ND Offer Big Step For Werner
Pete Werner has seen his recruiting profile pick up in a major way so far this year, but the 2017 Indianapolis linebacker admits the offer he landed from Notre Dame on Tuesday was a big one.
“I was actually coming home from an afterschool workout and my coach wanted me to call Coach (Mike) Elston,” the Indianapolis native explained.
“I did and he passed the phone over to Coach (Brian) Kelly and he let me know.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder from Cathedral High School has grabbed offers from Duke, Nebraska, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa State already in 2016 to go with earlier offers from Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Purdue and Northwestern.
The Irish offer clearly means a lot.
“It was great,” he said. “I was very excited. It was just a great feeling. It’s a big step for me.
“They’ve got not only a great football program, but a great academic reputation and that’s what I’m looking for. It’s also close. I come from a school that’s mascot is the Irish, so it would kind of be like a second high school. It’s great, I like it a lot.”
Werner has never been to the campus in South Bend, but he plans to change that.
“I’m going to come sooner or later,” he said. “They have a March 19th Junior Day that I’ll try to go to and see from there how things are.
“I’m just looking at certain things to help me get a better feel. I’ve got to see some of the players, see how the coaches are, how the campus is set up and everything. That’s what I’m going to look for when I’m looking at different schools.”
In addition to Notre Dame, he’s planning trips to Ole Miss, Tennessee, Michigan State and possibly Stanford.
Werner said no school has an edge at this point.
“Not any in particular,” he said. “It’s still early in the process, so I really have to get a feel for different schools. There are none that I really have on top right now.”
Werner has been clocked at sub-4.6 in the 40-yard dash, which coupled with his size and athleticism has caught the attention of scouts.
“Many coaches like how I can run and my speed for my size,” he said. “At outside linebacker, that’s what you need. They like that I’m versatile. I played three different positions this year, which they all like.”
He’s hoping to have the recruiting process finished by the end of the summer, but won’t make a decision before he’s ready.
“I’d like to commit before my senior season, but if I have to push it later, I’ll do that,” he said. “But I’d like to do it before my senior season.”
His list of priorities is clear.
“Football is obviously great, but academics are going to come before that. When I look, I see academics first, then the people, then the school and then it’s going to be football.”