Georgia Tech Football: DT Michael Lockhart signs with Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech landed a national signing day commitment and signing from Alabama defensive tackle Michael Lockhart.

The recruit of three-star defensive end and one-time UAB commitment, Michael Lockhart is officially over. The Yellow Jackets used a late recruiting cycle surge to get past both North Carolina and Mississippi State to land the signature from the Birmingham native.

Lockhart was a late bloomer in the 2019 cycle and saw his recruitment blow up following the early signing period. He backed off his commitment from the Blazers on December 20th and was offered by 12 power five programs between December 20th and January 24th. Among those additional offers were Iowa, Nebraska, and TCU.

In his recruitment, it seemed that Mississippi State held the edge following their offer for the longest time and they were the last official visit he made of his recruitment, taking a trip to Starkville on January 25th. However, it appears that his official visit on January 18th to The Flats helped set the tone for the next few weeks of his recruitment. Another note of substance is that his lead recruiter at Mississippi State, Brian Baker, left the Bulldogs to join Alabama. That move could also have played a role in Lockhart’s recruitment.

At 6-foot-5 and 264-pounds, Lockhart is a little small for a defensive tackle, which will make it interesting to see if the Jackets keep him there or move him to defensive end, where his size makes a bit more sense. Currently, 247Sports’s composite rankings have him as a fringe top-1000 player nationally and the 71st best defensive tackle in the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Lockhart is the lone defensive tackle of the 2019 recruiting class but the third defensive lineman overall. He joins early signees Sylvian Youndjean and D’Quon Douse. With the Jackets set to lose two defensive tackles following the 2019 season, it would make sense for the Jackets to add Lockhart at the defensive tackle position.

With that being said, the Jackets have also landed a tremendous athlete in Lockhart. Lockhart, is a multi-sport athlete, also playing basketball for Huffman High School. That being said, on the football field, Lockhart also was a tight end. Still, a rather raw prospect, Lockhart’s athleticism should be a great asset for himself and the Jackets going forward.

Once he officially sends in his letter of intent, Lockhart will be the fourth 2019 recruit to sign with the Jackets on Wednesday. He joins WR Nazir Burnett, LB Cornelius Evans, and RB Jamious Griffin. Transfer wide receiver Marquez Ezzard also officially joined the program on Wednesday.