In-state running back lists Ohio State in top five

With the return of Major League Baseball in the form of Spring Training this past weekend, potentially your eyes were averted towards the diamond rather than the gridiron. In any event, Land-Grant Holy Land is here to keep you updated on all things Ohio State recruiting.

Ohio running back includes Buckeyes in top schools

After whiffing at the position in 2023, it has been no secret that Ohio State is looking to sign likely two running backs in the 2024 class. The Buckeyes are spending a bunch of type recruiting key targets within Tony Alford’s room, including a pair of in-state prospects in Jordan Marshall and Sam Williams-Dixon — the latter of which is the subject of the latest OSU-related news.

Cutting his list down from over a dozen offers, WIlliams-Dixon dropped a top-five schools list over the weekend, with Ohio State of course making the cut. The No. 42 RB in the country and the No. 21 player from the Buckeye State, also making the cut for the West Holmes product includes Penn State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Rutgers.

As evidenced by the heavy hitters on his offer sheet, the 5-foot-11, 203-pound ball-carrier is clearly being valued higher than his recruiting ranking would indicate. With a visit to Ohio State scheduled for March 7, Williams-Dixon plans to visit all of the schools remaining on his list, but Alford seems to be a big reason for the Buckeyes remaining in the hunt.

“The communication with my position coach has been out of this world,” Williams-Dixon told Bucknuts. “He has helped me a lot behind the scenes, being there. And being a kid from Ohio I’ve liked the team, and now talking to the coaches and getting to know them too.”

In addition to his top schools list, Williams-Dixon announced he will transferring and playing his senior season of high school football at Pickerington North. In addition to Williams-Dixon and Marshall, the Buckeyes remain in heavy pursuit of high four-star RB James Peoples.

Quick Hits

• Much to the delight of Ohio State fans, Buckeyes five-star WR commit Jeremiah Smith has no plans of going elsewhere. Despite all of the big schools across the country trying to sway the nation’s No. 1 wideout in the 2024 class, the Chaminade-Madonna Prep star is ‘locked in’ to his commitment.

• Ohio State’s spring visitor list is only going to continue to grow, and they added a new name to that list on Saturday when defensive lineman Dominic Kirks announced his visit scheduled for March 23. A Cleveland, Ohio native, Kirks is currently listed as the No. 22 player in Ohio and the No. 52 overall DL in the 2024 class.

• Ohio State also added to its wide receiver room over the weekend. Illinois wide receiver Nolan Baudo committed to the Buckeyes on Friday, and will join the team in the summer as a preferred walk-on. Notably, Baudo comes from the same high school 2023 Buckeye signee Carnell Tate attended before he transferred to IMG in Florida.