Have Buckeyes Found The Next Curtis Samuel In Sam Williams-Dixon?

Two weekends ago at the Under Armour Next camp in Obetz, Ohio, Sam Williams-Dixon took home one of the two MVP awards at running back. He shared the stage with Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph ‘s Bo Jackson, who is a 2025 prospect.

Williams-Dixon, of course, is already part of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class. He committed to OSU running backs coach Tony Alford just over a month ago, and in Obetz he showed why the Buckeyes have been recruiting him so diligently.

Williams-Dixon (5-11 203) excelled through his individual drills, and then dominated in one-on-one receiving drills.

“I thought I wowed the crowd today,” he said of his performance.

The pass-catching aspect of being a running back is something that he takes pride in doing well.

“I think it’s very important to have that skill set as running back because all you’ve got to do is get open, catch the ball, run routes well,” he said. “And that to me means you’re a complete running back.”

Check The Radar

For now, Williams-Dixon is a three-star prospect who is ranked the No. 24 player in Ohio and the No. 699 player overall. That won’t last long, especially if he continues to show up at camps, combines, and competitions, and performs as well as he did in Obetz.

“Coming out here, I was kind of underrated,” he said. “And just coming out here and showing what I can do against top-tier talent is what I came here to do. I’m hoping I can get that fourth star here pretty soon.”

Williams-Dixon will be playing at Pickerington North High School as a senior. He transferred there from West Holmes High School in Millersburg, Ohio, which is a Division IV school and may explain his under-the-radar ranking.

Small schools may keep a player under the radar from the recruiting industry, but Ohio State was well aware of him and they offered him this past January after his junior season.

The move to Pickerington North will get him more notice, but that wasn’t the reason for transferring.

“Playing at this level will definitely get me ready for what coach Alford is looking for and what the organization at Ohio State is looking for from me and what I’m going to do this year, so I’m excited,” he said.

Three’s Company

Sam Williams-Dixon is one of three running backs committed to Ohio State. He joins four-star prospects James Peoples and Jordan Lyle. That might sound like a crowded situation, but the three are all in contact, they all get along, and they each bring something different to the table.

The plan for Williams-Dixon, however, is a bit different.

“We’re trying to bring that H-back, Curtis Samuel-type thing back,” he said. “So, we’re gonna be excited for that.”

The comparison to former Ohio State H-back Curtis Samuel is interesting — and lofty. Samuel rushed for 771 yards while catching 74 passes for 865 yards in 2016, scoring 15 times. He was a First-Team All-American as an all-purpose player.

But this has always been the plan according to Williams-Dixon and he is completely on board.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” he said. “Just wow the crowd and just put it on for my city because I’m from Columbus, Ohio, so I’m just going to put it on for them.”

Finding the next Curtis Samuel would be a tremendous thing for Ohio State, but in the end this will never be about trying to make Sam Williams-Dixon somebody else.

Instead, the actual goal will be to get him to become the very best version of himself, and if that happens, then don’t be surprised when before too long somebody else comes along wanting to be the next Sam Williams-Dixon.

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