Ohio State’s running back group in 2024 was led by two soon-to-be NFL draft picks in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, leaving freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon down the depth chart, with People being the clear No. 3 in the rotation.
In the middle of the Buckeyes playoff run, Williams-Dixon decided to enter the transfer portal to look for a new home, but ended up withdrawing his name from the portal and returning to Ohio State on Feb. 13.
He said last season and over the offseason, one of the biggest things he had to do was “grow up,” and start doing what’s best for himself, which he though was returning to Columbus.
“For starters, it was just me listening to the wrong people,” Williams-Dixon said. “I has to take care of my life. I didn’t have control of it and I got control of it. What brought me back — I didn’t want to leave. I love it here.”
When Williams-Dixon was going through the recruiting process, it was Tony Alford who brought him into Ohio State. Then when Alford left for Michigan, Williams-Dixon didn’t have any prior relationship with Carlos Locklyn, who was hired as the next running backs coach for the Buckeyes.
Williams-Dixon feels like after the process of going into the portal and coming back to Columbus and the conversations he and Locklyn had during that time made his relationship with his coach much better.
“I feel like coming back made (our relationship) way better,” he said. “We have a way better connection. When Alford left, it was a little shaky for that whole year, but when I came back, me and Lock sat down and got to know each other a little bit more and had that man-to-man talk.”
The redshirt freshman said those talks weren’t happening between him and Locklyn before he entered the portal, but now they are more consistent in getting together after Williams-Dixon became more comfortable with speaking up, which he said was part of the growing up he had to do.
Now going forward, Williams-Dixon is trying to make the best of his situation and earn time on the field with Peoples and transfer CJ Donaldson Jr. seemingly ready to lead the group on the field this year. He will also have to compete with the three true freshman from the 2025 recruiting class now that Bo Jackson, Anthony Rogers and Isaiah West have also joined the team.
He thinks that being able to stand out in the pass game is one of the things that could help him get onto the field.
“Being part of the pass game is really important for me,” he said. “I can catch the ball and I can run the ball.”
