All the way back in February, Tyleik Williams got an offer from Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes.
Due to some miscommunication, however, Williams did not realize he had been offered by Ohio State until the beginning of April.
“He offered me a while ago. I just never knew until today,” Williams told Eleven Warriors on April 2. “I had talked to him over the phone, and he said he had offered me on the phone. I guess I didn’t hear it.”
Well, there are no misunderstandings anymore. Johnson wanted Williams in the Buckeyes' 2021 class, and today he got that wish.
The Williams File
- Class: 2021
- Size: 6-foot-3/330 lbs.
- Pos: DT
- School: Unity Reed High School (Manassas, Va.)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 10 DT
Williams has committed to Ohio State, the four-star prospect announced this afternoon, giving the Buckeyes the No. 160 overall player, No. 10 defensive tackle and No. 5 player in Virginia out of Unity Reed High School.
Williams is a teammate of fellow Ohio State target Shawn Murphy, a five-star inside linebacker in the 2022 class and perhaps the Buckeyes' top target at the position. The school was formerly known as Stonewall Jackson High School until this past June.
COMMITTED ! @TheSeql @shotbybev @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/AfVFXEH02m
— Tyleik T5 William (@tyleikk) August 27, 2020
On June 24, the 6-foot-3, 330-pound Williams cut his list to a final six of Ohio State, Alabama, North Carolina, LSU, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. He had been Crystal Ball'd to Virginia Tech until Tuesday evening, when 247Sports national analyst Steve Wiltfong predicted Williams would pick the Buckeyes. That prediction came after several of their 2021 commits began tweeting that another commitment was coming soon.
Williams' commitment came out of the shadows a bit, as the Buckeyes' top targets on the defensive line up to this point had been J.T. Tuimoloau and Tywone Malone. But after the decommitment of Tunmise Adeleye, Williams brings another stout presence to the defensive line as the Buckeyes will continue pursuing Tuimoloau and Malone.
| NAME | POSITION | OVERALL RANKING | POSITION RANKING | DATE OF COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK SAWYER | DE | No. 3 | No. 3 | FEBRUARY 3, 2019 |
| KYLE MCCORD | QB | No. 21 | No. 3 (PRO-STYLE) | APRIL 30, 2019 |
| JAYDEN BALLARD | WR | No. 49 | No. 5 | JUNE 21, 2019 |
| BEN CHRISTMAN | OG | No. 120 | No. 7 | JUNE 26, 2019 |
| REID CARRICO | LB | No. 72 | No. 2 (ILB) | SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 |
| MARVIN HARRISON JR. | WR | No. 114 | No. 21 | OCTOBER 31, 2019 |
| SAM HART | TE | No. 379 | No. 16 | DECEMBER 30, 2019 |
| JAYLEN JOHNSON | S | No. 352 | No. 24 | JANUARY 7, 2020 |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | OG | No. 22 | No. 1 | JANUARY 8, 2020 |
| MIKE HALL | DT | No. 54 | No. 5 | FEBRUARY 1, 2020 |
| JAKAILIN JOHNSON | CB | No. 41 | No. 3 | MARCH 15, 2020 |
| EVAN PRYOR | APB | No. 76 | No. 2 | MARCH 16, 2020 |
| ANDRE TURRENTINE | S | No. 139 | No. 5 | MARCH 17, 2020 |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | RB | No. 20 | No. 2 | MARCH 27, 2020 |
| JANTZEN DUNN | S | No. 192 | No. 10 | APRIL 20, 2020 |
| JESSE MIRCO | P | No. 1,998 | No. 4 | MAY 6, 2020 |
| DENZEL BURKE | ATH | No. 174 | No. 7 (ATH) | MAY 24, 2020 |
| JORDAN HANCOCK | CB | No. 66 | No. 4 | JULY 19, 2020 |
| TYLEIK WILLIAMS | DT | No. 160 | No. 10 | AUGUST 27, 2020 |
Williams gives Ohio State a total of 19 commitments once again as the program trends toward landing 24 or 25 in this 2021 class.
Williams is the third defensive lineman and second defensive tackle in the class, as he will play alongside Jack Sawyer and Mike Hall in the trenches.
Header photo credit: Brian Dohn/247Sports
