'17 IN OLB Pete Werner (Ohio State Verbal)

[IrishLion]

No, it can't. Thye used permanent internet code.

We are also unable to change "Notre Dame, Signed LOI" or "Notre Dame Signee" to, for example, "Notre Dame, class of 2017." Just can't be done.

Wouldn't it technically be "Notre Dame, Class of 2021" once they're in?

 

[BeauBenken]

Still listed as a commit on the front page with the other 2017 recruits. Can that be fixed?

I'm trying to figure it out. You're not the only one it bugs.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Wouldn't it technically be "Notre Dame, Class of 2021" once they're in?

Yes. Exactly. It was just an example. Mike McGlinchey would be Class of 2017.

The advantage would be it would be useful forever.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Still listed as a commit on the front page with the other 2017 recruits. Can that be fixed?

Needs to be replaced with Jafar Armstrong.

 

[BobbyMac]

Sad read from Land of Ten. Makes me want to puke. Hope this version is not true either. You'll remember the first supposed reason he decommitted was the staff stopped contacting him.

I also bolded the part about Dad and his NFL experience. Opens the door that Dad may see NFL in his son and pushed him to Columbus because ND's D was a mess. I mean no program in history under utilized a 6 Star LB like the Irish did Jaylon. Add to that it was Mom who wanted him to stay committed to ND... NOT Mom AND Dad and one could definitely read it that way, I do.

Lastly, I bolded his run in with the Institutional Bag Man. Hey Plank... Lil help!

https://www.landof10.com/ohio-state/pete-werner-ohio-state-profile-2017

INDIANAPOLIS — Watching the way Pete Werner effortlessly completes a Mickey Marotti-prescribed workout, it’s not hard to see what Ohio State likes about the 4-star linebacker.

A top-300 prospect, Werner hails from one of Indiana’s top high school programs, Indianapolis Cathedral, and possesses the athleticism and versatility that could allow him to play multiple positions at the next level.

In high school, the quarterback-turned cornerback-turned safety-turned linebacker with an NFL pedigree spends his springs as a part of Cathedral’s 4×400 track relay team, which recently qualified for a state championship appearance.

It’s not yet clear which position the 6-foot-3, 220-pound signee will be best suited for in his career with the Buckeyes, but it’s apparent the pieces are there. And whether it be Darron Lee or Sam Hubbard, Urban Meyer has had a habit of molding players who possess such promise.

“Right now I’m pretty locked into linebacker,” Werner told Land of 10 during a recent visit to Cathedral. “But I’m willing to play whatever’s best for the team.”

Werner’s recruitment, however, wasn’t as simple as Ohio State identifying him as a perfect fit for its program. The Buckeyes had plenty to prove in their pursuit of Indiana’s second-ranked player — and it wasn’t with the pitch they’ve become accustomed to selling on the recruiting trail.

All A’s

The standard that Greg and Nancy Werner set for Pete, his older sister Ellen, older brother Dan and younger brother Tom wasn’t one that needed to be directed, so much as it was inherently implied: The four Werner kids would receive all A’s on their report cards, no exceptions.

“Academics were always very important to me,” says Greg. “That was always instilled in our children. I don’t know that we had a lot to say about it. They just knew that was the way it was.”

Whether it was in card games or while playing in the backyard, the four Werner children were competitive, but close. Academics, however, always came first, which manifested itself in Ellen recently graduating from DePauw and Dan receiving a football scholarship to attend Harvard.

For Greg, an inductee into the DePauw Athletics Hall of Fame who spent the 1989 NFL season as a tight end with the New York Jets, athletics served as a means for his kids to attend the best colleges they possibly could.

“That’s what we did with my oldest son,” says Greg, who now runs his own orthodontics practice. “He was a very good student, but probably not good enough to get into Harvard just on his own merits because it’s essentially impossible to get in there. We started to do that with Pete, too, but then the doors started opening up. Essentially when it was all said and done, he could have gone to any school he wanted to.”

Greg had long known that his middle son was especially gifted athletically.

When he had coached Pete’s youth football team, he once witnessed his third-grade son punctuate a long touchdown run with a front flip. On the defensive side of the ball, he routinely made other kids cry with his hard hits, only to help pick them up afterward.

“At a young age, he was the best player at every position on the field,” Greg says.

That wouldn’t change as Pete got older.

Original plans

After two successful seasons on the varsity team at Indiana’s Mount Vernon High School, Werner transferred to Cathedral, but a broken ankle prevented him from practicing much prior to the start of his junior season. After Werner missed the Irish’s season opener and saw only limited action against perennial power Cincinnati Moeller in Week 2, Cathedral head coach Rick Streiff converted his newest linebacker into a backside safety while preparing for Mishawaka High School and its option offense.

From there, it didn’t take long for Streiff to realize he had a special player on his hands.

“It was like, ‘OK, man, there’s a guy here,’ ” Streiff remembers thinking. “He basically played that spot the rest of the year. We put him on an island at times, he’d play some man coverage. In space, this kid was special.”

As Werner earned all-state honors, the offers began to pour in. From October 2015 to February 2016, he received more than 20 scholarship offers from Division I programs.

Despite the widespread attention, Werner limited his interest to a specific set of schools, prioritizing academics as much as athletics. In a February 2016 interview with the Indianapolis Star, he even indicated that he would commit to Stanford on the spot, should the Cardinal offer him a scholarship.

“That was back when I wasn’t very good at interviews,” he jokes now.

The offer from Stanford eventually came, but it was too late. On March 21 last year, Werner committed to Notre Dame.

With nearly 10 months to go until signing day, the 4-star prospect considered his recruitment over, even canceling a planned visit to one of the bigger schools to have offered him: Ohio State.

“My original plan was to never de-commit because I thought that was bad,” Werner says. “But I say some things I will not do and I wind up doing them.”

‘There’s a lot of life left after football’

Werner visited Notre Dame three times in the first seven weeks of the 2016 season, but it wasn’t the start of the Fighting Irish’s disappointing 4-8 campaign that soured him on a future in South Bend. Rather, he said, it was the negative energy that emanated from the program’s players during his visits that caused him to consider looking elsewhere.

“I was on a visit and stayed with the players and they didn’t have good things to say about the program,” he said. “I’m a freshman and they’re juniors and seniors. Going into a program, am I going to go there for four years and not like what I’m doing?”

All the while, Ohio State had not only stayed in touch with Werner, who played more of a linebacker role as a senior at Cathedral, but increased its efforts. Despite pleading from his mom and sister to stick to his commitment, Werner agreed to visit Columbus for the Buckeyes’ regular-season finale vs. Michigan.

“My mom hated the idea of de-committing,” Werner says. “She wasn’t even going to go on the (Ohio State) visit because she didn’t like it at all.”

Nancy, however, relented, and in the locker room after Ohio State’s double-overtime, College Football Playoff-clinching victory, the Werners were approached by an older man who complimented Pete on his Patagonia jacket, before joking that he had a version with a different logo on it.

Pete Werner on his visit at Ohio State with his brother Dan (Werner family photo).
“Who was that?” Werner asked his parents.

He was embarrassed to realize it was Phil Knight, the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike.

That moment, however, stuck with Werner as he weighed the academic merits of Ohio State. Ohio State is a good school, but it doesn’t possess the same academic reputation of a Notre Dame, Stanford, California-Berkley or Northwestern. And thanks largely to his father’s experience, Werner had more than a path to the NFL in mind when it came to choosing a school.

“I was fortunate enough to play in the NFL. But because of injury and circumstance, my career was cut short after only a season,” Greg Werner says. “There’s a lot of life left after football.”

But as Pete considered his desired major — commercial real estate — he became impressed by Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business, which U.S. News & World Report ranks as a top-20 undergraduate program. Factor in the culture Meyer has cultivated with programs such as Real Life Wednesdays and Werner was confident the Buckeyes indeed had the bigger picture in mind.

If they didn’t, Werner says he wouldn’t have committed to Ohio State, which he did on Dec. 11, 2016 — two weeks after de-committing from the Fighting Irish.

“If they did not do that academically, I wouldn’t have looked at it,” Werner said of OSU. “I’m not just going to commit to a school because they have a good football program. It’s more than that.”

When Werner officially faxed in his letter of intent on National Signing Day, it was to a school he may not have initially seriously considered, but one that wound up being a perfect fit.

For the Buckeyes, the feeling was mutual.

“He will flourish in their culture as I’ve seen it as an outsider looking in, and knowing what I know a little bit on the inside,” said Streiff, who also coached current Buckeyes receiver Terry McLaurin at Cathedral. “He thrives on the competition and he thrives on that mindset of, ‘Let’s roll our sleeves up and go to work.’ ”

Indianapolis Cathedral head coach Rick Streiff : “He has an elite mindset without the ‘5-star, look-at-me’ attitude. ‘What do you need me to do?’ He played on our special teams and our kickoff team all season long. He was by far our leading tackler on our kickoff team. Absolutely, by far. I could see him doing all that stuff (at Ohio State). He’ll do all the dirty work. ‘Just tell me what you need me to do.’

On what Ohio State saw in Werner: “The tenacity to play the game, his ability to run, his ability to fit into the culture and do the things to compete. Just all those things.”

 

[IrishLion]

Jesus. That's probably all kinds of recruiting ammo being used against ND, and it's probably spread behind the scenes like a wild fire.

I wonder if it's a true issue, or if it is/was a few bad eggs spoiling the bunch.

 

[zelezo vlk]

The team needed a strong leader last year to help control the locker room. I hope we see better leadership this next year.

 

[dublinirish]

Sounds like Malik Zaire causing trouble..

 

[Rack Em]

The team needed a strong leader last year to help control the locker room. I hope we see better leadership this next year.

That's directly on Kelly. Leadership starts at the top and he displayed an exception lack of it last year.

 

[Wild Bill]

If you really listen to what the players are saying this off season about the coaching changes, strength program and Kelly's increased contact with players, his comments shouldn't strike you as odd. I'm sure the players were pissed about the direction of the program and were apparently willing to discuss it openly behind closed doors.

 

[ACamp1900]

That's directly on Kelly. Leadership starts at the top and he displayed an exception lack of it last year.

Yeah I think it's fair to question if things got stale over the last couple seasons... if so let's hope the new staff members clear the air.

 

[Meatloaf]

That's directly on Kelly. Leadership starts at the top and he displayed an exception lack of it last year.

I would love nothing more than for ND to completely turn things around this year, but I keep coming back to the conclusion that we stopped one firing short of doing that.

 

[Luckylucci]

I think we all know there was some cancers on the team last year, or just an overall lack of leadership from some of the disgruntled upperclassmen. However, I'm not entirely sure I believe all of Pete's story or his "stories". Seems like a great kid, from a great family but in the midst of visiting ND for every home game, he tells the media that he wasn't getting any communication, or "enough" from the coaches. I think there is some truth, and some excuses to make this sound better.

Drew White and David Adams, have said endlessly how much Elston was in contact with them throughout their recruitments. So we are to think he just didn't call Werner? Not sure I believe all of this.

 

[BobbyMac]

Jesus. That's probably all kinds of recruiting ammo being used against ND, and it's probably spread behind the scenes like a wild fire.

I wonder if it's a true issue, or if it is/was a few bad eggs spoiling the bunch.

Sure it's being used just as ND tells EVERY African American kid that they graduate 87% of AA's vs 40/50% at the other schools recruiting them. Everything's on the table in recruiting. Facts are facts, rumors are facts.

But with the complete over haul of the staff including B&B in the S&C, the majority of the ammo is worthless. There's a reason why you see so much complimentary love being spread by the players. 1. It's true 2. The program is pushing the new truth so that everyone can see the problem is fixed.




.

 

[IrishLion]

Sure it's being used just as ND tells EVERY African American kid that they graduate 87% of AA's vs 40/50% at the other schools recruiting them. Everything's on the table in recruiting. Facts are facts, rumors are facts.

Right, and I have no problem with it. It's just a shame that it's even there to be used in the first place. Even if it's all true, and everybody's disgruntled, you're supposed to put on the "Company Man" face to the public and recruits, and keep the garbage in-house.

Apparently some guys on the team (hopefully they're gone) didn't abide by the unspoken rules. I'd use it as ammo too, if I coached an opposing team.

But with the complete over haul of the staff including B&B in the S&C, the majority of the ammo is worthless. There's a reason why you see so much complimentary love being spread by the players. 1. It's true 2. The program is pushing the new truth so that everyone can see the problem is fixed.

It's now worthless to us, because we know the changes are being made, but it's not worthless to the opposition yet, as the results have to speak for themselves, as you mentioned. Another cycle of official visitors needs the opportunity to put out the good word.

And even if the issues are fixed, that quote can always be dug up and twisted to, "see what BK lets happen? How long until his players mutiny again?"


*NOTE: It wouldn't surprise me one bit if this were embellished, like Lucky said, but there has to be some truth to the ugliness, considering other things we've heard and learned concerning "veteran" players and recruiting hosts. And it's a shame that it got to that point. Every program has some bad eggs that would complain, but it seems ND's issues went beyond that.

 

[Irish#1]

Jesus. That's probably all kinds of recruiting ammo being used against ND, and it's probably spread behind the scenes like a wild fire.

I wonder if it's a true issue, or if it is/was a few bad eggs spoiling the bunch.

Hard to tell. Who did he hang with on his visits?

 

[BobbyMac]

Hard to tell. Who did he hang with on his visits?

STILL your fault. You had but one job, #1. Your bag was obviously smaller than Uncle Phil's.

 

[IrishLax]

Going to be really funny looking back on that interview when he eventually transfers or drops football.

 

[NDShark]

Going to be really funny looking back on that interview when he eventually transfers or drops football.

Or becomes a commercial real estate mogul!

 

[BobbyMac]

Going to be really funny looking back on that interview when he eventually transfers or drops football.

Official prediction? Grad transfer count?

 

[ACamp1900]

Going to be really funny looking back on that interview when he eventually transfers or drops football.

I have him beating us in a bowl or playoff game when we all look back on it, and it not being funny in the slightest... but otherwise, my thoughts exactly.

 

[IrishLax]

Official prediction? Grad transfer count?

Yes, and yes.

Look, I don't know anything about this kid. I've made scarce few posts on him in this thread except for some snide jokes when he was offered and when he was decommitting. If I've ever watched his film, I don't remember it.

Reading the article you posted, I was pretty intrigued so I went back and did a little more reading on him from when we recruited him through his signing with Ohio State. I'd say the odds are strong he's a very successful person in life. I also don't doubt his comments about "negative energy" for a second, and I don't fault anyone who jumped ship last year at the end of that shit show. I'm shocked they kept the class together as well as they did.

If he was going to Stanford, I could definitely see him developing into a great player too. I don't see that happening at Ohio State. I think they got sold a bill of goods. I think -- like you said -- he was basically pushed to Ohio State for "football first" reasons because ND was a dumpster fire. For all of Urban Meyer's window dressing, here's the truth:
1. There aren't a lot of high academic kids on that team, so the idea that he will "flourish in that culture" athletically seems odd. Sam Hubbard is an exception not the rule... can anyone here name another academically elite white guy on Ohio State?
2. Urban Meyer processes players who are injured or aren't performing. Werner's had two hip surgeries already. What happens if he has another injury? Ask Jamel Dean about what it's like to be a Buckeye that isn't recovering as fast as expected.
3. I'm not saying this is a David Perkins kind of situation, but there's some weird cross-talk on some of this stuff and does anyone really know how exactly he's viewed by Ohio State? Unless you are on firm footing with Urban Meyer, you can become processed at the drop of a hat to make room for the "next guy"... Werner is one of the lowest rated LBs they've signed in recent classes.
4. Guys who play out the recruiting game like this are rarely successful. I don't mean decommitting, I mean dishing in the media after making a decision. When he first decommitted, he tried to blame it on the coaches for "not contacting him." Then he completely flips his story months later and blames it on "bad vibes" he got from players. Which is it? Was he lying then or now? Most kids thank the coaches at the program that they're leaving for the opportunity, and then never say another word about their previous school/players/coaches. Guys who do what Donovan Jeter and Pete Werner have done are rare, and it's usually a legitimate red flag. Guys that do what Adebo did... taking care of business silently... are usually much more successful. Same applies to people who play that fake-out hat game like Savon Huggins. At best, it's immaturity. At worst, they're getting terrible guidance and don't have a good support structure. So what happens when he's buried on the depth chart for a couple years at Ohio State? Or has an injury? Or doesn't fit well with teammates?

 

[Luckylucci]

Yes, and yes.

Look, I don't know anything about this kid. I've made scarce few posts on him in this thread except for some snide jokes when he was offered and when he was decommitting. If I've ever watched his film, I don't remember it.

Reading the article you posted, I was pretty intrigued so I went back and did a little more reading on him from when we recruited him through his signing with Ohio State. I'd say the odds are strong he's a very successful person in life. I also don't doubt his comments about "negative energy" for a second, and I don't fault anyone who jumped ship last year at the end of that shit show. I'm shocked they kept the class together as well as they did.

If he was going to Stanford, I could definitely see him developing into a great player too. I don't see that happening at Ohio State. I think they got sold a bill of goods. I think -- like you said -- he was basically pushed to Ohio State for "football first" reasons because ND was a dumpster fire. For all of Urban Meyer's window dressing, here's the truth:
1. There aren't a lot of high academic kids on that team, so the idea that he will "flourish in that culture" athletically seems odd. Sam Hubbard is an exception not the rule... can anyone here name another academically elite white guy on Ohio State?
2. Urban Meyer processes players who are injured or aren't performing. Werner's had two hip surgeries already. What happens if he has another injury? Ask Jamel Dean about what it's like to be a Buckeye that isn't recovering as fast as expected.
3. I'm not saying this is a David Perkins kind of situation, but there's some weird cross-talk on some of this stuff and does anyone really know how exactly he's viewed by Ohio State? Unless you are on firm footing with Urban Meyer, you can become processed at the drop of a hat to make room for the "next guy"... Werner is one of the lowest rated LBs they've signed in recent classes.
4. Guys who play out the recruiting game like this are rarely successful. I don't mean decommitting, I mean dishing in the media after making a decision. When he first decommitted, he tried to blame it on the coaches for "not contacting him." Then he completely flips his story months later and blames it on "bad vibes" he got from players. Which is it? Was he lying then or now? Most kids thank the coaches at the program that they're leaving for the opportunity, and then never say another word about their previous school/players/coaches. Guys who do what Donovan Jeter and Pete Werner have done are rare, and it's usually a legitimate red flag. Guys that do what Adebo did... taking care of business silently... are usually much more successful. Same applies to people who play that fake-out hat game like Savon Huggins. At best, it's immaturity. At worst, they're getting terrible guidance and don't have a good support structure. So what happens when he's buried on the depth chart for a couple years at Ohio State? Or has an injury? Or doesn't fit well with teammates?

Reps, per usual, Lax killed it with this post.

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What's <a href="https://twitter.com/OSUCoachMeyer">@OSUCoachMeyer</a> been the most pleased with out of his <a href="https://twitter.com/OhioStateFB">@OhioStateFB</a> team so far in fall camp? <a href="https://t.co/et7SCnLOuK">https://t.co/et7SCnLOuK</a></p>— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) <a href="https://twitter.com/OhioStateOnBTN/status/893951307488174080">August 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Urbie said he wants Werner to play as a freshman

 

[NDVirginia19]

:/

 

[beryirish]

forgot about this guy -- sucks

 

[Sherm Sticky]

 

[BobbyMac]

Runner up for favorite prospect in 2017 behind Dillon.

In the end, not sure how much losing him will matter, Tranquill's playing his spot this year and next year I've got Simon pegged at Buck going forward.

Got a litttle clock in Columbus as a rook:

6-3/235 ... 11 G ... 9 tkl ... 0.5 TFL

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Schiano on LBs: We feel v forutnate we have great depth. Werner, Browning and Harrison will start. Said several others will play.</p>— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/brdispatch/status/1034112023003586561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[NDIrish88]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Schiano on LBs: We feel v forutnate we have great depth. Werner, Browning and Harrison will start. Said several others will play.</p>— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/brdispatch/status/1034112023003586561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Over Keandre Jones! Ouch!