Ohio State football will operate without both coordinators and a younger backfield after its national title run. But one Buckeyes rusher in the transfer portal made a stunning reversal Wednesday.

Running back Sam Williams-Dixon pivoted out of the portal, per Pete Nakos of On3.com. Williams-Dixon entered one month ago, during the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff run.

Williams-Dixon originally took a redshirt year in Columbus. He saw action in three total games.

The native of Pickerington, Ohio carried the football no more than three times against Purdue, Western Michigan, and Akron. He totaled seven carries, 53 yards, and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. He never crossed the goal line in all of his '24 games.

Williams-Dixon's decision comes on the same day former NFL head coach Matt Patricia joined Ryan Day and his coaching staff. Patricia will run the Buckeyes defense ahead of the 2025 season.

Ohio State rusher returns to new-look backfield

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Sam Williams-Dixon (24) runs toward Akron Zips cornerback Justin Anderson (4) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Williams-Dixon won't have Chip Kelly calling running plays, as he's off to the Las Vegas Raiders. He will walk into a newly revamped backfield in his decision to return to OSU.

The national champs are losing the powerful and explosive 1,000-yard duo TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Williams-Dixon now brings back experience into the RB room.

However, he's not guaranteed to emerge as the RB1. Ohio State lured in C.J. Donaldson from West Virginia in the portal. The big 6-foot-2, 238-pound Donaldson brings 30 rushing touchdowns in tow during his time in Morgantown. Donaldson also delivered back-to-back 700-yard rushing seasons.

James Peoples is another threat to the title of RB1. Peoples surfaced as the third RB option behind Henderson and Judkins last season. The 2024 freshman tallied 49 carries, 197 yards, scored twice and averaged four yards a carry.

Regardless of who rises as the lead back, The Buckeyes will have a new offensive coordinator but familiar face leading the unit. Wide receivers coach Brian Hartline got elevated to OC after Kelly's exit. Hartline has a mix of experience and intriguing newcomers coming in.

The 2025 freshman class of Bo Jackson, Anthony Rogers and Isaiah West are filling the rest of the backfield ahead of spring practices.