When you have numerous five-star players and many other rising talents on a roster, it isn’t easy to distribute the ball.
Ohio State football, which has been among the best-recruiting programs in the country at wide receiver, has run into that problem a time or two. Keeping all those stars in Columbus is difficult. Figuring out a way to allow them to shine while doing what’s best for the team in that moment isn’t an easy job either.
Jameson Williams figured that out the hard way, and Justin Fields made sure everyone knows just how it went down with the former Alabama Crimson Tide star receiver.
Fields was a former first-round pick who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said Ohio State wasn’t using Williams like he wanted while appearing on the “St. Brown Podcast” recently.
“They were playing with Jamo. I’m not gonna cap. They were playing with Jamo,” Fields said. “He’s the run-off guy to get Garrett (Wilson) or Chris (Olave) open, basically. He’s the alert versus the quarters coverage or something like that. But they really weren’t messing with Jamo, but I’m glad he left. And he went crazy at Bama.”
Williams eventually exploded onto the scene with Alabama, but the former four-star talent and top player from the state of Missouri in the Class of 2019 signed to play with the Buckeyes early, coming in September 2018.
Justin Fields keeps it real about Jameson Williams' time at Ohio State đź’Ż pic.twitter.com/jOjO7xlFSj
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) August 3, 2024
Recruited by Brian Hartline, Williams appeared mostly as a decoy, and that likely played a role in his eventual departure. Williams entered the transfer portal on April 28, 2021 and transferred to Alabama on May 3, 2021. At Bama, he put up 1,572 yards during his junior season and became a first-round pick by the Detroit Lions.
This is a lesson Ohio State has learned a few times. It also had Quinn Ewers and Joe Burrow on its roster at different times.