Finding the right fit for your college football program isn't just about what happens on the field, but off it as well. Today, Ohio State added a key piece. How will that commitment impact the Buckeyes?
Despite only re-opening his recruitment on Tuesday, North Carolina four-star running back Antonio Williams has committed to Ohio State.
ON THE FIELD
The country's 7th-ranked running back, Williams is a 5-foot-11, 210-pound back, big and bruising in the mold of Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott.
"He's really good," one source said. "Just because people haven't heard much about him before this week doesn't mean we've not been watching him for a while."
Williams has excellent vision and quickly hits holes with power and aggressiveness. He may not be the speedster that Demario McCall is, or the "full package" that makes Kareem Walker the country's top-ranked running back, but the Buckeyes aren't getting a consolation prize here, no matter what happens with Walker.
IN THE CLASS
As mentioned earlier this week, when Kareem Walker started his official visit tour with a trip to Michigan last weekend, the Buckeyes began recruiting Williams as though they were without a committed running back. Still, he's the second running back in the class – joining Walker – and the 19th total commit.
His commitment moves the Buckeyes back to the top spot in the national rankings.
The biggest question from here is what, naturally, happens with Kareem Walker. As of Friday, the plan for Kareem was to still make an official visit to Ohio State and he still considers himself an Ohio State commitment. If he doesn't make an official change in his status in the next 48 hours, I think that's a great sign for the Buckeyes moving forward.
THE INTANGIBLES
Williams originally committed to North Carolina, and then Wisconsin – where he was committed for almost a year – before deciding the Buckeyes were his best choice. His relationship with Ohio State, as noted above, has been building for a while thanks to Tony Alford, who recruited him while he was the running backs' coach at Notre Dame.
Williams, like Walker, will still make an official visit to Ohio State, likely for the game against Michigan State. He also, like Walker, will enroll in January, to try and give himself a better shot at cracking the lineup as a freshman.
