COLUMBUS, Ohio — Marcus Williamson knows he’s one of 121 Ohio State’s roster.

He’s in a room full of players trying to find their role, find their niche from their strengths and weaknesses, figuring out where they fall into the bigger picture.

The redshirt senior cornerback thought he knew where he would fit in in 2021.

While 2020 didn’t go particularly well, Williamson thought he had a chance to build something, earning 408 snaps on a team that finished its season in the national championship.

There were clear things to fix: finishing with only 27 tackles and two pass deflections in seven games played, missing 11 tackles — 30.6% of his overall tackle tries according to Pro Football Focus College. But there was a spot for him, a spot to improve in a defensive backfield that turns Buckeyes into draft picks.

As Williamson stood at the podium Tuesday afternoon, he did not lie.

That plan had not been the case.

The redshirt senior cornerback did not see the field in the season opener against Minnesota. In four games since, he’s played 69 snaps, averaging just over 17 snaps per game.

With the youth movement sweeping across the Ohio State roster, Williamson second guessed his place in that. But there was something keeping him there, keeping him in Columbus.

“I think naturally, it’s human nature to have second guesses, second thoughts if things don’t go your way,” Williamson said. “Fortunately, I was just able to put my head down and work. I have too much love for this team to put myself first before the team. I decided to keep working because that’s what we do.”

To him, it was about one word: humility.

Williamson’s definition of humility is not passive. It’s assertive. It’s powerful. And it’s a definition he’s brought to the defensive backs room.

“Maybe the guy next to you, maybe he makes that play. Maybe you thought it was your play to be made,” Williamson said. “But at the end of the day, you are only hurting yourself when you try to put yourself above the team.

It’s a servant mindset, a love mindset that Williamson had to learn, putting his best foot forward, putting his head down and helping the team.

To Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, this was the first week where he saw it all click for the fifth-year senior,

“He got a lot of distractions out of his head. He cleared a lot of noise out and just gave himself to the team,” Day said. “His energy level was off the charts, his attitude was off the charts. Lo and behold, he had one of the better games.

“I just thought it was a great example of when you get focused, you dedicate yourself to the team and you don’t listen to all the noise, how you have an effective performance.”

Williamson made the most of his 15 snaps against the Scarlet Knights, recording two solo tackles and assisting another, allowing one reception for two yards on two targets. He was listed as one of seven champions for the Ohio State defense listed as a safety.

In four games — 69 snaps — Williamson has missed one tackle.

So what’s next for the redshirt senior?

Ohio State seems to have an answer at cornerback, with the emergence of freshman Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown — who missed the Rutgers game due to an undisclosed injury — at cornerback, along with Ryan Watts and Sevyn Banks.

At slot corner and cover safety, Ohio State seems to have an answer, whether it’s Craig Young or Cameron Martinez.

But standing on the podium, Williamson didn’t complain. He praised the ability of Young and his transition to cover safety. He talked about how the defensive game plan hasn’t really changed over the past five weeks. He talked about how his unit is set to be challenged in a different way against quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and the Maryland offense.

Since he was first learning the game of football, Williamson envisioned himself as a team player. And as his final season with the Buckeyes continues, it seems like that’s what’s coming to the forefront.

“Sometimes you just have to put your ego aside, your distractions aside, the people in your ear, the people in the community, back home, wherever it may be, and just kind of put your best foot forward,” Williamson said.

“Just continue. That’s what I decided to do.”