If Sam Williams-Dixon was having any second thoughts about his commitment to Ohio State, his official visit to OSU earlier this month erased any doubts.
Williams-Dixon was one of 15 official visitors on campus two weekends ago, and the visit proved to be everything the in-state running back hoped it would be.
“It was the best experience of my life,” Williams-Dixon said Wednesday while back on campus for Ohio State’s high school 7-on-7 tournament. “It was so great. Everyone else that takes that visit, I hope you take that jump and get on the team.”
When asked if that visit solidified his commitment to the Buckeyes, Williams-Dixon responded without hesitation.
“Oh yeah, that showed me everything I needed to know,” Williams-Dixon said.
Williams-Dixon made his official visit alongside eight of the other 13 players who are already committed to Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class – Jeremiah Smith, Deontae Armstrong, Devontae Armstrong, Ian Moore, Marc Nave Jr., Garrett Stover, Jaylen McClain and fellow running back James Peoples – and the bonds he built with them over the course of that weekend in Columbus was a big part of what made his visit so special.
“Just everyone being one big happy family,” Williams-Dixon said. “I was there with all the recruits that was committed, and it was just like we knew each other our whole lives.”
Just four days before his official visit to Ohio State, Williams-Dixon made an official visit to Kentucky, creating the appearance that Williams-Dixon was still exploring other options. Williams-Dixon said Wednesday, however, that he was simply taking the opportunity to make an expenses-paid trip.
“I just took it to have fun with my friends and family. It was free,” Williams-Dixon said. “Anybody else in my position would do the same thing.”
While Kentucky could potentially pitch a faster path to the field for Williams-Dixon than Ohio State, where he’s the lowest-ranked of three running backs in a class that also includes four-star prospects Peoples and Jordan Lyle, Williams-Dixon is comfortable with Ohio State’s plans for him. Comparing himself to Curtis Samuel, Williams-Dixon envisions himself playing an H-back role as both a running back and receiver at Ohio State, but he recognizes he’ll have to have patience when he starts his Buckeye career as a freshman.
“I'm not looking to go out my first year and just dominate. I want it to be a learning year my freshman year, just learn the offense, learn everything Coach Alford wants me to do, and I'm gonna do it,” Williams-Dixon said.
“It was the best experience of my life.”– Sam Williams-Dixon on his official visit to Ohio State
That said, Williams-Dixon is inspired by seeing the big plays Xavier Johnson made last season as a hybrid receiver/running back, such as Johnson’s 37-yard touchdown catch less than a minute before halftime in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Georgia. Williams-Dixon believes he can make a similar impact for the Buckeyes.
“I look at him as ‘That's me out there,’” Williams-Dixon said. “He had a big play against Georgia. I was like, ‘That could be me one day.’”
For now, Williams-Dixon is focusing on playing his senior season for a new high school team after transferring to Pickerington North this offseason. Williams-Dixon, who moved to Pickerington earlier this year after previously playing at West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, is happy to be closer to Columbus, which will make it an easier trip for Williams-Dixon to watch the Buckeyes play in Ohio Stadium this fall.
“I like being home. It just feels great,” Williams-Dixon said. “I’ll definitely be at a lot of games this fall.”
Williams-Dixon is also working on recruiting other players in the 2024 class to join him at Ohio State. In particular, he has his eye on two of the prospects who will be making their official visits to OSU this weekend: in-state cornerbacks Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West.
“That’s who we’re waiting on,” Williams-Dixon said.
While Michigan is also making a push to land both Scott and West, Williams-Dixon is confident they’ll ultimately be Buckeyes, saying “home is here for them two.” And as the Buckeyes look to get back on the right side of the rivalry after losing to the Wolverines in back-to-back seasons, Williams-Dixon believes it is all the more important to continue adding in-state talent to a class that already features five Ohioans in Williams-Dixon, the Armstrong twins, Nave and Stover.
“I think it's very important,” Williams-Dixon said. “Ain’t nobody care about that game, (beating) the team up north, (more) than us people in Ohio.”
That’s exactly what Williams-Dixon will have his sights set on when he begins his Ohio State career next year.
“It just brings fuel to the fire,” Williams-Dixon said when asked about Ohio State’s recent losses to Michigan. “I just want to get here and beat that team up north. That's what every kid in Ohio dreams to do. Play as a Buckeye, beat the team up north.”
