An Ohio State running back is withdrawing his name from the transfer portal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second straight offseason an Ohio State football player has had a change of heart in regards to his future.
Sam Williams-Dixon came into the 2024 season understanding that it be a developmental year. He arrived as a three-star recruit in a situation where he’d start at running back even if he didn’t spend his entire career there. He played nine snaps in three games turning seven carries into 53 yards.
After one year, he elected to enter the transfer portal despite the running back room losing TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Even with the addition of CJ Donaldson, Williams-Dixon was expected to be no less than third in the hierarchy behind the West Virginia transfer and James Peoples. It made his choice to leave an interesting and unexpected one.
Two months later, Williams-Dixon has backed off that decision choosing to return to the Buckeyes.
This is the second straight year OSU has experienced a player entering the portal after his freshman season only to later choose to return. Wide receiver Bryson Rodgers made a similar move last year before withdrawing his name. He played 162 snaps this year, catching five passes for 92 yards.
Williams-Dixon’s return is a positive for both sides.
He gets to continue his development this spring where reps could be an abundance as the Buckeyes try to replace the production of two 1,000-yard running backs in Henderson and Judkins.
Ohio State adds an important depth piece to a room that’ll lack experience in 2025. Joining the trio of Donaldson, Peoples and Williams-Dixon are freshman early enrollees Bo Jackson and Isaiah West along with Turbo Rogers joining the team later this summer.
Sam Williams-Dixon won’t be transferring after all.
The Ohio State running back withdrew from the transfer portal on Wednesday, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
The change of heart is the second one made by Williams-Dixon after he initially decided to enter the transfer portal in January. While Williams-Dixon originally planned to leave the team without staying for its final two College Football Playoff games, he ended up remaining with the Buckeyes for the entirety of their national championship run. Now, he’ll be staying at Ohio State rather than transferring.
The move bolsters Ohio State’s depth at running back, where James Peoples would have been the Buckeyes’ only returning scholarship player if Williams-Dixon had gone through with transferring. While Peoples and West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson are expected to lead Ohio State’s 2025 running back depth chart, Williams-Dixon could now be a candidate to be Ohio State’s No. 3 running back next season, though he’ll face competition for that role from incoming freshmen Bo Jackson, Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and Isaiah West.
Williams-Dixon appeared in three games as a true freshman in 2024, running for 53 yards on seven carries. A three-star recruit out of nearby Pickerington North High School, Williams-Dixon still has four years of collegiate eligibility.
