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

Tarvos Aflord has followed former Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier, a linebacker he looks up to who once made his way from Florida to Columbus, and hopes to make the same sort of impact Shazier once did during his time as a Buckeye.

As one of the best linebackers in the 2025 class, Alford (No. 13 linebacker, No. 143 overall) has the skill set and intangibles to do so, as long as he continues to develop early on at Ohio State.

How He Became a Buckeye

When Alford received an offer from Ohio State on April 7, 2023, the Florida product didn't have a composite ranking yet had 15 Division I offers at the time.

Alford instantly became a priority for OSU. Even before James Laurinaitis was promoted from graduate assistant to linebackers coach on Feb. 15, 2024, the former Ohio State linebacker did his best to recruit Alford, making two trips to Florida to visit Alford. With Laurinaitis and Alford having such a close relationship, Ohio State became the heavy favorite to land the linebacker when the former Buckeye great was promoted at OSU.

After making multiple return visits to Columbus, trips that gave Alford plenty of trust in The Brotherhood and the family-like atmosphere at Ohio State, he committed to the Buckeyes on March 30, 2024, over the likes of Florida, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee.

“I kinda knew before I set the commitment date (I wanted to go to Ohio State), but then I had some second thoughts about some other things,” Alford told Eleven Warriors. “But I eventually made up my mind the day of (my commitment).”

While it was a tough decision at the time and Alford still took visits elsewhere despite being committed to Ohio State, it was the ability to be coached by Laurinaitis and competing for a national championship that ultimately was the persuading factor in the Florida product becoming a Buckeye.

“Really just because of the brotherhood there,” Alford said of why he wanted to commit to Ohio State. “Because of the relationship I have with coach Laurinaitis and the whole coaching staff and how I connect with the players there.” 

High School Years

Alford made an immediate impact in high school as he compiled 63 tackles as a freshman.

In his sophomore year at John Carroll, Alford totaled 103 tackles (six for loss), three sacks and a blocked field goal.

After transferring to Vero Beach High School, Alford racked up 114 tackles (12 tackles for loss), four sacks, three quarterback hurries, an interception and six pass deflections and was named TCPalm's Defensive Player of the Year.

Not going anywhere no time soon pic.twitter.com/Ljfy85E2li

— Tarvos Tj Alford II (@TarvosAlford_II) August 31, 2024

As a senior, he had 94 tackles (10.5 tackles for loss), four sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, two pass deflections and one fumble recovery, again earning TCPalm Defensive Player of the Year honors as the best defensive player from the Treasure Coast region of Florida.

Well be back. pic.twitter.com/nQjL0O5HTP

— Tarvos Tj Alford II (@TarvosAlford_II) August 24, 2024

Huge get for Ohio State (over Miami and others) with the verbal commitment of Tarvos TJ Alford, LB from Vero Beach.

Alford is a 3-down stack LB with athleticism, size, speed, range, and instincts. All on display here blowing up a tunnel screen. pic.twitter.com/oDGUzezuM7

— Jeremy Marks-Peltz (@JMP1063) March 30, 2024

Alford also ran track in high school, recording personal bests of 11.67 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 23.88 in the 200.

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 ballcarriers, 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.

Player Comparison: Ryan Shazier

In an impressive three-year career in Columbus, Shazier completed 317 tackles (46 tackles for loss including 24 as a junior), 15 sacks, one interception, one touchdown, four passes defended and eight forced fumbles. He was then selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 15 pick in the 2014 NFL draft and became one of the league’s top linebackers, making two Pro Bowls, before he suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2017 that caused his football career to come to an abrupt end.

Shazier made his way from Florida to Ohio State for his college football career, much like Alford. For that, the freshman has always looked up to the former Buckeye.

While a Shazier comparison might be lofty expectations for Alford, his nose for the ball to chase down opposing running backs and use his power to bring them down paired with his ability to drop back into coverage is the type of combination that made Shazier so special.

"Ryan Shazier at the linebacker position. Just things like that. It just shows you that, yeah, I can do that," Alford said at the beginning of spring practice about Shazier being one of the guys that inspire him. "Definitely. Him, Jerome Baker – players like that."