One of the few splash signings by Geoff Collins and his staff were able to make in the limited time after getting hired was Mike Lockhart out of Birmingham. Lockhart was a top 20 player in the state of Alabama and a bit of a project at the time since he was new to playing football. He picked Tech over UNC and Mississippi State at the time.
In 2021 Lockhart started two games but only played 169 snaps in 12 games in part due to the mid-season switch to the odd front scheme.
Over the course of three seasons, Lockhart logged 468 snaps, 27 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
Lockhart is the third defensive linemen to leave the program in recent weeks joining starting defensive ends Jared Ivey (who signed with Ole Miss) and Jordan Domineck. He is also the third player to enter the portal in the last 72 hours.
