The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their Buckeye careers as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
While linebacker wasn't a huge need for the Buckeye defense, it was known for some time that the staff was likely to bring in a pair at the position for the 2017 class. Antjuan Simmons long looked to be one of those players, but things went south between the Ann Arbor product and Ohio State which ultimately led to a decommitment and pledge to the Spartans of Michigan State.
The Werner File
CLASS: 2017
SIZE: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
POS: LB
SCHOOL: Cathedral (Indianapolis, IN)
COMPOSITE RANKING: ★★★★
COMPOSITE RANK: 14 (ILB)
Around the time the Buckeyes lost Simmons, interest was picking up between the staff and four-star Indianapolis (Cathedral) linebacker Pete Werner. Werner received a Buckeye offer in late February but would go on to commit to Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish in March of 2016.
After the Irish pledge, all was pretty quiet on the Werner front. He made a half dozen trips to Notre Dame throughout his senior year and had the privilege of watching the Irish sputter through a 4-8 season. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes' focus was mostly on the Texas duo of Baron Browning and Anthony Hines.
The four-star made an unofficial visit to Columbus for the Michigan game and was visited by Luke Fickell the following week. Just one day after the visit, Werner elected to decommit from Notre Dame. At that point, the writing was on the wall that Ohio State could be on the verge of landing a relatively new name to most who had been following Buckeye recruiting.
In the midst of the Werner decommit, the Buckeyes added a huge piece in the aforementioned Baron Browning. Following the departure of Simmons, the five-star Texan became the lone linebacker in the class. His status as the only linebacker pledge would be short-lived, however.
Things moved quickly after the decommitment. Crystal ball picks instantly started flying in Ohio State's direction, especially when the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder scheduled an official visit for Dec. 9. Werner made the trip to Columbus with his family in tow and would end up pulling the trigger on Dec. 11. Just like that, the Buckeyes had a pair at the position and the 2017 linebacker search came to a close.
Extremely excited to commit to The Ohio State University! pic.twitter.com/RausvmV6HR
— Pete Werner (@petewerner23) December 11, 2016
Werner made the call for the Buckeyes the day after news broke of Luke Fickell heading to Cincinnati. While the two parties had developed a greta relationship, Werner and his family still felt that Ohio State was the best place for him to develop and excel.
The Buckeyes are in need of someone to fill the void in the middle following the departure of Raekwon McMillan. While right now it looks like Dante Booker could slide to the inside, the depth at inside linebacker is a bit of a concern. Tuf Borland may be able to provide some depth as a redshirt freshman, but Bill Davis and Co. are still looking for more.
Werner is a unique player because he looks like someone who could play any of the three linebacker spots, and is absolutely more versatile than a player like Antjuan Simmons. Early in his high school career, he played in the defensive backfield before transitioning to linebacker full time for his senior season.
Ohio State fans should count on at least one of Werner and Browning ending up on the inside. Browning is more of a physical freak with a college-ready build, while Werner brings toughness, athleticism, and solid tackling skills. He recorded 109 tackles in his career to go along with six forced fumbles. As a senior, Werner totaled 17 tackles for a loss and eight sacks.
He also comes from some good bloodlines. His father, Greg, played in the NFL for both the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. His older brother, Dan, is a tight end at Harvard.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he possesses good size heading into college. However, getting with Mickey Marotti and packing on some additional pounds will likely be the focus early on. Browning has the luxury of already being on campus as an early enrollee whereas Werner will have to wait until this summer to get things underway.
It is likely that he sees a redshirt season for 2017, but the potential departures following the season could certainly open the doors for more playing time in 2018. Chris Worley will be gone following next season, and Jerome Baker is a player who could potentially opt for the NFL Draft.
Werner could find himself on special teams duties early in his career before battling guys like Justin Hilliard, Tuf Borland, Keandre Jones, and Malik Harrison for one of the linebacking spots a bit further down the road.
