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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Better Know a Buckeye: Tarvos Alford Models His Game After Ryan Shazer And Hopes to Make Same Impact at Ohio State As the Former Buckeye Great
Following in the footsteps of fellow Florida linebacker Ryan Shazier, Tarvos Alford hopes to make the same impact at Ohio State as the former Buckeye once did.
Better Know a Buckeye: Tarvos Alford Models His Game After Ryan Shazer And Hopes to Make Same Impact at Ohio State As the Former Buckeye Great
Immediate Impact
With Sonny Styles leading the linebacker room and Arvell Reese likely taking the other starting spot on the depth chart in 2025, playing time could be hard to come by for Alford in his first season as a Buckeye.That said, he has one thing on his mind early on in Columbus: Get his black stripe off and find a way to get in the rotation if at all possible.
“I really want to get my black stripe off and get myself in that rotation early and go out there and make plays,” Alford said this spring.
Although C.J. Hicks moved to the edge, Alford is competing with Garrett Stover and fellow freshman Riley Pettijohn, among others, for a spot on the two-deep alongside Payton Pierce. With so much competition early on, he knows that the talent around him will only improve himself as a player.
“Really playing around a lot of great players,” Alford said of what excites him the most about playing for the Buckeyes. “We’ve already got the best 2025 class right now. There’s plenty of players that’ll be around me that can help make me better.”
Long-Term Impact
Laurinaitis has always seen Alford as a Will linebacker at the college level and beyond, so Alford perfecting that position – both on and off the field – as a freshman will be key for his success, both short and long-term.With Styles entering his final season at Ohio State, Alford can push for significant playing time in his second season in Columbus in 2026. The competition to do so will continue to be tough, especially as Laurinaitis continues to bring in the top talent from across the country every year, but Alford's ability to chase down opposing ball carriers, speed to cut down angles, and athleticism to drop back in coverage is the type of skill set that is tough to teach.
In the running game, Alford pairs his pre-snap reads and instincts with his speed and sure-tackling ability to make big hits on ball carriers. He uses his speed and athleticism to be a standout linebacker in coverage as well, giving him the skills to be a future every-down player on Ohio State’s defense.
Look for Alford to make it on the two-deep at Will linebacker as a sophomore and fight for a starting spot alongside Pettijohn in his third season as a Buckeye in 2027.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
James Laurinaitis is raving about a rising Ohio State football defender that looks to be climbing the depth chart
A former high profile recruit looks like he could be trending toward a breakout season with Ohio State. Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis revealed strong progress for the defender.
atozsports.com
James Laurinaitis is raving about a rising Ohio State football defender that looks to be climbing the depth chart
A former high profile recruit looks like he could be trending toward a breakout season with Ohio State. Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis revealed strong progress for the defender.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to potentially have double-digit players drafted once again in the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. With that being said, the Buckeyes will have new faces stepping into bigger roles, and they’ll reload in Columbus in typical fashion.
One former high-profile linebacker recruit looks like he could be stepping into an important role for the first time. Ohio State will wrap up spring ball in a couple of weeks and one second-year defender looks poised to leap.
James Laurinaitis singles out TJ Alford as a rising player on the Ohio State defense
“TJ has grown so much from last season,” Laurinaitis told the media on Thursday. “He got so much better from fall camp to when we were in the postseason. There’s been a maturity, I think TJ learned a lot about himself through that season. There’s been a maturity in the offseason. There’s been a seriousness of trying to find a way to get on the field and have a role, which is a phenomenal job.“He had a really strong start to this spring, so I expect to see a lot of football out of TJ Alford come this fall if everything keeps projecting, you know, trending the way it’s gone. He takes coaching, and he works at it. And it is hard without showing you, like, side-by-side clips of some of our stuff, but it’s gotten so much better. And the future is just really bright for TJ.”
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James Laurinaitis is raving about a rising Ohio State football defender that looks to be climbing the depth chart
A former high profile recruit looks like he could be trending toward a breakout season with Ohio State. Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis revealed strong progress for the defender.James Laurinaitis is raving about a rising Ohio State football defender that looks to be climbing the depth chart
A former high profile recruit looks like he could be trending toward a breakout season with Ohio State. Buckeyes linebackers coach James Laurinaitis revealed strong progress for the defender.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to potentially have double-digit players drafted once again in the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. With that being said, the Buckeyes will have new faces stepping into bigger roles, and they’ll reload in Columbus in typical fashion.
One former high-profile linebacker recruit looks like he could be stepping into an important role for the first time. Ohio State will wrap up spring ball in a couple of weeks and one second-year defender looks poised to leap.
James Laurinaitis singles out TJ Alford as a rising player on the Ohio State defense
“TJ has grown so much from last season,” Laurinaitis told the media on Thursday. “He got so much better from fall camp to when we were in the postseason. There’s been a maturity, I think TJ learned a lot about himself through that season. There’s been a maturity in the offseason. There’s been a seriousness of trying to find a way to get on the field and have a role, which is a phenomenal job.
“He had a really strong start to this spring, so I expect to see a lot of football out of TJ Alford come this fall if everything keeps projecting, you know, trending the way it’s gone. He takes coaching, and he works at it. And it is hard without showing you, like, side-by-side clips of some of our stuff, but it’s gotten so much better. And the future is just really bright for TJ.”
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Really excited to hear this for TJ and our defense. With some good weight on the frame (the only thing that held me back from saying he would play right away here) and a better understanding of the defense, he could be a candidate for big newcomer impact on defense.
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