Alabama Flips Ohio State TE Giving Them Best 2023 Class


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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 04: Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on before the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 04, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Alabama Crimson Tide faithful woke up this morning with some ever so exhilarating news. The Tide now own the top class in 2023 after a series of pickups over the past two weeks. Head Coach Nick Saban has recently been attempting to pry away players committed to other programs on the recruitment trail.

After a successful official visit this past weekend, the four-star tight end, Ty Lockwood who was committed to Ohio State in the class of 2023 flipped his commitment to Alabama. Lockwood is from Thompson’s Station, Tennessee and stands six feet and five inches tall and currently weighs in at 225 pounds. Throughout high school he had been recruited heavily by both the Tide and the Buckeyes over the past two years.

Lockwood is ranked the second overall prospect in Tennessee and originally committed to Ohio State back in August of 2021. Everything seemed fine until recently when the Buckeyes received a commitment from Jelani Thurman, a higher-rated tight end from Fairburn, Georgia in late July. This likely prompted Lockwood to search for greener pastures, and he found just that in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 


Lockwood’s Official Statement Regarding Commitment

This past weekend during the annual Bama barbecue recruitment event at Bryant-Denny, Lockwood was on a visit with several other prospects including Keon Keeley, another commit the Tide are attempting to flip from Notre Dame. Having now committed to the Tide, the mutually beneficial visit saw Lockwood receive an official offer from the Crimson Tide in turn stealing away Lockwood from the Buckeyes. 

“First of all, I’m grateful for Ohio State, the coaching staff and the Buckeye players and fans,” Lockwood stated in a post via Twitter. “I have a lot of respect for the program and the team. I’ve been all in with Buckeye Nation, so this decision and announcement is hard for me. After much discussion and prayer, my family and I have decided that it would be best to decommit from the Ohio State University. I take commitment and loyalty very seriously, but it’s the right choice I needed to make for my future and my family.”

“With that being said, I’m flipping my commitment to the University of Alabama,” Lockwood continued in his post. “I look forward to what the future brings and how I can develop as a player and person under Coach Nick Saban and Coach Joe Cox. Roll Tide!”

Lockwood had been committed to Ohio State since last year so it is easy to see how he may have felt betrayed by the Buckeyes welcoming a second tight end into the class of 2023 with him. Since Alabama had no current commitments from tight ends in their 2023 class it is no wonder that all it took was a trip to campus to seal the deal.


The Lockwood Commitment Brings Alternate Questions

Now that Saban has added his first tight end for the 2023 class, there is much less pressure to acquire Duce Robinson as well. Robinson, from Phoenix, Arizona, happens to be the number one rated tight end in 2023 and also a five star. He has also been recruited by Georgia and Southern California among others. As the Tide are not currently favored to land Robinson, Lockwood is a solid player to be able to fall back on. 

If the Tide are able to land Robinson, currently projected to join the Trojans according to 247 Sports, Lockwood may find himself in a eerily similar position. Lockwood however, will spend time after his commitment focusing on his senior season at Independence High School. 

 

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