Tyler Lockett, the star receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, has become a special guest for the Bainbridge Spartans in recent years.

He first made an appearance on Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, he stepped onto the Spartans’ field for the first time, showing the high school football team some tips about the game.

Lockett returned to Bainbridge Sept, 14, the day after the return of former quarterback Russell Wilson and the emotional 17-16 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

The relationship between Lockett and the Spartans began with Lance Odermat, owner of Brown Bear Car Wash. Odermat has worked with Lockett for sponsorships and commercials for his business. Since Odermat’s son, Charlie, is on the varsity football team for Bainbridge High School, Lockett has become a special guest coach for the Spartans.

“He put his cleats on and showed us drills in 2021,” BHS coach Jeff Rouser said. “We talked about offense, and he gave us some points on how defenders should defend. He’s just a great teacher. His agent was pressing me but Tyler didn’t want to go; he was into it.”

Although Lockett did not lace up his cleats this year, he still made an impact on the Spartans’ offense. After watching the starting offense run plays, he decided to share his thoughts on how to adapt the play.

For example, Lockett installed a new version of one of the Spartans’ plays based on a trips formation. The new version includes the outside wide receiver running a slant curl, the second receiver running a deep corner and the inner receiver running a swing route.

“He’s a Top 10 receiver in the NFL and an intelligent and great role model,” Rouser said. “He showed us what goes through his mindset of a defender and what he does based on situations.”

After sprinkling some new ideas to the offense and playing some cornerback and linebacker, Lockett spread some wisdom on how to get to his level.

“The biggest thing is to be great where you are,” Lockett said. “As a senior, you got your senior year and possibly three to five more years of college. You got to be able to learn how to be great and before you know it, NFL sneaks up on you.”

Lockett also added that seniors should not worry about the college lifestyle.

“A lot of it has to do with learning how to be able to get adjusted,” Lockett said. “You have an idea of how it will be and then you find out it’s like being a freshman in high school. You are learning the ropes, and you have to find the right people to push you.”

Lockett’s wisdom and expertise rubbed off on the Spartan football players. “You can see how fired up the players were,” Rouser said. “They loved it, especially after what happened last night” in the upset of Denver.

Tyler Lockett watched the Bainbridge starters running their offense at practice.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett surprised the Bainbridge Spartans players by showing up and coaching the offense. Nicholas Zeller-Singh/Bainbridge Review Photos