COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 18, 2025

Tyliek Williams

Ohio State Buckeyes

CFP Media Conference

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Definitely. 15 tackles is a little crazy, but I think I can impact the game in any way. I'm not going to say I'm surprised that he said that, but it is crazy, 15 tackles.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: On the play list, some Gunna, some Little Baby, some Young Boy. You know, the regulars. Nothing crazy.

Q. This defense has been awesome all year (no microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: We always want to be the toughest playing team in America. You want to stop the run. You want to stop the pass, limit explosive plays. All the things that every defense in the nation lives up to, we've been showing that on the field in the past couple games. We just have a mentality, just go eat, go hunt.

Q. Did you see this coming (no microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say we just realized what we had on this team. No one knows -- we all know we shouldn't have lost that game. So we just had to grind harder and practice harder, study harder and just do everything more because you never want to have that result ever again. I think the whole team shifted the mindset. We got in the playoffs. We knew we had another chance. You usually don't get two chances. Trying to seize that opportunity.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say yeah, you know. When guys are out there executing, doing their job, everything going well, I think it starts to multiply. Just gets better over time.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I mean, it feels great. This is my fourth year, my last game ever as a Buckeye so I definitely want to go out strong, win some hardware, set the younger guys up for success because they're going to be here with us. It's just a great opportunity. I'm just glad we're here, glad we've got another chance at this, and need to go win it.

Q. A lot of teammates are talking about the Tuesday after (no microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Just a heart-to-heart, you know. We had to address all the issues we had on the team. Everybody spoke up and just fixed those problems that we had. The leadership on this team is like I've never seen. That wouldn't have happened a couple years ago. So just having the older guys, you know, Jack, JT, Mek, Trey, all the guys that wanted to have the meeting in the first place just shows how much love they have for the team, and I think it's helped us tremendously, totally flipped us around. Has us like on fire right now.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: We had just lost to the team up north for the fourth straight year. So everyone was mad. Everyone was in the mindset, just, wow, that just happened. But we all came together. We realized we have another chance at this so let's not hold our heads down. Let's try to finish the right way.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'm not going to say what problems we had, but we just addressed them, like we had each group step up and talk about how they're going to do better to win the next couple games, and they stood by their word, and it's been winning ever since.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah. It was, like, two hours. It was a long meeting.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say all of them do, you know. They're all great players. I do like going against Donny. He's just a specimen. He's just good, long arms, strong, fast. Everything you want in an O-lineman.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say Ty. Ty, definitely. Ty don't get talked about as much because he's a quiet giant. But he's holding it down in the middle. It's a front four, it's not a front three. He's there too. He just doesn't get as much publicity as everybody else, but he's definitely a dawg.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say everybody's hurting. It's a longer season than we've ever had. I'm not going to talk about any injuries, but a lot of people are banged up on both sides, us and Notre Dame. But I think we're working through it. We're all healthy. There's always going to be little injuries that everyone has.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Ohio Against the World is a saying we live by. Nobody gives you respect except the guys in Ohio, usually like the guys in our training facility, you know. To bring a championship back home to Ohio is big because it's been -- I forgot how long it's been since we won anything. It will be special. It will be a great time. A lot of fun. A lot of happy people if we do this.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Can't let him run. Can't let him get going. He's a great quarterback with a great O-line, great running backs. We've got to stick to our game plan and execute it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: The last time I cried to a movie was I don't know.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: He gets the offense going. When they're down, he gets them back up. Over the season, he's majorly improved. Now he's playing at a level that he led us to a National Championship. He's just got to keep doing that.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: The basic things. You've got to stop the run. You've got to run the ball, limit explosives, and just play great defense. Notre Dame, they stick to what they do, and they do it well. So just got to execute our game plan.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say in and out.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Me. I am the best.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: He got me last night, but the overall score is 25-5.

Q. Why did you pick number 91.

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I knew you were coming so I had to get it before you got it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: My favorite is curry.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: My mother, she works very hard. She loves my family, she loves me, and I love her.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'm not going to American deli. I'm a vegan and I only eat fruit.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Probably Josh Mankins.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Probably Van Sickle.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Spread the field, you know, make you play pass defense.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: 200? Who got 200? Can I get a couple shots? 70. Can I grab it like this? Is that cheating? It is?

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I got 149. I'm going to keep to 170.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'm fine with it. I don't like interviews anyway. I feel great. Thank you.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I like this. I don't like interviews. Always try to avoid it.

Q. Gonna play next level?

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I try to keep it the same, chill all day, try not to work my body up. Hydrate all day. Work the game. Nothing crazy. Try not to change it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: My favorite fast food restaurant is probably McDonald's.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say a 10.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I will say a 10 as well.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: My favorite video game is NCAA.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Ohio State Buckeyes.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Salad.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I think they're a great offensive line, and we'll see when the game comes.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: We usually do random teams to see who you get. If I get to choose who to pick, I'm going to pick Ohio State and use myself.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Me.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I play mind games with the defense, and I play great defense.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Probably my Kia. I bought a 2024 Kia.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: How much the players get paid.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I think it's completely changed college sports. Being able to play players is something that just can sway a whole kid's decision of where he wants to go, if you want to go to the NFL, you want to come back, and I think it's helped bring in a bunch of great guys to a bunch of great teams. We brought Will Howard in, Seth, Quinshon. We wouldn't have had those players if we didn't have NIL. So I like it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'll say it's two great teams, two physical teams who fly around, stick to what they do, how they play football, and don't change it. It's two violent defenses who fly around, like I said. I think it's going to be a great game with two great teams.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah. It's just -- it's a great game. Should be a great game.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I think it's already public. That's what they want to do so we've got to be prepared to stop it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I think he's a great running back. He's very explosive and he's, like, very twitchy. He's got home run speed. He can run you over. He's probably one of the better backs we've played this season.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I'm not going to say I knew I was coming back, but I wanted to make sure all the other guys were coming back with me before I made it official.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah, we all knew he was coming back. He told us way before the season ended. We all knew he was coming back. It was a great starting point.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah, definitely. He has that in him.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: We were roommates. We were. Two years.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Yeah, he loves to sing. He's very old at heart. He has a good voice too. You should make him sing. I genuinely think he could, yeah.

Q. Does he like to sing Beyonce?

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: I think I've heard him play a Beyonce song before. That's just Donovan. He's a great individual.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: He's a great player. He has all the things you want in an O-lineman. He's fast, physical, strong, and he has long arms too. Glad he moved to tackle. He's helped us out a lot.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: It's great because I have guys like Zenoue who is just by my side, and I love it.

Q. (No microphone).

TYLIEK WILLIAMS: Not really. But it's so difficult, actually.