Sam Williams-Dixon Picks Ohio State Football: 'It's My Dream'

Buckeyes add local running back responsible for 76 touchdowns the last two seasons

Author:
Buckeyes Now Staff
Apr 15, 2023 5:40 PM EDT

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The run on Ohio State football commitments isn't quite done just yet.

The hottest recruiting program in America has added another, this time close to home in Columbus (Ohio) Pickerington North running back Sam Williams-Dixon. The rising-senior recruit went public with the news shortly after the conclusion of OSU's spring football game Saturday.

"When I walk around that place, I just feel this energy," Williams-Dixon told Buckeyes Now. "I'm just happy there, everything is perfect when I go there. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, it's my dream to play for them and I finally get to do it!"

The 5-foot-11, 203-pound Williams-Dixon selected the Buckeyes over Penn State, Kentucky and more than a dozen other scholarship offers. Tennessee and Rutgers were also finalists in a recruitment that was wrapped up weeks before a public declaration was to be made.

"I called Tony (Alford) after my last visit and told him, 'I'm ready,'" he said. "I said I'm ready to be a Buckeye and a part of the brotherhood. Then he called Ryan Day and everyone was hyped, it was a fun experience.

"My family is probably even more exited than me. My uncle is a big Buckeye fan, probably the biggest I know. When I announced to them, they were all loud and energetic, hugging me and stuff."

A three-star recruit ranked as high as the No. 38 running back in the nation (Rivals), Williams-Dixon set touchdown records at Millersburg (Ohio) West Holmes over the last two seasons to the tune of 76 touchdowns in the span.

Sam Williams-Dixon during an April visit to Ohio State University.

"You're gonna get a versatile player, somebody that can catch the ball out of the backfield, a lead-by-example guy," he said of his game.

Williams-Dixon joins Texas native James Peoples among running backs pledged to Ohio State as Alford's running back room is expected to face considerable turnover going forward.

The new running back commitment is a big fan of his classmate, too.

"I think he's a tremendous player," Williams-Dixon said of Peoples. "I think he's the best in the country. I think he should be number one. Just look at his film, it's like, 'is he really a four-star?' He's underrated. And he does it in Texas, they're different down there."

Williams-Dixon is verbal commitment No. 12 for Ohio State's class of 2024, the fifth in the month of April thus far and also the fifth from within state lines to pick the program.

Fulfilling a lifelong dream was going to be a tough hurdle to overcome for each contender in the Williams-Dixon recruitment in the end.

"I wanted to see what was out there but nothing competed with Ohio State," he said. "I'm shutting it down. I'm excited to be done with it, excited to be locked in with the team I want to be with."

Ohio State has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten and sits within the top five on every major recruiting outlet overall.