COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State hung onto a 2025 linebacker commit as Tarvos “T.J.” Alford stuck with his commitment to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day.
In a recruitment that had many late swings, the Vero Beach, Florida, native opted to stay with his original commitment despite a late push from Miami.
Alford, who committed to Ohio State on March 30, is the No. 103 overall prospect and No. 9 linebacker in the 247Sports composite rankings. He pledged to the Buckeyes in the spring, but since had taken visits to other programs — notably in his home state of Florida.
Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis liked Alford’s sideline-to-sideline speed as he projected him to play the “will” position at Ohio State. It was a big win for Laurinaitis at the time, but as his recruitment showed, it’s never easy trying to keep out-of-state prospects in the class.
Ohio State has two other linebacker signees in the class in five-star Riley Pettijohn and three-star Eli Lee.