Indianapolis, Indiana, Cathedral four-star outside linebacker Pete Werner has committed to Ohio State. The news was first reported by 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong on Sunday afternoon.
Extremely excited to commit to The Ohio State University! pic.twitter.com/RausvmV6HR
— Pete Werner (@petewerner23) December 11, 2016
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is considered the second-best player in the state and the No. 17 outside linebacker in the Class of 2017. A one-time Notre Dame commit, Werner picked the Fighting Irish in March over more than two dozen offers from programs such as Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State Penn State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin.
The Werner File
- Class: 2017
- Size: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
- Pos: LB
- School: Cathedral (Mount Vernon, Indiana)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 17 (OLB)
Werner seemed solid in his pledge, but that all changed following his unofficial visit to Columbus for the Nov. 26 game against Michigan. All signs then began pointing toward Columbus and the four-star made the return trip this weekend for an official visit.
An in-home visit from former Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell — combined with Notre Dame's disastrous 4-8 season — played a role in his decision to decommit two weeks ago.
Werner becomes the 17th member of Ohio State's Big Ten-best 2017 recruiting class, joining fellow linebacker Baron Browning of Kennedale, Texas.
Eleven Warriors will have more on Werner's pledge soon.
