Thad-Matta-Michigan-2013

Thad Matta lost Mickey Mitchell from his 2015 recruiting class Thursday evening.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Since former Ohio State linebacker Mike Mitchell transferred from the Buckeyes football program after his freshman year, it has been a countdown until his brother, four-star power forward Mickey Mitchell, cut his Ohio State ties, too.

That countdown never started for Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who thought he was secure with Mickey's commitment in the 2015 recruiting class.

But Mickey, Scout.com's No. 20 power forward in the class, followed in his brother's footsteps by deciding to move on from his affiliation with Ohio State. He announced his decommitment from the Buckeyes on his public Twitter account Thursday evening.

Mike Mitchell, a former five-star linebacker prospect, landed at Texas Tech this summer, and it isn't a coincidence that the Raiders are situated much closer to his family's home.

In a full Foxsports.com Q&A, Mike Mitchell said that his father's health played a part in his desire to leave Ohio State to return to Texas. Lubbock is about 330 miles away from the Mitchell home in the Dallas area.

Mickey Mitchell gave his verbal commitment to Ohio State last August while visiting his brother in Columbus before football season started, but his father, Ken Mitchell, told cleveland.com at the time that Mickey's decision was independent of Mike's situation.

"Mike was not the deciding factor," Ken Mitchell said. "But it's that extra gift. He got up there and realized the legend of Ohio State and what the basketball program has done, and the educational system and how much Mike loves it up there while he's working his tail off."

Perhaps that's why Ohio State's basketball staff was confident that they'd still be able to hang onto Mickey's commitment even after Mike transferred.

Mickey, a 6-foot-7 ballhandler, has scholarship offers from Kansas, Texas and others from which he can now choose.

Ohio State still has three verbal commitments in the 2015 recruiting class – four-star center Daniel Giddens of Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler, four-star shooting guard Austin Grandstaff of Rockwall, Texas, and three-star point guard A.J. Harris of Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar.