Notre Dame Football Recruiting 2017: Irish Land In-State Linebacker

Notre Dame landed its THIRD verbal of the night tonight when Indianapolis Cathedral outside linebacker Pete Werner verbally committed to the Irish. The 247 Composite ranks the 6'2"/215 pounder as the #275 player overall and the #26 outside linebacker in the country.

Many expected Pete to take a little time to visit other schools and maybe wait on a Stanford offer before making a decision, but apparently his first visit to South Bend this weekend for Junior Day was all he needed to see. He really connected with the coaching staff and players and fell in love with the campus during his visit.

Recruiting Service Rankings

Rivals -- 4 star (5.8 rating), NR overall, #19 position, NR state

247 -- 4 star (90 rating), #287 overall, #22 OLB, #2 in Indiana

ESPN -- Not Rated

Scout -- 4 star, #259 overall, #20 OLB, #2 in Indiana

247 Composite -- 4 star (.900), #275 overall, #26 OLB, and #2 in Indiana

Cohort

Pete chose the Irish over other offers from Duke, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and many others.

Highlights

Aside from linebacker, Pete has also played safety for his high school team. In his highlights, you see him running all over the field making tackles. He's got a lot of range on the field and drives through his tackles well. He's got a nose for the football and just seems to always find his way to the ball. He's very athletic for a linebacker and I really love how he has so many highlights from kickoff coverage plays. He could be a big contributor on special teams right away.

His highlights don't show a lot of him taking on blocks, so it's hard to determine how much work he will need in the regard. And at only about 215 right now, he will need to pack on a few pounds before getting on the field. He looks lean at 215, though, so I don't expect that to be a problem.

Impact

The Irish really need more bodies at linebacker right now, and finding another blue-chipper at the position is huge. By the time Pete steps foot on campus, Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan will be seniors, Tevon Coney will be a junior, Josh Barajas and Asmar Bilal will be redshirt sophomores, and both Jonathan and Jamir Jones will have 3 or 4 years of eligibility remaining. With the addition of both David Adams and Drew White to the 2017 linebacker class, it will be difficult for Werner to find minutes straight out the gate. He's talented, though, and could be a contributor within his first couple of years on campus.

Welcome to the Irish family, Pete!