The attrition continues for Ohio State on Monday, albeit from a different source than the transfer portal this time.
Redshirt junior running back Miyan Williams has declared for the 2024 NFL draft after a four-year college career with the Buckeyes, forgoing his two years of remaining eligibility.
Jeremiah 29:11 pic.twitter.com/mj74LougFk
— Chop (@okmiyan_) December 4, 2023
Williams finishes his Ohio State career with 258 carries for 1,555 yards (six yards per carry) and 20 touchdowns, adding 18 receptions for 143 yards.
Easily the most productive year of his career was his redshirt sophomore campaign in 2022. He split time with TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield that season, though both dealt with injuries. Williams finished with 825 yards and 14 touchdowns in 128 carries, all team-highs, with a per-carry average of 6.4 yards.
His role diminished greatly in 2023, however. Henderson stepped up as the team's feature back when healthy and Chip Trayanum overtook Williams on the depth chart behind him. Williams played six games in total, rushing for 158 yards at a clip of just 3.2 yards per carry before missing the back half of the regular season with a season-ending knee injury.
Despite being just a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, the native Ohioan made some waves at the end of his freshman season when he got in against Clemson during the 2020 College Football Playoffs.
Henderson's own NFL draft decision should bear a lot of weight on the outlook of Ohio State's running back room going forward. Fellow Ohio State running back Evan Pryor announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Sunday, leaving Trayanum, Dallan Hayden and current recruiting class of 2024 verbal commitments James Peoples, Jordan Lyle and Sam Williams-Dixon as the only projected rushers on scholarship if Henderson leaves.
Williams is the latest in a long line of attrition that has occurred for Ohio State on Monday, the rest of which came via the transfer portal. Kyle McCord, the team's starting quarterback, announced his intentions to play elsewhere going forward, as did starting wide receiver Julian Fleming, reserve center Jakob James and reserve linebacker Reid Carrico, joining eight players who had already announced they would enter the transfer portal before it officially opened.
Williams is the first player from Ohio State to formally announce he will enter the 2024 NFL draft.
