.

“There’s a bunch of things you look at, but we always start with culture and the coaches and the people,” Jon Sanderson said. “I’ve been in the business long enough to know there are programs that I’d have a harder time sending my kid to and I know the ones I would feel pretty good about. He’s obviously visiting the programs that check the initial boxes for us in terms of culture and the people.”

The coming weeks will be spent continuing to visit more schools and building connections with more programs that are showing interest. Jonathan Sanderson will be at Purdue this weekend, his dad said, and there are planned trips to some ACC schools on the calendar as well.

In addition to the relationships with coaches and the people around the programs, as well as academics and facilities, Jon Sanderson they’ll be looking at projected depth charts for the point guard position.

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“Style of play is a huge piece to making a decision, so getting an idea of how they use their point guards, how they play,” he said. “The point guard position is unique. It’s kind of like your quarterback: if there is a certain point guard already at a school that’s established, you want to go to a spot where you can get playing time early, at least be in the rotation and see who’s around you.”

As a forward, Jon Sanderson averaged 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 65 games for the Buckeyes and 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Bobcats. A lot has changed since he was being recruited, making comparing the two situations a challenge, but the elder Sanderson said one thing is clear about his son’s talent.

“A lot of people who remember me as a player joke, ‘Man, he’s nothing like you,’ ” he said with a laugh.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jonathan Sanderson lands Ohio State offer in wide-open recruitment