Julian Roper checking his options

Julian Roper, a 2021 shooting guard, has quickly established himself as a player to watch in his class.

Ohio State, Illinois, Akron, Kent State, Oakland, Toledo, Miami (OH), Wisconsin and Iowa have offered, while Alabama, Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern and Missouri have shown interest.

Roper, who recently took an unofficial visit to Ohio State on August 5th, left campus impressed with just about everything.

“I liked everything,” he said. “The facilities. The campus. It was a very nice experience.”

Ohio State head basketball coach Chris Holtmann has been following Roper for some time now and likes what he can bring to a backcourt.

“Coach Holt likes how I can play multiple positions and can guard,” Roper said. “Also my aggression.”

Illinois, who also got to see him during the NCAA camp that was held on the campus, offered him a scholarship as well. He got a good look at the campus and likes the fit.

“They play very guard heavy and they play fast,” he explained. “That’s very interesting to me.”

Iowa, who was the first program to offer Roper a scholarship, is still in contact and has made him a priority.

“They are very hard on me,” he said. “Coach [Fran] McCaffery has been very interested and watching multiple games. I’ve talked to all the coaches a lot.”

Right now, Roper doesn’t have any more visits with set dates, but he does plan on visiting two more Big Ten programs in the near future.

“No official date yet but sometime next week for Northwestern,” he said. “I definitely am trying to figure out a time to get to Wisconsin soon, as well.”