After he recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a true freshman in 2021, Tyleik Williams was expected to be a difference-maker on Ohio State’s defensive line this year. Through the seven games of his sophomore season, those expectations went largely unmet.
Going into last weekend’s game at Penn State, Williams had recorded just eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and no sacks through Ohio State’s first seven games of 2022. While fellow second-year Mike Hall emerged as Ohio State’s most disruptive defensive tackle and earned a starting job alongside Taron Vincent, Williams saw limited snaps as a backup, averaging under 18 snaps per game across Ohio State’s first seven contests.
When Ohio State needed Williams to step up in its toughest test to date, however, that’s exactly what the sophomore defensive tackle did.
Williams played a season-high 30 snaps against Penn State and recorded a season-high five tackles, including one of Ohio State’s most important tackles of the game when he stopped Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton for no gain on a 4th-and-2 attempt in Ohio State territory on the Nittany Lions’ opening drive of the third quarter. That came just two plays after Williams recorded his first sack of the season by taking down Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford for a 2-yard loss.
If not for those plays, Penn State would have had a chance to extend the one-point lead it had at the time. Instead, the Nittany Lions went scoreless in the third quarter and Ohio State ultimately went on to win the game 44-31. Knowing he played a real role in helping to swing the game in the Buckeyes’ favor made his best game so far this season all the more satisfying.
“I felt great,” Williams said. “I made a big play, made a great stop, getting the offense back the ball. The sideline was hyped. And I thought it was a great play. Momentum definitely changed after that.”
free 91 https://t.co/QVvV1J9Gkk
— Tyleik Williams (@tyleikk) October 30, 2022
Even though Williams seemingly hadn’t been a big factor in Ohio State’s defensive game plans before Saturday, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles wasn’t surprised to see him make a big impact against the Nittany Lions. Knowles had seen improvement from Williams in practice that gave Knowles increased confidence in Williams going into State College.
“He's got really freakish athletic ability for his size. So with Tyleik, it's been just about developing consistency in practice, you know, so that he earns those reps and those opportunities,” Knowles said. “He's been doing that more and more in practice, and I always knew he had the ability.”
Ryan Day concurred with Knowles’ assessment of Williams.
“He's been practicing better. You've heard that come out of the defensive room. You've heard it from (defensive line coach Larry Johnson) now that he's been practicing better,” Day said. “Tyleik is very talented, but I think he's really learning the game more and more every week.”
To some degree, Williams’ increased playing against Penn State was out of necessity. Penn State ran 81 plays against Ohio State, the most the Buckeyes’ defense has faced all season, which led to more snaps for the backup defensive tackles. But Day also thought Williams brought a great attitude to Happy Valley that helped him play at his best.
“One thing I recognized after the first third-down catch to Marvin (Harrison Jr.) on the sideline, I think Tyleik was right there with Taron and those guys and they were like pointing first down and they were like up on the sideline. It was just a great energy on that sideline, and they were leading the way on it,” Day said. “Certainly, you saw what those guys did (on the field), but it started with their attitude. And that makes a difference when you're on the road, when you're positive and you're leading.”
Williams told reporters Wednesday “it felt amazing” to have as big of a game as he did against Penn State. But he doesn’t want that one game to be a flash in the pan.
“I'm trying to do that every week,” Williams said. “Control what I can control and make the best of the opportunities I get.”
Williams said it helped him make a bigger impact to have the chance to play more regularly against Penn State than he had in previous games this season. But he also knows he has to take advantage of the snaps he gets in order to prove he deserves more playing time.
Williams has tweeted the phrase “free 91” on multiple occasions this season, raising questions about whether he was unhappy about his lack of playing time. Williams didn’t want to say exactly what “free 91” means when he was asked about it Wednesday, but said it should not be interpreted as any sign of displeasure.
“I love it here. I love it here,” Williams said. “I wouldn't want to be nowhere else.”
While Williams surely is hoping to play a bigger role in the rotation going forward, he says he hasn’t been begging for more playing time, as he trusts Johnson to do what’s best for the team.
“I just do the best with what I get,” Williams said. “I'm not in his ear like ‘Put me in, put me in.’ I'm not that kind of player. I'm a team player. Just do what I can do when I get in.”
Williams feels like he is capable of playing more snaps now than he might have been at the beginning of the season, as he’s worked hard to improve his stamina. Most of that process took place in the offseason, when Williams lost 40-50 pounds and worked hard to bolster his strength and conditioning, but actually playing games has also been an important step in that process.
“Earlier in the season, I was just starting to get running more and getting my body in shape. Now, I feel like I'm in peak shape,” Williams said. “I'm not really getting tired on the field at all, really.”
Williams also didn’t dispute Knowles’ evaluation that he hasn’t always been as consistent in practice as he needs to be.
“I mean, yeah, it's true. Practice, I gotta show up more,” Williams said. “Every play is not one play, 10 plays off, another play. I gotta do every play, every play, every play. Just show 'em like what I can really do.”
As impressive as Williams was as a freshman, many of his big plays came in late-game situations after a victory was already in hand. He knows there’s a difference between making plays in those situations and being able to routinely get the job done when the game is on the line. But he feels he’s a better player now than he was a year ago, when he was playing his first football in two years after his senior season of high school football was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I've grown a lot actually. I think I've improved in every aspect of football from last year,” Williams said.
Williams didn’t want to make any public predictions for what he thinks he can accomplish over the rest of the season. But his goal is for this season to be better than last season was, not only for himself, but for the team as a whole as the Buckeyes chase their goals of beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten championship and winning a national title.
“I don't know yet. We're gonna see,” Williams said when asked what he thinks his ceiling is for this season. “Just do better than I did last year. Help the team out and see how far we can go.”
