Even though it is football season, college basketball season is just around the corner, with the Buckeyes tipping off on Nov. 2 against No. 25 BYU in Salt Lake City.
There were a lot of roster changes for the Buckeyes heading into the 2026-27 season, and over the next couple of months, we will be dropping one player preview a week to get you caught up on the current roster.
The Jimmie Williams File
Name: Jimmie Williams Position: Guard Class: Fifth Year High School/Former School: Solon High School, Duquesne Hometown: Solon,
Ohio Weight: 210 pounds Height: 6-foot-4
Breakdown
Williams played three collegiate seasons before coming to Columbus. He spent last season at Duquesne, and before that made stops at South Florida and Wallace State Community College
In 2025-26 at Duquesne, he started all 33 games and averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Dukes. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Third Team. He showed his talent on both ends of the floor, as he recorded 52 steals and shot over 57% from the two-point range.
Williams spent the 2024-25 season at South Florida, appearing in 30 games, including two starts, and averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He shot 46.4% of his attempts from the field, including 40 percent% from the three-point range.
To start his collegiate career, Williams played the 2023-24 campaign at Wallace State Community College, starting all 35 games. He led Wallace State in scoring at 22.5 points per game and also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest.
Williams was named a 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American and was the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Tournament MVP and shot 53.6% from the floor, including 37.4 percent% from three-point range.
Expected Role
Williams comes in as one of the more important players on this team. Last season, the Buckeyes had one of the worst benches in the country in terms of production, and it ended up being the main reason for their struggles.
The coaching staff went out and addressed that immediately by bringing in a player like Williams, a proven scorer at all three levels on the collegiate level and a player with a lot of experience. He is also a great defender and can defend multiple positions.
Williams will be the sixth man on the team and the first guard off the bench for Justin Pippen and John Mobley. He will also play with Pippen and Mobley when the Buckeyes go with a small-ball lineup and three guards on the floor, given his size and versatility.
Williams will play around 20 minutes per game and will be vital to the team’s success this season.
