What Ohio State RB commit Sam Williams-Dixon brings to the Buckeyes' 2024 class
Miyan Williams was not Ohio State football’s focus in the 2020 class.
Tony Alford and the Buckeyes were seemingly all in on five-star Bijan Robinson — the No. 1 running back in the 2020 class, who chose Texas over Ohio State in August 2019.
Williams, then an Iowa State commit, was nowhere near where Robinson was in the 2020 recruiting rankings, coming in as the No. 45 back in the class and a three-star player. But he had the numbers to back him up, with 5,823 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns for Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati.
Williams was once overlooked by Ohio State, not earning an offer from the Buckeyes until September of his senior season after he was a Cyclones commit. But it was enough to flip Williams, joining the Buckeyes’ 2020 class in November and becoming a 5-foot-9, 220-pound bruiser for Ohio State’s offense, averaging 6.7 yards per carry with 15 touchdowns across 25 games in three seasons.
Physically, Sam Williams-Dixon is not like Williams.
Standing at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, Williams-Dixon is much more of a versatility option, hearing from Alford that he could be everything from a power back finding space inside the gaps of the offensive line to a receiving option that shows off his acceleration in the defensive backfield.
Like Williams, Williams-Dixon is an underdog as he joins Ohio State’s recruiting class.
Playing his first three seasons at West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, Williams-Dixon dominated, first catching the eye of Alford at a Best of the Midwest camp as an incoming sophomore before bursting onto the scene with 41 touchdowns his junior year.
Like Williams, Williams-Dixon had the stats. He just didn’t have the attention.
Ohio State was sold on WIlliams-Dixon, extending an offer to the 2024 running back in January while holding offers from Tennessee, Cincinnati and West Virginia, along with his other finalists Kentucky and Penn State.
As he commits to Ohio State, Williams-Dixon is a three-star player per 247Sports’ composite rankings and is the No. 57 running back and No. 675 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, and the 24th-best prospect in the state behind Michigan commit Jordan Marshall and Warren native Ryan Powell, who holds offers from Toledo, Duke, Bowling Green, Boston College, Syracuse and Western Michigan.
Williams-Dixon is not as highly-touted as fellow Ohio State 2024 commit James Peoples, who joined the Buckeyes with the attention of Alabama, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and USC, among others.
But Alford saw the potential, making Williams-Dixon Ohio State’s second running back offer in the 2024 class. It’s the same potential Pickerington North High School football coach Nate Hillerich sees in his limited amount of time with Williams-Dixon ahead of the running back’s senior season.
“I think he runs with power, and he makes guys miss in space,” Hillerich said. “I don’t think there’s anybody that’s going to be able to touch him in space.”
Williams-Dixon is confident he can compete with the best in the state.
While his move from Millersburg to Pickerington was a family decision and not associated with football, the 2024 running back said it provides an opportunity to show what he can do, jumping from Division IV to Division I high school football.
With his commitment secured, Williams-Dixon makes it clear he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder.
“I want to prove that I can play at this level,” Williams-Dixon said.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What Sam Williams Dixon's commitment means for Ohio State
