True freshman RBs James Peoples, Sam Williams-Dixon ready to step up in 2024

Sam Williams-Dixon scampered for a team-high 78 yards in the Ohio State spring game. The true freshman running back was also responsible for the longest run of the game, a 22-yard sprint to the end zone.

It was his “Oh, I can do this, I can play here” moment in Ohio Stadium.

“Crazy. I ain’t never experienced none of that,” Williams-Dixon said Wednesday. “Like 80,000 people in there. Just crazy.”

Williams-Dixon has to get used to that, fast. Because he’s one of two true freshman scholarship running backs who will have to play right away, the other being James Peoples.

Peoples clocked out as the No. 8 back in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, whereas Williams-Dixon came in at No. 64. Peoples is a product of Veterans Memorial High School and hails from San Antonio, Texas, and Williams-Dixon finished his high school career at nearby Pickerington North but earned his Ohio State offer at West Holmes in Millersburg, Ohio, both in the central part of the state.

They joined the Buckeyes with different star ratings and geographic backgrounds, however, they’ve been on the same playing field since they got to Ohio State, and they’re on the same mission in Year 1: to help carry the load, from the jump.

New Buckeyes running backs coach Carlos Locklyn will be leaning on them to do so. Because they are two of only four scholarship backs on the roster now that Dallan Hayden is playing for Colorado. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins make up a star-studded, two-headed monster in the backfield. But if Ohio State’s going to accomplish its goals and play a 16-game season, the Buckeyes will need more firepower than just their dynamic pairing, especially if the injury bug hits the room again.

Enter, Peoples and Williams-Dixon.

“They’ve made tremendous growth,” said Locklyn, who left Oregon for the Ohio State running backs coaching job back in spring ball. “Obviously, they got the talent, but now it’s just creating the mindset.

“I tell the players all the time, ‘You gonna take on my mindset.’ And if you’ve been out there watching us work, they work. They know they gonna hear my voice. From the time I get here at 4:30 in the morning and I start working out, and I see them, they hearing my voice.”

Locklyn continued: “Like I tell coaches all the time, if your player playing soft and missing assignments, that’s on you. When Coach [Ryan] Day says something about the backs, I take it personal. Why? Because that’s on me. Don’t yell at the kid. Get on the coach. Get on me. It’s my job to fix it. So I expect them to play with my mindset and take everything seriously. I’m gonna hold them accountable, and they hold me accountable.”

A big reason why Peoples feels “very confident” to contribute right away is because of the intensity of practice and how much Locklyn is pushing him.

“I feel like if they call my number, I’ll definitely be ready,” said Peoples, who, like Williams-Dixon, also scored a touchdown in the spring game. “And the more we go through fall camp, that just gets me more and more ready for whenever my number is called.”

Peoples later reiterated: “I’ll definitely be ready. I came here to play, yes sir.”

Locklyn emphasized that both Peoples and Williams-Dixon are good runners who wanted to be coached and who want to become better players. Where they’ve probably had the steepest learning curve is pass protection, but they’ve been quick to adapt in that area, according to Lockyln.

“Tough, physical runners, slashers, good hands,” Locklyn said of Peoples and Williams-Dixon. “Willing pass protectors. … Both the kids have been a joy to work with.”

Peoples’ bulldozing touchdown in the spring game is evidence of how hard he can be to bring down. Williams-Dixon is a Swiss Army Knife and his receiving ability has showed up in training camp, as he’s emerged as a top check-down target for the second and third-team offenses.

Judkins shared Wednesday that Peoples and Williams-Dixon have embraced Locklyn’s mindset. Judkins and Henderson have tried to take Peoples and Williams-Dixon under their wings and build their confidence up.

The burgeoning belief inside Peoples and Williams-Dixon is apparent.

“I feel very confident right now because I can take the meeting to the field any day, for real,” Williams-Dixon said. “But I feel like, honestly, like with the guys in front me, Quinshon and Tre, they’ve got confidence in me, and when they have confidence in me, I have all the confidence in the world.”

Ohio State didn’t add a running back from the transfer portal in the spring window after Hayden left the program. That move, or lack thereof rather, raised some eyebrows.

The Buckeyes’ two true freshman scholarship backs are out to prove why it shouldn’t have.

“Me and James got this, for real,” Williams-Dixon said. “We got this and we’re gonna go do what do we do.”