Ohio State defensive end Alex Williams has entered the transfer portal after two seasons with the Buckeyes, an Ohio State spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel was the first to report the news.
Williams, who has three remaining seasons of collegiate eligibility as a redshirt sophomore, played just 64 snaps last season – almost exclusively in the second half of blowout games – and recorded eight tackles.
He was buried on the defensive end depth chart for each of his two seasons with the Buckeyes – he did not play at all as a true freshman – and wasn't likely to see a significant uptick in playing time in 2020 with Jonathon Cooper, Tyreke Smith, Tyler Friday, Zach Harrison and Javontae Jean-Baptiste all returning, among others.
Williams' departure brings the Buckeyes down to 87 scholarships for the 2020 season (including unsigned commit Cameron Martinez), two above the 85-man limit.
A local product from Pickerington North High School, Williams was originally committed to West Virginia before flipping to Ohio State during the early signing period in 2018. A three-star recruit, Williams came to the Buckeyes with impressive size and developmental potential, but will likely have the opportunity to see more substantial playing time elsewhere.
The Buckeyes are still set to have 10 scholarship defensive ends on their 2020 roster, also including redshirt freshmen Noah Potter and Cade Stover and true freshmen Jacolbe Cowan, Darrion Henry-Young and Ty Hamilton.
