Top priority linebacker TJ Alford commits to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has expanded its 2025 class for the second time in 24 hours.
Four-star Port St. Lucie (Fla) Vero Beach linebacker Tarvos ‘TJ’ Alford has committed to the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker committed to Ohio State over Miami, Florida, Florida State, UCF and Tennessee.
Alford is the No. 72 overall prospect and No. 8 linebacker in the On3 Industry Rankings. Those numbers adjust slightly to No. 78 and No. 7, respectively, by On3.
The rankings are just that. Rankings. But the ranking that matters most is the one Ohio State placed on him and that’s No. 1. He made his debut visit to Ohio State in June when he camped with then-graduate assistant James Laurinaitis. Ever since then, the two have created a strong bond that’s stood tall against any other relationship he has created during his recruitment.
Alford was back on campus just a week ago and watched the Buckeyes go to work. It was an environment that he definitely could see himself playing in.
“Watching practice, you realize that everybody is good,” he told Lettermen Row. “There was a lot of passion on the field, a couple of fights and to me that’s not a troubling thing. It’s just guys going at it. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, things may get a little chippy at times, but it’s still a brotherhood.”
Alford is the second linebacker committed to the Buckeyes’ top-ranked 2025 class. He joins three-star Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban linebacker Eli Lee in James Laurinaitis’ first class.
In the defensive trenches, four-star Philadelphia (Pa) Imhotep Institute EDGE Zahir Mathis and four-star Bradenton (Fla) IMG Academy EDGE London Merritt are in the class.
On the back end, the Buckeyes have a pair of five-star Plus+ cornerbacks committed in Na’eem Offord and Devin Sanchez. Four-star Baltimore (Md) St. Frances Academy cornerback Blake Woodby rounds things out for the defense.
Five-star Bellefontaine (Ohio) quarterback Tavien St. Clair and four-star Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer offensive tackle Carter Lowe round out the class for Ohio State.
Ohio State has made TJ Alford a priority for almost six months now and it has worked out for the Scarlet and Gray.
TJ Alford has committed to the Buckeyes.
