Ohio State padded its 2025 class with the addition of Tarvos Alford on Saturday.

Alford is a 4-star linebacker out of Vero Beach (Fla.) High. He is the No. 8 LB and 8th overall Florida prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite. Schools that were in the running for Alford included Miami, Florida State, and Tennessee. Alford is listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and is a top 75 prospect in the class.

The Buckeyes now have 9 commits in the 2025 class as of Saturday. Alford joins 3-star commit Eli Lee at LB in Ryan Day’s class. Alford will bring plenty of athleticism to Ohio State, running track for Vero Beach. He accounted for 114 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in 2023 for the football team.

Alford has a wide variety of offers from around the country. The B1G schools who offered him included Indiana, Michigan, Penn State, and Maryland.

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Outlook for OSU

While a recruit of Alford’s level could see some playing time as a freshman, it has been an unlikely at Ohio State under DC Jim Knowles. Take former 5-star prospect CJ Hicks for example. Hicks has had a hard time finding minutes at LB with Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers leading the way at the position in the last few seasons.

Hicks could see an uptick of playing time with Eichenberg and Chambers heading to the 2024 NFL Draft. The Buckeyes will need some veterans to step up at linebacker if the trend of solid play at the position will continue. Hicks has played in 25 games over the last 2 years with 14 total tackles while being part of the rotation at LB.

Based on how things have gone so far in the Jim Knowles era, it could point to signs of the defensive coordinator preferring veterans over newcomers. Members of the 2023 class such as Nigel Glover and Arvell Reese couldn’t really find their way into the rotation this past season either. It could be more of the same with Alford coming in now that Hicks is a junior. It could be a couple of seasons before fans really see Alford’s playing time increase under Knowles.

Alford showcased the ability to fight through blockers and get into the backfield with speed in his highlight tape. He can also drop into coverage if needed and give some help to the secondary.

Regardless of whether Alford sees the field early on, his commitment was a breath of fresh air after losing the race for 2026 QB Jared Curtis. Curtis picked Georgia over the Buckeyes, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee.