Brad Logan/Logan Media Network
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds and gifted with incredible athleticism, Mississippi native Tyler Lockhart is one of the top college football prospects in the entire country. Despite offers from several of the top programs in the country, Lockhart surprisingly signed SEC bottom feeders Mississippi State on Wednesday. But as it turns out, there’s much more to the story.
Lockhart’s older brother TJ is a 6-foot-5, 380-pound true freshman offensive tackle for the Bulldogs after signing with them a year ago. But Tyler decided to forge his own path. He committed to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers in early May before walking back that commitment just eight weeks later.
On September 19, Tyler committed to Mississippi State and appeared headed to Starkville to join his brother. But his recruitment did not stop there. One of the programs that kept pursuing Tyler was Mississipi State’s hated in-state rival, Ole Miss. And it appears that the Rebels’ pursuit of the younger Lockhart brother was successful when he decommitted from Misssippi State and chose Ole Miss instead.
BREAKING: Four-Star LB Tyler Lockhart has Flipped his Commitment from Mississippi State to Ole Miss, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 212 LB from Winona, MS had been Committed to the Bulldogs since September
WATCH:
4-star LB Tyler Lockhart, from Winona, MS (High), signs with Ole Miss.
He was previously committed to Mississippi State. #OleMiss | @LoganMediaNet pic.twitter.com/H7yQIOOTXn
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) December 4, 2024
Ole Miss Commit Tyler Lockhart Flips Back To Miss. State Due To Mom’s Reluctance
However, there was just one problem. According to Mississippi State reporter Steve Robertson, Tyler Lockhart’s mother never actually signed the proper paperwork necessary to sign with the Ole Miss. Robertson reports that the Rebels repeatedly reached out to her about E-signing the documents, but that she repeatedly refused before he (and she) ultimately signed with the Bulldogs.
Who knows how Lockhart’s career winds up? And he wasn’t the only big-name recruit Ole Miss failed to land on Wednesday. But the Rebels have won 38 games in the last four years compared to 23 for the Bulldogs. They’ve has 15 players selected in the NFL Draft over the last four years compared to nine for Mississippi State (although the Bulldogs have the only two first rounders). So it’s easy to see why Lockhart may have wanted to play in Oxford rather than Starkville.