Ohio State freshman Kourt Williams wins Watkins Award

Ohio State linebacker Kourt Williams was recognized with the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award this weekend.

Ohio State freshman linebacker Kourt Williams received an extremely high honor Saturday. No, it wasn’t having his black-striped removed. That would be impossible since football and nearly everything else has been shut down in efforts to try and curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Instead, the 6-1, 221 lb. hybrid backer was in Washington, D.C. collecting the Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Award that goes to the nation’s top high school scholar-athlete annually. He and fellow Buckeye Cody Simon were both a part of six finalists for the award.

To win the award, Williams capped off his senior season with a 3.8 GPA, was a Butkus Award Nominee, was named MVP of the Nike Opening, and was named and was a finalist for the All-American Bowl Man of the Year. He was also very active off the field at national powerhouse St. John Boscoe in Bellflower, California.

On the field, you can expect Williams to push for playing time early. He may be a linebacker by label, but the coaching staff loves his ability to run and play in space. That has the coaches looking at the safety position as well.