Werner Decommits

Decommitments are part of the recruiting process and they’re a larger part of the process when a school doesn’t have a successful season.

Outside of Pennsylvania defensive tackle Donovan Jeter, Notre Dame has done a relatively good job of keeping its 2017 recruiting class together throughout a 4-8 season.

But another one has shaken loose as Indianapolis linebacker Pete Werner has decommitted from the Irish, according to multiple sources.

Werner was one of the flurry of commits that came in the wake of March’s Junior Day event.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis took an official visit to Ohio State last weekend and seemed to be looking for other options for the last couple of weeks now.

Werner’s departure opens up another spot in Notre Dame’s 2017 class as the Irish now have just 17 verbal commitments. It also opens up spot at linebacker, where the Irish now only have pledges from Pennsylvania’s David Adams and Florida’s Drew White.

Notre Dame will have to expand its board a bit if it expects to fill that hole as the Irish haven’t been recruiting that position – at least not publicly – in some time now. They’re best bet may be to try to replace him with somebody who’s looking to make a similar move from a different school.

Werner had double-hip surgery back in April, but declared himself 100 percent healthy early into his senior season at Cathedral.

He had offers from schools like Boston College, Cal, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Pitt, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin before committing to Notre Dame.