Ohio State wasn't Tyleik Williams' first choice, but Buckeyes are glad they were 2nd

Ohio State was Tyleik Williams’ second choice.

Three years ago, the defensive tackle was all set to commit to Alabama.

“I wanted to go to ‘Bama because it was closer, more down south, and I didn’t really know anything about Ohio,” said Williams, who is from Manassas, Virginia.

But there was a problem. The Crimson Tide were recruiting another defensive tackle, Tim Keenan, and Keenan committed ahead of Williams.

“I called them to let them know I wanted to commit, and they basically let me know the roster spot was full,” Williams said.

He was disappointed, but not devastated. Ohio State also was recruiting him, and when Williams called defensive line coach Larry Johnson to see if a spot remained available. Johnson was delighted to take him.

“I watched Alabama growing up, and they were always the dominant team,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Why not be a part of that dominant team? But Ohio State has also been dominant, so I couldn’t go wrong with either.”

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It may have been a bit of a marriage of convenience at the start – due to COVID restrictions, Williams hadn’t even visited Ohio State before committing – but the Buckeyes are thrilled Williams fell in their lap. The junior has blossomed this season into a consistently disruptive force in the middle of Ohio State’s defensive line.

Williams was the only Buckeye named to ESPN’s midseason All-American team. He also earned that honor on The Athletic’s midseason team.

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“No doubt he's worthy, but I don't think that's his mindset right now – what awards he’s won,” Johnson said. “I think the biggest thing he cares about is the defense. He cares about his brothers in the room. Tyleik’s a winner. He wants to win, and I think that's what really makes him excited.”

Williams loved football early

Tyleik is the fourth of Gloria Williams’ five children.

“She’s my rock,” he said. “I’d do anything for her.”

Gloria said Tyleik loved football from the time he was a toddler.

“He’d always run around with a football,” she said. “His older brothers used to play, and he used to tell me when he was about 3, ‘Why can’t I play?’ ”

Tyleik started playing two years later. He was a quarterback at first before switching to running back. He was also naturally strong. He started throwing the shot put in junior high and broke the school record that had stood for 19 years.

“As of now, he still holds that record,” Gloria said.

It wasn’t until he started filling out as a teenager that he moved to the defensive line at Unity Reed High School. At first, Williams thought of football mostly as just something fun to do with his friends. But scholarship offers began rolling in after his freshman year, and he became a coveted prospect by his junior season.

The following March, COVID hit. That forced Williams and other recruits that year to do their “visits” remotely. He didn’t set foot on Ohio State’s campus until he enrolled the following January.

When he did, OSU was taken aback by Williams’ weight. Virginia had canceled the prior football season, and Williams had let his body go. He weighed as much as 360 pounds.

“I didn’t really work out because everything was closed,” Williams said. “I was just eating and playing (video) games and sleeping. For that whole couple of months, I was gaining weight, but I wasn’t paying attention to it.”

Ohio State team dietitian Kaila Olson immediately put Williams on a strict diet. But even with the added girth, Williams impressed with his athleticism.

“When you first watched him move, it was like, ‘Wow, this guy has some movement skills that other big guys just don’t have,’ ” OSU strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti said. “The defensive linemen will tell you he’s probably the most impressive, explosive guy we’ve got.”

Williams credits his quick feet to his years as a running back. Even at about 320 pounds now, the 6-foot-2 Williams said he can dunk a basketball.

Williams showed glimpses of his potential in his first two years as a role player, making nine tackles for loss.

But consistency was an issue, largely because he wasn’t in ideal shape until this season. He entered this season with a different attitude.

“Last year, I had guys in front of me,” Williams said. “I could take breaks because I knew I had Taron (Vincent) and all of them. This year is different. I’m more in that leader role. I’ve got to set the standard for the guys who came in after me.”

Nothing has derailed him, not even a knee injury that forced him to miss most of training camp. Williams leads the Buckeyes with six tackles for loss and tops all linemen with 29 tackles.

“At his size, he should not be moving like that,” defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau said. “He makes it easier for everybody else on the D-line, how he moves and just how physical he is. When he gets off that rock, it's like a bullet.”

'Goofy' personality belies fierce competitiveness

Off the field, Williams is an easygoing guy. His mom calls him goofy.

“Happy-go-lucky, great personality, outgoing, funny,” Marotti said. “Just somebody you want to hang out with. If I was a player, I'd hang out with Tyleik.”

“He makes us laugh, makes us smile,” Tuimoloau said.

Especially early in his career, when Williams wasn’t producing the way some thought he could, that demeanor caused some to misjudge him.

“Yeah, I think that's still a problem to this day,” Williams said. “I think people look at me and just think like, ‘Oh, he's just goofy and doesn’t really care much.’ But I take the game very seriously. I study a lot. I pay attention to a lot of things. I take care of what needs to be taken care of.”

Johnson said Williams’ success stems largely from increased dedication to studying video, not only of opponents but of himself. That’s something he said some players are reluctant to do.

It’s all coming together now for Williams, an integral piece of a defense that so far rivals some of the best in Ohio State history.

“The sky’s the limit for everyone, but there's always room to improve,” he said. “You’ve got to take that initiative to want to improve. You can’t just stay the same. People will catch on. We’re seven games in so there's a lot of film out there. You’ve got to change things up and go harder.”

Gloria Williams, a manager at Walmart, comes to as many games as possible.

“He’s having a wonderful year,” she said. “We’re all so proud of him. It’s like living a dream.

“I’m happy for him and hope he keeps on excelling at what he's doing because that’s what he loves to do.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: After shedding weight, DT Tyleik Williams blossoms into OSU star