Ty Lockwood, 4-star TE, is first 2023 commit for Ohio State Buckeyes

Ty Lockwood had a long, and impressive offer list before trimming his list to Florida State, Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina earlier this summer.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound four-star tight end out of Thompson’s Station (Tenn.) Independence took visits over the summer, and two of those were to Ohio State.

He is now a Buckeye.

Lockwood is from Chicago, and he grew up a fan of the Big Ten. Ohio State was on his radar well before he became a top recruit. He grew up a fan of the Buckeyes, and he is excited to be the first 2023 commit for Ryan Day.

Ty Lockwood feels Ohio State is perfect fit

As hard as it is for recruits to go through the process and tell a lot of coaches no, and in most cases, one coach yes, this decision was fairly easy for Ty Lockwood.

He has felt Ohio State was the right school for him for some time, and he now gets to be first on the 2023 commitment list.

“Ohio State made me the first 2023 tight end they offered, and since then, the attention has been strong,” Lockwood said. “The coaching staff made it obvious that I was a priority. I felt it.”

Ohio State assistant Kevin Wilson has been the lead recruiter, and he and Lockwood have formed quite the bond.

“I love coach Wilson,” Lockwood said. “He has been around the game, and he knows how to coach tight ends. It felt easy to connect with him, and he is the coach I have the best relationship with.

“He knows how to coach. It is obvious he knows what he is doing with tight ends, and I know I can get developed by him. I am excited about getting coached by him and getting to work with him at Ohio State.”

Wilson, Ryan Day, the Big Ten and the high national ranking make Ohio State an easy selection for Lockwood. He made the call this past Saturday.

“Ohio State is the perfect fit for me,” Lockwood said. “What they do, how they do it, and with the consistently they do it with makes it perfect. They are a top-notch program every year and they get the tight ends the ball.

“It is like one unit there and coach Day and coach Wilson welcomed me to that when I committed to them. It was very exciting.”

Ryan Day is head coach Ty Lockwood wants to play for

Ty Lockwood was able to get out this summer and visit over half a dozen schools, so he met quite a few head coaches along the way. All were great, and he spoke highly of each, but none matched up to Ohio State’s leader.

“Coach Day is my favorite coach out of all that I met,” Lockwood said. “He is the type of coach that when I talk to him, I want to go play for. He is a coach that never changes. Coach Day is stone-cold. He is chill. He is about business and he is fun. Coach Day is just the perfect head coach.”

A lot of head coaches in today’s college football world have had to become more of a CEO and just oversee and not be as hands-on as they would like. Lockwood does not see that in Day.

“Coach Day is a big part of the team and the overall program,” Lockwood said. “I visited twice this summer, and he was involved in everything. He is very smart and very organized, so he is a big part of everything that is going on at Ohio State. He knows how to win and he is a player’s coach that has a great staff. Coach Day is someone I can’t wait to play for.”

Lockwood’s ready to recruit for Ohio State

Being first in 2023 to commit to Ohio State excites Ty Lockwood. He was in Columbus twice this summer, so he met a lot of Buckeye targets and he is ready to recruit.

“I have always seen myself as a leader, and I am ready to be a leader in this class,” Lockwood said. “I love that I can now talk to other recruits and try to get them to hop on board.

“Ohio State is a great program that recruits great players, and I am a part of that.”

Lockwood already has some recruits in mind that he will target.

“Luke Montgomery, Lebbeus Overton, Richard Young and Derrick LeBlanc are some of the guys I am going to get on,” he said. “I can’t wait to recruit. I know 2023 will be another great class, and I want to be a leader in it.”