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.”
Alford was a top-150 player in the class of 2025 as a four-star linebacker out of Florida. Another recruit the Buckeyes beat out Miami for, Alford is now listed at 6-foot-1, 233 pounds, and has added over 20 pounds since joining the program. It’s clear his body has caught up to the level needed to play at Ohio State.
Alford played in 11 games as a true freshman last season and finished with six tackles with a tackle for loss. Ohio State has lost Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese from last year’s team while bringing in Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro. Payton Pierce, Alliegro, and Riley Pettijohn figure to be the top three linebackers in the room. Pettijohn is a second-year player like Alford, however, and they could be competing for spots against one another.
It’s notable Pettijohn has been limited this spring due to injury, though it’s not anything to worry about long-term. Junior Garrett Stover is another name to watch in the linebacker room as an Iron Buckeye this offseason for Ohio State.
Alford has had a strong offseason heading into his second year when players typically make the bigger leap at Ohio State. All signs are pointing toward him being in the mix for Matt Patricia’s defense this fall.
