Better Know A Buckeye is our look at every member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class and how they became Buckeyes as they prepare to begin their OSU careers this fall.
In Ohio State's first recruiting class with multiple running back signees since 2020, Sam Williams-Dixon (No. 48 athlete, No. 661 overall) joined fellow freshman James Peoples to add a pair of young reinforcements to the Buckeyes’ backfield.
While Peoples was the more highly touted recruit between the two, Williams-Dixon brings a unique skill set that gives him the potential to be a game-changer for the Buckeyes in his own right.
How He Became a Buckeye
Sam Williams-Dixon
- Size: 5-11/203
- Pos: RB
- School: Pickerington North (Columbus, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: #661 (#48 ATH)
Growing up in Ohio and spending his senior year of high school less than 30 minutes away from Ohio State, Williams-Dixon did everything he could to impress the Buckeyes and earn an offer from OSU.
After visiting Ohio State seven times in 2022, Williams-Dixon finally received his offer from the Buckeyes on Jan. 12, 2023, following an impressive junior season. That quickly made Ohio State the favorite to land the in-state, do-it-all running back.
“It was like a dream come true,” Williams-Dixon told Eleven Warriors about that day. “Just being a kid from Ohio, that offer meant a lot to me and meant a lot to my family. Buckeye Nation and people that live in Ohio just love the team, and I love it too. So it meant a lot. Any kid from Ohio dreams of playing for the Buckeyes.”
Three months later, Williams-Dixon committed to Ohio State. He chose the Buckeyes over the likes of Akron, Ball State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee, Toledo and West Virginia.
High School Years
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.
As a sophomore, Williams-Dixon scored 35 touchdowns, a season in which he primarily lined up at wide receiver.
“His sophomore year, due to injuries, we had to flank him out of receiver a lot,” West Holmes head coach Zach Gardner told Eleven Warriors. “And he went out and had 1,000 yards receiving for us as a sophomore. He runs it all, he'll run our shallow routes, he runs our intermediate routes, and then he can go deep as well. He’s phenomenal at catching the football out of the backfield. Anytime you can pressure a defense horizontally as well as vertically, he obviously has the talent to do that and make a lot of plays after he does.”
As a junior, Williams-Dixon ran for nearly 1,300 rushing yards, added 500 receiving yards and scored 41 touchdowns after moving back to his primary spot at running back.
Williams-Dixon continued to showcase his receiving ability out of the backfield during the Under Armour Next Camp in May 2023, winning all of his one-on-ones while creating plenty of separation against opponents on his way to earning one of the camp's MVP awards from the running back group.
“It’s very important to have that skill set,” Williams-Dixon said of his pass-catching ability following the camp. “That’s a complete running back. That’s me.”
Ohio State 2024 RB commit Sam Williams-Dixon (@SamuelDixon24) takes a rep from 2027 QB RJ Day (@rj_day1) pic.twitter.com/yX6W9auwua
— Colin Gay (@_ColinGay) May 7, 2023
Williams-Dixon played in only five games as a senior but still ran for 475 yards and four touchdowns on 71 carries.
Throughout his high school career, Williams-Dixon demonstrated an impressive ability to elude tackles and the ability to make plays on the ball downfield like a wideout, all the while proving to be a well-rounded running back.
“His strength is one (thing that separates him), he’s a grown man,” Pickerington North head coach Nate Hillerich said. “The other thing is his vision and just his patience to be a running back. I think that’s something that is overlooked a lot of times. Sometimes you look at how fast a kid runs the 40, but it’s really the ability to see the holes and set up blocks. He does that better than any running back I’ve ever been around.”
Ohio State RB commit Sam Williams-Dixon working. pic.twitter.com/ODY9DBKBFA
— Matt Parker (@MattParkerLR) September 9, 2023
Immediate Impact
Better Know A Buckeye
With TC Caffey out indefinitely with a knee injury, Williams-Dixon will likely start the season in the fourth spot on the running back depth chart behind TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins and Peoples, providing a very important depth piece in that room at the very least.
He likely won’t be called upon to play a major role at running back as a freshman unless injuries strike, but he could still see plenty of playing time as the Buckeyes look to preserve the health of Henderson and Judkins in games they’re winning comfortably.
His athleticism could also make him an early candidate to earn a role on special teams with the potential to be a contributor in kickoff coverage, punt coverage or even as a returner.
Long-Term Impact
With Henderson entering his senior season and Judkins potentially joining him in the 2025 NFL draft following the upcoming season, Ohio State's competition to start at running back could be wide open in 2025.
While Williams-Dixon will have to compete against Peoples, the Buckeyes' 2025 signees at the position and perhaps a transfer addition, Williams-Dixon’s ability to contribute in a variety of ways will make him a player to watch as soon as his sophomore year.
“I’m very versatile,” Williams-Dixon said. “I can do anything, like I can be split out wide, in the slot or running back. I can definitely play a little quarterback, like a little Wildcat. So, I can be everywhere on offense. I think I’m a very evasive runner. Like a Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley-type play style I guess.”
His former coach at West Holmes agrees.
“I think he's very versatile in the things that he can do,” Gardner said. “We've seen him run people over, we've seen him beat people with speed, he has the ability to not just run the football but catch the football and block. He's a very versatile, three-down running back for sure.”
Players with hybrid skill sets like Williams-Dixon’s have often struggled to find consistent roles in Ohio State’s offense over the years. Evan 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 Xavier Johnson has most recently shown that a player can make an impact at both spots in Ohio State’s offense, while Curtis Samuel remains the gold standard for a hybrid back in recent OSU history.
Like Johnson and Samuel, Williams-Dixon also has the potential to be a weapon for the Buckeyes in the return game, particularly as a kickoff returner with his speed and agility.
No matter where Ohio State asks Williams-Dixon to line up, he’ll do whatever is needed to help Ohio State win football games, especially when it comes to playing the Buckeyes’ biggest rival.
“It just brings fuel to the fire,” Williams-Dixon said when asked about Ohio State’s three-game losing streak 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.”
Player Comparison: Xavier Johnson
It's only right that Ohio State's next potential do-it-all hybrid running back is compared to the Buckeyes' most recent player that could do the same. It makes it even easier that Williams-Dixon has compared himself to Johnson.
“I look at him as ‘That's me out there,’” Williams-Dixon told Eleven Warriors of comparing himself to the former Buckeye. “He had a big play against Georgia (in the 2022 College Football Playoff). I was like, ‘That could be me one day.’”
Starting his career as a walk-on, Johnson eventually earned a scholarship and totaled 353 rushing yards, 329 receiving yards and three touchdowns during his time as a Buckeye. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the NFL draft this past April.
While Williams-Dixon will start his career on scholarship and he could put up bigger numbers than Johnson if everything goes according to plan, the type of plays that are called for him could be very similar.
