2013 4-Star Outside Linebacker Alex Anzalone Decommits From Ohio State

Why the sudden change?

Linebacker Alex Anzalone made his third visit to Ohio State less than two months ago, when he attended the Buckeyes’ spring game on April 21. At that time he gave the Ohio State staff the good news that he was commitment No. 11 for Urban Meyer’s 2013 recruiting class.

The commitment did not last long.

“I de-committed from Ohio State,” Anzalone told Irish Sports Daily this afternoon. “Right now I'm digesting everything"

This is pretty dire news for Buckeye fans because when asked if he is still considering Ohio State, Anzalone said, “Not really.”

The 6'3" and 220-pound Anzalone had committed to the Buckeyes over approximately 30 other scholarship offers. Anzalone also said that he is considering five schools right now. Those schools are Penn State, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford and Florida.

As to why he is no longer an Ohio State commitment, Anzalone did not want to expound. Anzalone is the No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania, the country’s No. 97 overall prospect and the No. 6 outside linebacker.

Anzalone's decision is very shocking to say the least. This decommit has come out of nowhere. I have to agree with Eleven Warriors on the subject of the recent "Eric Charles Waugh" case. Like they said, there's no evidence to prove that it was the reason for the changing of Anzalone's mind, but can't have helped the situation any. 

Now, with the recent Lewis Neal news that he is looking at LSU, it means the Buckeyes will need to get back to work recruiting linebackers for their 2013 class. They have gone from commitments from two outstanding linebackers to no solid commitments at the position at this point.

The only good thing that could possibly come out of losing two linebackers back to back would be to land one of the top linebackers in the country: Jaylon Smith

3-Star OLB Lewis Neal Decommits From Ohio State

3-star outside linebacker commit Lewis Neal, who had just committed last week at the spring game, was offered by LSU today, and is opening his recruitment back up by committing from Ohio State. 

Lewis is still considering the Buckeyes, but with the recent offer from LSU, Neal's recruitment is about to heat up across the country. 

Here's what Neal had to say via Silver Bullet Recruiting:

"I don't know my scholarship is open he said (Coach Meyer), so I guess I'm not committed anymore, but I still consider them. I just don't think I was ready yet and took the right amount of time to think on my decision to be honest." 

"I just want people to understand what I'm going through that's all! It's hard! And I need time to think! I'm really still considering them though."

This leaves the Ohio State class at 12 total commits for the 2013 class. While Neal did change his mind, I think that this recruitment will still be open. If Urban and the rest of the recruiting staff like what they see more of next season at linebacker, they're going to go after him harder than anyone else.

We wish Neal the best of luck in his recruitment.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics. 

2013 3-Star OLB Lewis Neal Commits To Ohio State

Neal is the 13th commitment in the Class of '13

After landing a commitment from Alex Anzalone on Saturday and Joey Bosa earlier today, Urban Meyer has done it again as the Buckeyes’ boss has landed a star linebacker.

Lewis Neal announced on Twitter that he has picked the Bucks, making him the 13th commitment in the Class of 2013.

Neal committed to the Buckeyes earlier this afternoon, almost minutes after Joey Bosa had given his verbal commit to the Buckeyes.

After attending the Ohio State Spring Game on Saturday, rumors were floating around that Neal could commit to the Buckeyes before heading home on Sunday.

Obviously, it happened a little later than expected, but either way the Buckeyes have landed a solid player at the linebacker spot. Neal might even be considered underrated, while he's only 3 stars according to 247Sports, but he has started to shine at recent football camps.

The 6'2", 235-pound Neal has played mostly defensive end during his high school career. He played on the Hunt varsity during the second half of his freshman season. After a good sophomore season Neal was outstanding as a junior.

Despite missing three games, Neal made 88 tackles including eight sacks last season as Hunt finished 13-1 and made it to the regional finals.

Neal had ten scholarship offers before selecting the Buckeyes over Tennessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Clemson, East Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest.

Neal will most likely play linebacker for the Buckeyes. With Courtney Love committing to Nebraska over the weekend, this looks like a solid fill-in for Ohio State. 

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics.