Four-star 2025 Texas wideout Taz Williams long dreamed of getting an offer from Ohio State.
The Buckeyes were one of several teams Williams watched growing up and had long been impressed by their prolific offense. On April 21, Williams visited Ohio State for the first time and was impressed by OSU’s facilities and recruiting pitch to him, and was thrilled to meet Ryan Day.
“It was great being able to actually meet Coach Day in person,” Williams told Eleven Warriors. “Being able to have a conversation with him about football and outside of football and talking about his past, my past, where I’m from, that meant a lot to me because he didn’t have to do that, but he did and it was really big to me.”
#AGTG WOWW!! Beyond blessed to receive an offer from THEE Ohio State University!!!! #Buckeyes #GoBucks @ryandaytime @brianhartline @OhioStateFB @rohawksfootball @SkysTheLimitWR @TrueBuzzFB @210ths @tOSUFootball pic.twitter.com/CWDl9wrGDL
— $ (@Taz_1x) April 21, 2023
At the end of his visit, Day presented Williams with an OSU offer, and the 6-foot, 175-pound wideout now boasts more than 35 Division I offers.
“It felt great because Ohio State has always been one of my favorite schools since I was younger, so it felt great to achieve my goal of receiving an offer from Ohio State,” Williams said.
Williams says he’s developed a close relationship with Brian Hartline on the recruiting trail as well.
“We’ll talk about how he recruits, the football team and sometimes we’ll even talk about stuff outside of football,” Williams said of his conversations with Hartline.
OSU’s success of developing successful wide receivers into first-round picks hasn’t gone unnoticed by Williams, with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave turning into first-rounders in the 2022 draft and Jaxon Smith-Njigba getting picked No. 20 in the 2023 draft.
“It’s crazy just knowing I could come in and be one of those guys, Williams said of OSU’s developmental track record with wideouts. “It’s just shocking and I’m ready to live out all the dreams I have.”
As a sophomore, Williams recorded 31 receptions for 510 yards with four receiving touchdowns for Red Oak High School (Red Oak, Texas)
“I can play anywhere on the field,” Williams said. “(My best skill) is probably the separation I can create from receivers.”
Williams said he’ll “most definitely” take another visit to Ohio State sometime in the future but is undecided whether it will be in the summer or in the fall.
“It would probably just be being able to play for Coach Day and Coach Hartline,” Williams said regarding what he believes is the most appealing thing about potentially playing for OSU. “Just knowing everything they’ve done and how many successful wide receivers they’ve had come through there.”
Several OSU commits lock in their official visits
Tuesday, several of Ohio State’s commitments publicly locked in their Ohio State official visits for June. A rundown of when each commitment will be taking their official visit is listed below.
- Quarterback Air Noland: June 9-11
Be Back Home Soon pic.twitter.com/ULI3NZIsad
— Pss A N. (@AirNoland_) May 2, 2023
- Running back James Peoples: June 9-11
Coming Back Home Soon#ToteNation @CoachRLarkin @Ryan9Mayhew @e_dunston @Bucknuts247 @Birm @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @kirk_barton pic.twitter.com/QoFY7dN3I4
— James (@James_peoples17) May 2, 2023
- Offensive tackle Ian Moore: June 9-11
Coming Home pic.twitter.com/e0nCkUyKQV
— Ian Moore (@IanMoore2024) May 2, 2023
- Running back Sam Williams-Dixon: June 9-11
#Brotherhood #GoBucks @Ryan9Mayhew @CoachRLarkin @CoachTonyAlford @ryandaytime @Birm @OhioStAthletics @Bucknuts247 @OhioStateFB @pnfootball @PNAthletics pic.twitter.com/2l7BEkK62I
— Sam Williams-Dixon (@SamuelDixon24) May 2, 2023
- Linebacker Payton Pierce: June 23-24
Locked in @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/j5u72UsZIO
— Payton Pierce (@payton_pierce26) May 2, 2023
- Linebacker Garrett Stover: June 9-11
— Garrett Stover (@GarrettStover2) May 2, 2023
- Tight end Max LeBlanc: June 2-4
#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/heFtQEbwuV
— Max LeBlanc (@MaxenceLeblanc5) May 2, 2023
- Offensive lineman Marc Nave: June 9-11
Lets Gooo! LOCKED IN!#Gobucks pic.twitter.com/tKAAKB7MBp
— Marc Nave (@marcnavejr) May 2, 2023
OSU’s newest commit, four-star running back Jordan Lyle, didn’t publicly announce his official visit Tuesday, but he’s expected to be back in Columbus June 2-4.
Xavier Jordan commits to USC
A wide receiver with an Ohio State offer is headed to play college football elsewhere. Four-star California prospect Xavier Jordan committed to USC on Monday, giving the future Big Ten school three 2024 commits and its first wide receiver commitment. Jordan was offered late in the process by OSU, picking up his Buckeyes’ offer on March 27.
OSU already has two five-star wide receivers committed for the 2024 cycle in Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, and could potentially take one or two more wideouts. Potential fits include Joshisa Trader, Jeremiah McClellan, TJ Moore, Keylen Adams and Elijah Moore.
