As new offers roll in for the 2015 recruiting class, the Buckeyes are still looking ahead to 2016 and yes, even 2017 for future stars. One of the brightest stars in the 2017 class is South (Westerville, Ohio) High School's Marcus Williamson, a 5-foot-10, 168-pound cornerback who checks in at number 60 on 247Sports.com's initial rankings.
Despite growing up in the shadow of Ohio Stadium, Williamson says the Buckeyes weren't necessarily his favorite school growing up. As he's grown up and seen more football though, his appreciation for the Buckeyes has grown.
"My family has always been Buckeye fans, and it's always been great growing up here and seeing how amazing the fan base is day-to-day," Williamson told Eleven Warriors. "But growing up, I was always kind of neutral."
Clearly something changed, what was it?
"My mom is pretty good friends with Orlando Pace and his wife, so I got a chance to see his College Football Hall of Fame induction, that was a pretty great experience all around," he said. "Plus, I've just gained a lot of respect for the program and the tradition it has. Urban Meyer coming in, and winning 24 straight games is pretty crazy. It shows how great of a coach he is, to have such an immediate turn-around."
Although he only has one offer currently, from the University of Toledo, Williamson has been in pretty consistent contact with the Buckeyes. That contact ramped up a bit after an outstanding performance in front of the Ohio State coaching staff at Friday Night Lights.
"(Ohio State and I) keep in touch pretty often. I was there in early June (and for Friday Night Lights), but I didn't get back there any other times this summer. I was supposed to go down there for practice this week but my own practice schedule is conflicting, so that might not happen," he said of his contact with the Buckeyes. "I talk to (Buckeyes' cornerback coach Kerry) Coombs most of the time. He's made it pretty clear to me that he wants me to be a Buckeye, he just wants to see me compete on a varsity level."
Were that offer to come his way, Williamson acknowledged it could be difficult to turn down.
"Yeah," he said when asked whether an offer could lead to an early commitment. "I think a decision could come pretty quickly if that happened."
With those thoughts in mind, the country's 5th-ranked cornerback for 2017 has a plan to check out a few Buckeye games this fall. He also hopes to do a bit more research into the school's non-athletic pursuits.
"I'm definitely going to catch a game or two this fall at Ohio State," Williamson said. "I haven't had a chance to check out the academics there yet. I'm leaning towards law, I'm aiming high, because my family doesn't have a lawyer in it yet. I think it'd be great to go that route, but I'm still sorting that out."
