T.J. Alford Solid with Ohio State as Buckeyes Send Three to his Spring Game

VERO BEACH, Fla. — Ohio State landed one of the crown jewels of its 2025 recruiting back in March in Top 100 Vero Beach (Fla.) linebacker T.J. Alford. The Buckeyes haven’t eased up since that commitment was made, as evidenced by sending three assistants to Vero Beach High’s spring game on Monday evening, including defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.

BuckeyeHuddle.com was also in the building for Alford’s spring game as part of our Southern Swing recruiting tour and we caught up with the four-star prospect afterwards.

“It was big,” Alford said, of the coaches coming by. “It was the first game they had come to see me live. Sadly it was cut short but it was great seeing them at my school.”

Alford’s relationship with Laurinaitis has been the driving force in the Buckeyes securing and keeping his pledge. The two have become extremely close over the past year and change.

“It was a huge factor,” Alford said of his decision to commit to Ohio State. “I don’t know if I could have seen myself at Ohio State if he went somewhere else. He’s like a big brother to me. We talk about more than just football. I’ll send him my practice clips and he’ll tell me what I’m doing wrong, what I need to improve on, stuff like that.”

“He went to Ohio State, won the Butkus Award, went to the league,” Alford continued. “I feel like there’s certain things he can teach me that other people can’t. He’s played the game, he has a feel for the game. He knows how to get off the ball, read and react, things like that.”

Despite his commitment to Ohio State and having all of the offers a prospect could want, Alford has a tremendous desire to get better. This spring has been a chance for him to continue to work on the little things and he isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I know that I’ve got all of these offers and that I’m committed to Ohio State, but at the end of the day, I haven’t signed anything yet,” he explained. “To me, it’s always going to be in the back of my head that all of these offers could be taken away. If I don’t come to play, Ohio State might not want me anymore, other schools may not want me. So I have to come to play every time.”

Hear more from Alford from our one-on-one interview, including his official visit schedule, recruiting his teammate Micah Smith, and more.