Rivals250 linebacker commits to Tigers

Hugh Freeze went back to his roots for his latest commit.

The second-year head coach just landed a commitment from not only one of the best prospects in Mississippi, but in the country.

Four-star outside linebacker Tyler Lockhart announced his pledge to the Tigers late Monday night. He's the 10th member of the Tigers' 2025 recruiting class, which is now the No. 11 class in the country.

"Proud to say that I'm committed," Lockhart announced on social media.

Auburn's 2025 class took a hit earlier in the day, when four-star tight end Hollis Davidson backed off his pledge to the Tigers.

Lockhart's commitment picks it right back up. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Mississippi native is rated as the No. 163 player in the country and a top 10 player for both his position and home state.

Hailing from Winona, Miss., Lockhart had a monster junior year for Winona High School, totaling 100 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Lockhart was offered by Auburn in February and visited the Plains for the first time in late March.

One of the big reasons why was defensive coordinator DJ Durkin and the way that the linebackers operate in his defense. It was something that he took away during his spring visit.

Lockhart joins defensive linemen Malik Autry and Jourdin Crawford, linebacker Jakaleb Faulk, defensive back Devin Williams, offensive linemen Carde Smith, Tai Buster, Spencer Dowland and Tavaris Dice, and tight end Ryan Ghea in the class.

He plans to officially visit Auburn early next month.