Ohio State football freshmen RBs James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon vow to be ready

Much has changed for James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon since they arrived as early-enrollee freshmen at Ohio State in January.

Back then, they had little reason to think they might be relied on for significant playing time in 2024.

With TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins ahead of them as probably the country’s top tandem and Dallan Hayden still on the roster, it looked like Peoples and Williams-Dixon would likely get mop-up duty at most.

But then Hayden transferred to Colorado near the end of spring practice. The depth that OSU had last year with him, Chip Trayanum (transferred to Kentucky) and Miyan Williams (pursuing the NFL) was suddenly gone.

“When they all left, I was like, me and James have got this for real,” said Williams-Dixon, a Pickerington North grad. “We’ve got this, and we're going to do what we do.”

The departures of the other running backs weren’t the only ones Peoples and Williams-Dixon have endured. OSU running backs coach Tony Alford bolted for Michigan during spring practice.

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“I definitely wasn’t expecting that,” Peoples said.

It shook him, but he said he appreciated the support he and Williams-Dixon got. OSU coach Ryan Day personally coached the running backs until he hired Carlos Locklyn from Oregon.

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“It showed me the brotherhood is real,” Peoples said. “They care. They stepped in and helped. We weathered the waves and now we’re here.”

So far, the two freshmen have been impressive.

“Tough, physical runners. Slashers,” Locklyn said. “Good hands. Willing pass protectors. Of course, they were here before I got here, but both of the kids have been a joy to work with.”

Williams-Dixon said he can now transfer what’s taught in the meeting room to the field.

“The guys in front of me like Quinshon and Tre have confidence in me, and when they have confidence in me, I have all the confidence in the world,” he said.

Peoples lost his black helmet stripe on Friday, signifying his status as a full-fledged Buckeye.

If he’s needed, he believes he won’t play like a freshman.

“I feel very confident,” he said, “because of the intensity of practices we’ve been through with coach Lock and how much they push us past our limit. I feel like if they call my number, I’ll definitely be ready.

“I bring an edge to the game. I’m very competitive. I run hard every play. I’m just really a hard worker.”

The freshmen will need to be ready. Running backs are particularly prone to injury. Henderson has missed chunks of the past two seasons. With a soft nonconference schedule, the freshmen should get a chance to play if Ohio State has blowout wins.

For now, Peoples and Williams-Dixon are soaking in all they can from Henderson and Judkins.

“They are the best running backs I’ve ever seen,” Williams-Dixon said. “They practice like they play in the games. All the highlights you see, they practice just like that. We see them practice, and we want to practice the same way.”

Seven years ago, another OSU freshman running back from Texas made quite a splash. J.K. Dobbins ran for 181 yards in OSU’s opener against Indiana on his way to a 1,403-yard season.

Dobbins didn’t have anyone like Henderson or Judkins around then, but Peoples’ face lit up at the mention of Dobbins and his dazzling freshman season.

“It’s inspiring,” he said. “In our running back room, we have a whole wall of freshmen All-American running backs. The standard is when you come here, you’re going to be with the best of the best. I came here to be that.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football freshmen RBs James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon vow to be ready