Signed: In-State Offensive Weapon Sam Williams-Dixon Brings Versatile Skill Set to Ohio State’s Backfield

Sam Williams-Dixon, an explosive and shifty ballcarrier who played both running back and wide receiver during his high school career, submitted his National Letter of Intent to Ohio State on Wednesday, locking in his place as a member of next season’s freshman class.

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Williams-Dixon has been recruited by Ohio State primarily as a running back, but his skill set could enable him to move around and play multiple roles for the Buckeyes’ offense, much like Xavier Johnson has as a hybrid wide receiver/running back for the past two years.

“I look at him as ‘That's me out there,’” Williams-Dixon told Eleven Warriors this summer. “He had a big play against Georgia (in the 2022 College Football Playoff semifinals). I was like, ‘That could be me one day.’”

Ohio State quickly emerged as the frontrunner to land Williams-Dixon once it offered the three-star prospect in January. Williams-Dixon committed to Ohio State in April. Though he made an official visit to Kentucky in June, he was just taking advantage of the opportunity to make a free trip with his friends and family; he fully shut down his recruitment after making his official visit to Ohio State just four days later.

“That showed me everything I needed to know,” Williams-Dixon said of his official visit.

Williams-Dixon spent most of his high school career at West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, before moving closer to Columbus and playing his senior season at Pickerington North High School. He missed time during his senior year but put up huge numbers at West Holmes, scoring 41 touchdowns as a junior and 35 touchdowns as a sophomore.

At 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, Williams-Dixon demonstrates impressive ability to elude tackles while he is also a skilled receiver out of the backfield who looks like a wideout when making plays on the ball downfield. He’ll need to continue developing physically to consistently run the ball between the tackles in the Big Ten, but he has the potential to make an early impact situationally while he could also be a weapon on kickoff returns.

Williams-Dixon has been seen as a likely candidate to redshirt as a true freshman, but that could change after Chip Trayanum and Evan Pryor entered the transfer portal, Miyan Williams declared for the 2024 NFL draft and Jordan Lyle decided to sign with Miami over Ohio State. If TreVeyon Henderson follows Williams to the NFL, Dallan Hayden would be Ohio State’s only returning scholarship running back, opening the door for Williams-Dixon and fellow incoming freshman James Peoples to play immediately.

That said, Williams-Dixon has said he is more focused on his long-term development than immediate playing time.

“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 (Ohio State running backs coach Tony) Alford wants me to do, and I'm gonna do it,” Williams-Dixon said this summer.

Players with hybrid skill sets like Williams-Dixon’s have often struggled to find consistent roles in Ohio State’s offense in recent years. Pryor, Kaleb Brown, Mookie Cooper, Jaelen Gill and Demario McCall were all players who offered the potential to play both running back and wide receiver but never earned regular playing time at either spot. But Johnson has shown that a player can still make an impact at both spots in Ohio State’s offense, while Curtis Samuel – whom Williams-Dixon believes his game compares to – remains the gold standard for a hybrid back in recent Ohio State history.

As one of seven in-state players in the 2024 recruiting class, Williams-Dixon arrives at Ohio State with no shortage of motivation to become an impact player for the Buckeyes and help OSU can get back on track in its rivalry with Michigan.

“I just want to get here and beat that team up north,” Williams-Dixon said. “That's what every kid in Ohio dreams to do. Play as a Buckeye, beat the team up north.”