Ohio State’s $1.3 Billion Factor Could Lure LeBron James’ Son as Bryce James Still Looks Beyond Buckeyes
USA Today via Reuters
Having a famous last name might hold some back but Bryce James has not allowed it to. The youngest son of LeBron James is improving his play day by day, and even if his dad and his older brother might be more talked about right now, the Sierra Canyon High School senior is slowly making noise. And it begins with his commitment to a college – Ohio State or Duquesne Dukes? Arizona or USC? Or somewhere else entirely?
LeBron James’ connection to Ohio would make it an obvious choice but his unofficial visit to Arizona in November would say otherwise. Nevertheless, CNBC’s Michael Ozanian just released his rankings of the 75 most valuable college athletic programs in 2024, and at the top stands Ohio State with $1.3 billion.
Although the 7-4 Buckeyes are unranked in the top 25 of the AP poll this week, they generated the most revenue of any program at $280 million, per Ozanian. At the same time, he did clarify that roughly 75% of the revenue at most of the big athletic programs is to be attributed to football. Even LeBron James is a fan, who gifted the team new shoes before their game against the Oregon Ducks in October.
The Top 10 most valuable college athletic programs (via @AD_University + @CNBC)
1) Ohio State $1.3 billion
2) Texas $1.28b
3) Texas A&M $1.26b
4) Michigan $1b
5) Alabama $978 million
6) Notre Dame $969m
7) Georgia $950m
8) Nebraska $943m
9) Tennessee $940m
10) Oklahoma $918m— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) December 19, 2024
Nevertheless, the top-notch quality of the program could still lure Bryce James and On3 even listed the Buckeyes as one of the top two choices for him back in June. Currently, the prediction is at 92.6% whereas Duquesne is at 7.4%. The only other two schools James has been associated with, Arizona and USC, are yet to make offers.
For Duquesne, the plus point would be Dru Joyce III, LeBron’s friend and high school teammate who took over as head coach this year. And USC would of course be the school his big brother went to, even if Bronny James did not have the best collegiate career there last year.
To add to the mix, mom Savannah James has revealed that she will be taking another college visit with her son soon!
It’s that time for a pro athlete in making where Bryce James must choose a path that will best help him when moving to the NBA. The 6’4″ shooting guard will most likely take the same route as his brother and play one season of college ball if indeed he wants a career in the NBA. For his dad’s part, LeBron forwent college entirely, entering the 2003 NBA draft directly from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
But the one-and-one rule from 2006 prevents the younger James from doing that. Before he’s eligible for the NBA Draft in 2026, it looks like Bryce will be making another college visit. “My crazy for today is the fact that I’m about to go to a college visit with my second child and I don’t know how to feel about it,” said Savannah James on Tuesday’s episode of her Everybody’s Crazy podcast.
“It’s exciting. I’m excited but that means another one is going to be leaving the nest. So that’s kind of crazy for me. … It’s fine. All the emotions but it’s fine. I’m good.”
There’s no confirmation as to which school it will be yet. But if it’s not one of the aforementioned four, it’s only going to add more intrigue to the debate. And if it is indeed one of those four, will their case strengthen? Either way, things are about to get more exciting in the James family!
