With the commitment of four-star athlete Terry Lockett (6-0, 175), Michigan State is getting a versatile playmaker with the physical qualities necessary to impact the game on either side of the ball according to his high school football coach Chris Goodwin.
“The best way to describe him isn’t the positions that he plays,” said Goodwin. “He’s a great playmaker, period. He has the natural ability to be around the ball and make great plays around the ball.”
When he begins his Michigan State career, Lockett will likely start out on offense at wide receiver, a position at which he caught 53 passes for 1030 yards and 14 touchdowns as a high school senior at Minneapolis (MN) Minnehaha Academy.
“He’s a great wide receiver,” Goodwin said. “He’s fast and he’s got the best hands that I’ve ever seen and I’ve been coaching 20 years. He can catch anything. He makes a lot of one-handed catches. He had two one-handed catches for touchdowns this year.”
Goodwin compares Lockett to University of Minnesota star Tyler Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound All-Big Ten selection with an NFL future.
“When other coaches ask me who Terry is like, I compare him to Tyler,” Goodwin said. “When Tyler was in high school he would practice against us in the summer during 7-on-7’s. Back then, he was really similar player to Terry. The only difference I’d point out is that Terry has even better hands than Tyler did at the same age.”
In recent recruiting classes, Michigan State has struggled to sign make-you-miss wide receivers with home run ability. Adding Lockett, a four-star prospect ranked No. 2 in Minnesota and No. 6 nationally at the catch-all position of athlete, should improve Michigan State’s explosive-play potential on offense.
“He is so explosive and so good at making guys miss, that he is a weapon on bubble screens,” Goodwin said. “You throw him a bubble screen, and boom he is gone. This season he averaged almost 23 yards per catch. On bubble screen passes, he averaged something ridiculous like 17 yards a catch.”
PATH TO MICHIGAN STATE
Lockett accumulated Big Ten scholarship offers from Michigan State, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Rutgers and Purdue before committing the Spartans on Sunday evening. Lockett was also offered by Cincinnati and Vanderbilt.
Ohio State did not offer, but showed substantial interest in Lockett as a cornerback.
“He had a lot schools recruiting him and he narrowed things down pretty early,” Goodwin said. “Michigan State, Nebraska, and Purdue were in it until the end, and I think that Vanderbilt was in there as well.”
Michigan State offensive coordinator Brad Salem, who recruits Minnesota for the Spartans, made Lockett an early recruiting priority in the Class of 2020. The Spartans started taking a serious look at Lockett during his junior year while he was playing football in Ohio at St. John High School in Ashtabula. A two-sport standout in football and basketball, Lockett played basketball at SPIRE Institute and was a teammate of current Spartan freshman Rocket Watts while living in Ohio as a junior.
Lockett moved back to Minnesota before his senior season and re-enrolled at Minnehaha Academy where he’d played football and basketball through his sophomore year and won a state championship in football before leaving for Ohio.
“Michigan State has been recruiting him for a while,” Goodwin said. “I know that they were recruiting him last year. They like his versatility. He can play a lot of different spots. He could play corner as well as wide receiver. The thing they like most about him is his playmaking ability, his athleticism. When you look at his skillset as a receiver, it starts with his hands. He has great hands, and he has a knack for getting open.”
POTENTIAL FOR EARLY IMPACT
Lockett’s multi-position versatility could help him get on field as a true freshman. His capacity to impact game, however, extends beyond offense or defense.
“I think he’ll be in the mix right away because he can contribute as a punt returner,” Goodwin said. “Obviously, he needs to get bigger and stronger just like any freshman. But speed-wise and hands-wise, he can make an impact immediately.”
As a senior, Lockett played multiple receiver positions, as his coaches moved him around as a counter to double teams he routinely faced.
Lockett turned in one of his best games in a playoff match-up against No. 1 ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s. On offense, Lockett caught eight passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, Lockett was instrumental in containing Benilde St. Margaret’s top receiving option.
“When we played for the section championship against Benilde-St. Margaret’s he was the difference maker,” Goodwin said. “At that time, they were the No. 1 ranked team and we are No. 2. He had a huge day receiving. He made some huge catches and also had a great game at corner covering their star wide receiver.”
While facing double teams as a senior, Lockett played with poise and impressed his coaches with his maturity.
“He had a great attitude about all of the double teams and we did everything we could to give him the best chance to make plays,” Goodwin said. “We moved him around all over the place. He played in the slot and he played outside. We ran him in reverses and we ran a ton of bubble screens for him.”
It became apparent early in the season that opponents weren’t going to let Lockett beat them without a fight.
“We tried to get him in one-on-one situations as much as we could by using different formations and that sort of thing,” Goodwin said. “We had to do it that way because he draws so many double teams. Never ending double teams. We had formations where we had two tight ends and a fullback and he’d be the only receiver and they’d still put a double team on him. And he’d still make big catches.”
To maximize his potential at the next level, Lockett needs to add good weight and get stronger.
“He definitely has to get a little bit bigger and stronger,” Goodwin said. “Speed-wise and hands-wise, he is good to go.”
Lockett must also learn Michigan State's playbook on offense before he can impact the game beyond special teams. That shouldn’t, however, be too much of a hurdle for Lockett, who has a good football IQ.
“He has a good football IQ and he understands his position,” Goodwin said. “Playing wide receiver helps him at a corner and vice versa. At receiver, he understands where the soft spots in the coverage are going to be and he has a good feel for how his man is trying to cover him.”
Lockett possesses a good demeanor for success at the next level.
“He has always been a real level-headed mature kid,” Goodwin said. “He doesn’t say too much. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s more of a leader this year. He’s a guy that leads by example."