Ohio State football: The amazing transformation

A lot of people wondered why the Ohio State football team wanted him. “Couldn’t they get someone better?” they asked. Miyan Williams was not their top choice for a running back on the recruiting trail in 2019. The Buckeyes were in the thick of things for Bijan Robinson, the nation’s number one player at that position.

He ultimately chose Texas. The Buckeyes lost out on others as well, but needed to add a running back to the class.

Williams had been committed to Iowa State for a few months, but an unofficial visit to the Ohio State football program in late November changed everything. He decommitted to Iowa State and pledged to the Buckeyes in the same day. Ryan Day and his staff had added a running back, but many were not impressed. Williams was just a three-star recruit. All of those doubters fueled the amazing transformation of Miyan Williams.

When Williams signed with Ohio State out of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati he was listed at 5’10” and 210 pounds. While he looked muscular enough, he wasn’t exactly chiseled. Between that time and when we next saw him Williams went to work on proving wrong all of those who questioned why Ohio State wanted him.

The next time he shared a picture of his progress on social media he did not look like the same person. You pretty much did a doubletake. He was far more defined and hard-muscled. The work off the field was quite noticeable. He would begin to get noticed for his work on the field as well.

When the COVID-delayed 2020 season began, he did not see the field in OSU’s first four games. Williams finally got the first carries of his college career in a 52-17 blowout of Michigan State and finished with 28 yards on five attempts. He got just one carry in the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern, but it would be one particular carry against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl that made me realize Williams was not just a loveable bowling ball.

In the third quarter with the Buckeyes up by fourteen, Williams took a handoff going to his left, before quickly changing course towards the middle of the line. Then came the moment that showed just how much of a transformation he’d made. When Clemson’s outside linebacker jumped to the inside and cut off his path. Williams made a ninety-degree cut to his right that left the defender flailing, and accelerated around the corner. He finished off the run by flattening another Tiger. With that run Williams showed he could be a heavy contributor to future Ohio State offenses.

As spring practice progressed, we saw numerous reports of how good he looked. Speculation abounded that he would supplant Master Teague as the team’s feature running back. When fall camp began Williams was first in line for his position’s drills. We were not sure if this meant anything or not, but speculation began that he would be the starter in the opening game against Minnesota.

That conjecture was confirmed when he took the field for Ohio State’s first series, and what a first series it was for him. After a healthy eight-yards on his opening carry, Williams exploded around the right side and outran Minnesota’s defense for a 71-yard touchdown on his next. He carried the ball just nine times for 125 yards, but had proved all of those naysayers wrong.

Is the amazing transformation that saw Miyan Williams go from 45th ranked running back/627th overall player who the majority doubted to starting running back for one of college football’s elites complete? In a sense, yes it is.

But, Williams is just getting started. There is a long way to go in his Ohio State football career and a lot out there for him to accomplish.