'I've got to be ready': Running back Sam Williams-Dixon prepares for role at Ohio State
Sam Williams-Dixon had already taken the next step when he took the stage at Pickerington North High School Wednesday morning.
Hours before, the 2024 three-star running back had sent Ohio State his National Letter of Intent, securing his place in the Buckeyes’ fourth-ranked 2024 recruiting class.
But Williams-Dixon, standing at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, still participated in the traditional ceremony of a signing day, taking a pen to the replica in front of him along with four other Division I football-bound teammates to mark the transition from high school football to college.
It’s a transition, Williams-Dixon said, he can’t wait for. But it’s a transition, Williams-Dixon said, that will come quickly.
“Long story short, I've got to be ready,” Williams-Dixon said. “That’s what coach (Tony) Alford’s been telling me. We've got to get me ready, got to get me started. And that’s what I’m going to do heading into the spring.”
In the weeks leading up to the early signing period, Williams-Dixon’s future running back room has changed dramatically. Two backs, Evan Pryor and Chip Trayanum, entered the transfer portal and found new college homes. One back, Miyan Williams, entered the NFL draft. And one back, Jordan Lyle, rescinded his commitment to the Buckeyes’ 2024 class and signed with Miami.
When Williams-Dixon signed Wednesday, he became one of three secured members of Ohio State’s running back room for 2024 along with fellow class member James Peoples, and Dallan Hayden, who had 19 carries for the Buckeyes this past season.
Ohio State continues to wait for an answer on whether starting running back TreVeyon Henderson will return for his senior year.
But regardless of Henderson's status and the possibility of the Buckeyes adding additional running back help through the transfer portal, Ohio State coach Ryan Day expects Williams-Dixon and Peoples to see the field soon.
“The plan all along has been for those guys to come in and play as freshmen,” Day said. “Wanted to get them in at midyear to get them in here and get them going.
”We know we have done that before with some freshmen. I’m excited to get them onto the field. And we’ll know pretty quickly.”
With that in mind, and having the advantage of living locally, Williams-Dixon has attended multiple Ohio State practices ahead of the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl matchup against Missouri Dec. 29.
“I think there is a pressure to perform right away,” Williams-Dixon said. “For me to get there early, it’s really good on my part for playing. I’m going to go in there and I’m going to do what I do best.”
What could Sam Williams-Dixon do for Ohio State in 2024?
Pickerington North coach Nate Hillerich said Williams-Dixon took the same approach at with the Panthers.
Transferring from West Holmes High School, Williams-Dixon, Hillerich said, made a dramatic impact despite being limited to just five games due to OHSAA transfer rules. Hillerich said Williams-Dixon is a “grown man in high school” that is ready to ”endure” the pace and speed of the next level.
“I think he’s realizes, one, how far away he is from being ready, but also how close he is,” Hillerich said. “And, being able to graduate early, how he can have an impact quickly. And at the running back position at Ohio State … you can quickly become the fourth-string guy getting carries.”
In his five games at Pickerington North, Williams-Dixon recorded 475 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Ohio State seems to know what Williams-Dixon is bringing.
“He brings versatility,” Day said. “Move him around, do some different things with him.”
That is something Williams-Dixon is seemingly buying into, expecting to do anything from splitting out wide to pass blocking.
Williams-Dixon goes to Ohio State as the No. 60 athlete in the country and the No. 28 player from Ohio. Peoples is the No. 95 player and No. 7 running back in the country.
But even after signing his letter of intent and securing his place in Ohio State’s 2024 class, Williams-Dixon admits he’s still fueled by his doubters.
“My mindset when I step into the facility … I've got to get better at the end of the day and be better than anyone that’s talking, saying I’m not better than them,” Williams-Dixon said.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sam Williams-Dixon prepares for role in Ohio State running back room
