Marcus Williamson was in middle school when Ohio State hired Urban Meyer.
And as a local kid, Williamson remembers that day fondly.
“It was just cool growing up here when they hired him,” Williamson said on National Signing Day. “I was in middle school, I think I was in like seventh grade, and it was just like the man, the myth, the legend.”
“Then you start getting recruited and it’s like, ‘Whoa, that’s Coach Meyer.’ That was pretty cool.”
Williamson is a Columbus native who attended Westerville South High School for three years. He spent his senior season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but he’s an Ohio kid at heart.
Ohio prospects with offers from Ohio State tend to end up playing for the Buckeyes. When you factor in Williamson’s Columbus connection, it was essentially a sure thing from the moment he got the scholarship offer from Meyer.
Now, he’s living out his dream.
“I always knew this would be the place,” Williamson said. “My dad used to tell me all the time when I was growing up I would be a Buckeye, but I didn’t really feel too much pressure because you just know when it’s right.”
It’s easy for Williamson to get a bit overlooked in Ohio State’s monstrous 2017 recruiting class for a couple of reasons. One, he was a local kid who committed to the Buckeyes rather early in the process. Two, the Buckeyes signed four other players at his position — including a pair of five-star prospects.
But make no mistake about it: Williamson can play.
“I’m just a competitor and I want to go out there and win,” Williamson said. “I’m just going to work and if I get on the field, that’s great. But when my time comes I’ll be ready to see what I can do on this level.”
Williamson was a four-star prospect and the nation’s 27th-ranked cornerback, according to 247Sports’ composite ratings. Ohio State lists him at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, so he’s a natural corner, and with both starters from last season’s team gone, the Buckeyes can certainly use the depth.
Williamson hopes the year spent at IMG comes in handy when it comes to getting on the field as a freshman. He’s got plenty of competition in his own class, but a year at a prep school coupled with early enrollment at Ohio State could pay off.
“You just get that competitiveness and it goes to another level,” Williamson said. “Going to a regular high school, everybody’s not four and five stars. You might be the best guy at your high school and you might not have to work that hard or go that hard in practice.”
“When you’re at IMG, you’re not the best guy. It’s not going to happen. You’ve just got to grind every day in the weight room and in practice and it just takes you to another level and I think it really prepared me for this.”
Although he spent a year away, Williamson’s home will always be Columbus. Now, as one of nine early enrollees, he has already started his childhood dream of playing for the hometown college.
Ohio State’s 2017 class had perhaps the most national pull in the program’s history. Williamson wasn’t part of that. He’s a homegrown talent the Buckeyes needed.
“I think Midwest people, Ohio people, we’re built a little different. I think you really need that kind of heartbeat on the team,” Williamson said. “Of course you need the national talent — get some Florida speed, a little Cali swag — but I think you still need that homegrown feeling on the team.”
