What position will Ohio State football’s Kourt Williams play?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football spent a lot of the offseason last year talking about a position based on Michigan’s viper.

The Buckeyes made a big deal out of it, then never used it. They instead used Pete Werner as a typical strongside linebacker who would also cover tight ends. Brendon White was supposed to play that position but transferred to Rutgers after not having much of a role last season. Werner returns as a starter for his senior season.

The bullet position does not exist, but the concept of having a versatile player able to play both safety and outside linebacker is still a critical part of Ohio State’s defensive scheme. That is where early enrollee Kourt Williams comes in as the first player recruited with the sole purpose of playing that role.

"During my recruitment, that was one of the biggest things they talked to me about just in terms of the playing style and what the position is," Williams said. "It's kind of what I did in high school. It's basically the perfect fit in terms of the playing style."

Williams is a four-star recruit from St. John Bosco High School, where he played a similar role. In Columbus, he won’t be trying to adjust to a new position. He won’t be a safety trying to be a linebacker or a linebacker trying to be a safety. He’ll be developed to play this role from day one.

It doesn’t matter what the actual name of the position is. The job description is what matters. He watched the 2019 season and can identify what his role would have been on that defense. Even if it’s just by identifying the player in that spot.

For the sake of a title, Williams is listed as a safety. But ask him what player he would have been with the 2019 Buckeyes, and he’ll quickly give you an answer.

“Pete Werner,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m a safety, but we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”


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