Ohio State 4-Star Target Amaris Williams Commits to Auburn

The Ohio State Buckeyes had a chance at stealing Amaris Williams from the Florida Gators, but were beaten to the punch by the Auburn Tigers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will not got the cherry on top in their 2024 class, missing out in the race for four-star recruit Amaris Williams.

Williams was originally committed to Florida, but the Buckeyes were one of a few teams looking to flip him to their roster ahead of early signing day on Wednesday. When the time came, however, Williams chose to flip to Auburn instead of Ohio State.

A product of Clinton, North Carolina, Williams is the top-ranked recruit in the state according to On3. The defensive lineman is No. 12 in the country at his position and No. 83 in the nation overall.

Williams has been one of the primary targets for Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson. The Buckeyes coach had been developing a connection with Williams and had a realistic probability of stealing him from the Gators, said Letterman Row's Alex Gleitman back in early November.

“Larry Johnson has been building a relationship with the North Carolina native, Larry tends to do really well recruiting in that area,” Gleitman said. “They’ve been pressing Amaris Williams hard, he’s a guy that they want really, really bad…just a great chance for them to further show Williams why Ohio State is a better place for him versus Florida, Tennessee or anywhere else he might be considering.”

Unfortunately for Johnson and the Buckeyes, the Tigers' sales pitch was better enough to secure Williams' early commitment.

Johnson and his staff signed five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston Wednesday afternoon, along with seven other defensive players. 

These additions should make one heck of a consolation prize for Johnson, as well as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.