Ohio State Football: Getting to Know Recruits Camren Williams and Armani Reeves

I recently had the chance to have a conversation with Mr. Brent Williams, who has a lot of football in his family. His oldest son, Brennan, plays at North Carolina, and his younger son and godson, Camren Williams and Armani Reeves, are part of the 2012 recruiting class for Ohio State. Mr. Williams had some very enlightening thoughts on Ohio State football from the perspective of a former football player while also having three boys go through the recruiting process.

Q: You went on official visits to Ohio State; what stood out to you and the boys?

BW: Camren and Armani had an advantage; my older son, Brennan, visited schools prior to committing to North Carolina. The boys went on a lot of these visits, so they already knew about schools and what they were looking for. 

In Camren’s case, he already had in his mind what he wanted in a school academically and socially, as well as football. Camren had attended football camps at OSU, so he already had a good idea of what OSU was like. His top two schools during the recruiting process were Penn State and Ohio State.

One thing that stood out during Camren’s visit was the presentation by Dr. Devor, part of the Exercise Science program at Ohio State. He carefully explained OSU’s program, how it differed from other programs. This gave both Camren and I a lot of comfort.

Coach Meyer also told me that Camren’s position, linebacker, was a huge need for the Buckeyes, as well as explaining how academics fit into football. Camren also loves campuses that have downtowns filled with streets and stores. High Street was a big plus.

Q: Before the Penn State scandal, what did you tell the boys about their verbal commitments?

BW: I told them that once they made their verbal commitment, they would not be allowed to break it unless there was some circumstance that warranted it. The Penn State scandal was catastrophic and was this type of circumstance that made me feel I could give them permission to de-commit.

Q: How did you become Armani’s godfather?

BW: Armani has been part of the Williams family since he was in the third grade. I coached him in football; he and Camren have been best friends ever since their youth.  Armani would vacation and travel with us.

He lives about 10 minutes away, but he stays with us as if we were his own family (it is usually based on who has the best grocery list that week). 

Armani grew up living with his aunt and mother, but his aunt got married and moved to Baltimore, Md. so Armani lost her physical presence. That was one circumstance that drove him closer to me. Armani talks to my wife, Jacquie, about deep life issues and seeks her counsel.

Q: It seemed that Ohio State was late in the recruiting game for Armani and Michigan had formed a much stronger relationship with him. After Armani committed to OSU, fans criticized Armani for going to Ohio State because of Camren. What is the real reason why he chose Ohio State?

BW: You are right; Ohio State was late in recruiting Armani, and he did have a strong relationship with coaches at Michigan. Our households were split 50/50 as far as where we felt was best for Armani.  I grew up in Flint, Mich., so I know the Michigan program very well and knew it was a great school. 

I would say what tipped the scale towards Ohio State was Everett Withers. I am not sure what happened, but I am guessing that once Withers was hired at OSU, he told the staff that Armani was a kid that they needed to pursue. 

Everett worked with Armani at football camps for almost four years, so they already forged a strong relationship. Withers knew as much about Armani as anyone, including the UM coaches. 

Another factor was whether Ohio State had a need at defensive back. Unfortunately, Ohio State had to dismiss two players on their current roster who were DBs. This created a need at the position. 

These were probably the two main factors that tipped Armani towards Ohio State, but I was very clear to Armani that he had to make this decision based on what he thought was best for him and not because of Camren and that I would support him 100 percent if he chose not to follow Camren to OSU.  Armani ultimately believed that OSU was best for him regardless of Camren’s decision.

Q: You grew up in Flint, Mich. in Wolverine country; will it be hard for you to become an Ohio State fan?

BW: I was not a New England Patriots fan until they drafted me and started paying me checks; now, I am a huge Patriots fan. Now that Ohio State is paying for my boys’ education, it will not be hard for me to root for them at all. I am first and foremost a fan of my boys, and wherever they are is where my allegiance and heart will be. 

One perk of Armani to OSU is that I will not have to double dip on purchasing college apparel.  I already own UNC apparel, and my daughter is a really good athlete too, so Armani and Camren going to OSU will save my wife and I some wardrobe space in our house.

Q: What stood out to you about Urban Meyer?

BW: He has a perception as a “rock star” based on media portrayal. I got to know him a little while he was at Florida because he tried to recruit my older son. Urban has a great ability to make a parent feel comfortable and confident that Ohio State will be a great place for your child to come too. He explains football, life and academics clearly. 

Another thing that stands out is his passion for Ohio State. Even though everyone knows he came from Florida, I was impressed by how much he knew and appreciated the history of Ohio State; not all coaches who come from other programs can present this. His passion for Ohio State is second to none and is very evident when you talk to him.

My wife was put at ease by the fact that her boys would be taken care of. Urban explained the programs they have in place for the student-athlete to thrive. One thing he wants to do is have church services for the players and their families with a local pastor conducting it. 

He learned from his mistakes he made at Florida and has implemented programs based on his experience in the SEC. 

Another thing that impressed me was how the families of the coaches interact with the players. Young men need to not only see the football side of things, but also the personal. They need to see how grown men act around their children, their wives, other people; they need role models because they will be husbands and fathers someday too. 

One thing that I saw was how Mike Vrabel’s kids knew and joked around with Ryan Shazier. His kids had a relationship with Ryan; this is something that cannot be faked.

I got to know Luke Fickell’s family and others and found them to be fine individuals, so when you live 800 miles away like we do, it is nice to know that your boys will be surrounded by quality people.

Q: Urban Meyer has been criticized for his “SEC-style” recruiting tactics. What was your experience with Meyer given that you have one son at a major college program and two boys headed to another?

BW: What is this SEC style? I am not sure. One thing I will mention: Urban and the Ohio State staff are very professional. After the Penn State scandal broke, coaches from the Big Ten and outside the Big Ten called us to try to recruit Camren and Armani. Many of the messages that were left were unprofessional, and we did not return the calls. 

The two schools that stood out were Ohio State and Michigan. Both conducted the process very professionally. While other schools were badmouthing and saying awful things about Joe Paterno, OSU and UM did not. 

Mike Vrabel called the high school head coach and asked if there was any interest from our part. Told the coach that OSU was looking for linebackers and wanted to see if Camren was interested, and if he was, to give him a call.

That was it. OSU was upfront from the beginning.

Was OSU doing anything illegal? Definitely not! They were very respectful of the Penn State situation, did not badmouth Joe Paterno and were so professional that they were one of the few schools we called back. I cannot say the same thing about other Big Ten coaches who called us.

Thank you so much, Mr. Williams, for your time.  I hope Camren and Armani have great careers at OSU and have a successful life after football.