Lewis Neal Decommits from Ohio State
For a long time the gray box has been used for positive news, but today that ends as news surfaced a short while ago that DE/OLB Lewis Neal has de-committed from Ohio State.
Neal, from Hunt High School in Wilson, North Carolina, became Ohio State's 13th commit in the recruiting class of 2013 early last week when he gave his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes following his visit to the Spring Game.
Although he maintained he was firmly committed, Neal had Buckeye fans wondering if he truly was on board with OSU, when he was found tweeting about other schools this past weekend. The doubts of those fans became reality today as Neal opened back up his recruitment on the heels of getting an LSU offer, saying "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."
The loss of Neal isn't back breaking, especially at this point when it's early in the process and there is still time to recruit other players. That being said, I thought Neal definitely had a lot of upside and was a player who flashed the in-game speed that Meyer coveted at the OLB/DE hybrid position Lewis was projected to play.
At this point I'd be surprised if Neal ends up in a Buckeye uniform, but for now he claims he is still considering Ohio State, holding them high on his list, but just needs more time to make a decision.
Comments
Just one more scholarship to use on another player then. Should be no problem
Sh*t or get off the pot. We have limited space, so why not get guys that you know want to be Buckeyes?
Dustin Fox was our leading tackler as a corner.... because his guy always caught the ball.
Yep...thought the same thing
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
To be honest, was never too excited about him or his commitment, to me it seemed like an Everett Withers offer from his recruiting while at UNC and we shouldn't be chasing UNC caliber players.
He may have upside, but there have to be plenty of others with exactly the same.
Good luck Lewis! Go Bucks!!
Because the stud defenses that Withers had weren't compromised of "UNC caliber" defenders. Neal is a damn good player, and NC puts out quality players to boot.
Yes, i am sure you would trade NC's recruiting class with tOSU's every year. I mean everyone knows that UNC is synonymous with being a perennial powerhouse in college football. They are always in the top 5 in recruiting.
Where did I say that? They've produced some stud defensive players the last few years and there is nothing wrong with dipping into North Carolina and grabbing some of that talent. Name a running back in the state of Ohio that was better than Keith Marshall last year, oh wait you can't. Name an O-linemen in Ohio that was better than D.J. Humphries last year, wait you can't. North Carolina produces top quality players, they're Top 10 every year in FBS players produced. My point is don't diminish a state that is known to produce top talent every year, and don't diminish a player that comes from that state, especially one that Withers likes.
I agree with you William.. Not sayin i trade our classes for UNC's but they've had several first rounders over the last 5 yrs or so.
Name the amount of games Marshall and Humphries have played in. Oh wait, you can't! Why? Because they haven't played in a game! I guess they should just go to Canton.
In the past 5 years UNC and OSU have had the same amount of players taken in the 1st round at 4 a piece. Ohio ranks 5th and North Carolina ranks 9th in production of FBS players:
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1239398
So NOW you are saying that UNC has equal recruiting classes as tOSU? But, i thought that isn't what you said? Surely you know that almost all of those UNC players were not from NC correct?
I never said equal. That just shows that UNC has been able to put players into the league, they've been able to recruit "UNC caliber" players and turn them into 1st round draft picks. Of course they all weren't from NC, but they're "UNC caliber" players which surely don't belong at OSU/sarcasm. My argument was that Lewis Neal, who is supposedly only a "UNC caliber" player will not be missed which is a crock of shit. My other point was that NC does produce talent. No where in any of my statements did I say that a) UNC brings in recruiting classes that are as good as or better than OSU's and b) that I would trade OSU's classes for UNC's.
Fair enough.
Another thing: did either of these all-world players sign with UNC? Was NCBuckeye not talking about players from UNC? Was he not talking about Whithers, you know, the guy who coached at UNC?
Not what he's saying. He's saying unc has done a nice job of getting kids into the league. Granted, in terms of quality top to bottom osu pulls better classes yes. But carolina has put some nice talent in the league.
Can you contact LSU and tell them to stop offering UNC caliber players? Thanks.
If you ain't a Silver Bullet, you're a target
I recall seing several UNC caliber players being drafted in the NFL the past couple of years. I feel some Buckeye fans are disapointed when the staff recruits and gets verbals from 3-star or not as highly sought after recruits. I have faith that the staff knows what they're doing in looking for talent. I doubt Meyer and co. are looking at the different recruiting site's rankings of players. The staff has their own rankings and evaluations they are going by. I am disappointed by the decommitment because I feel there was a reason OSU was offering Neal. They saw raw talent and now it seems like other teams are catching on (Recent LSU offer).
Annoyed me so much when fans say "he's a sleeper" when he commits and now that he de-commits it's "never really wanted him anyway"....OSU will not get every player and we cannot act like this every time we don't...just my opinion though
Agreed, fanboys can be annoying.
Not sure that is fanboy behavior. Bandwagon maybe. Fanboys generally stick with the original take on a story/character very strongly.
+1
Also, agree that our coaches dont find and track recruits using scout.com. I could talk for days about 5 stars that didnt pan out and 3 stars that did. That star shit is overrated. 2 star Owen Marecic fit into Stanfords gameplan pretty well. Trust our coaches, and love the staff as much as you fall in love with these recruits and thier highlight tapes.
Agreed...I was not shocked by this because of how early he committed without being 100% in IMO. I'm not going to bash him...he does have an upside which reminded me of Jamal Marcus. I wish him the best at LSU (because that's where he's going now. Meyer will not hold out a scholly for this class for him and I'm sure he's not happy with the decommit). Onto Jaylon Smith and NOW before he commits to ND! Hope the staff does what ever they can to get him.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
You said it, I guess we need to tell Clemson, Tennessee, South Carolina, and NC State as well.
Bummer. Urban will land another stud. I'm not worried.
"Did you push yourself to be great today? If you didn't do it you lost a day. We ain't got many days to lose. We're going to push your a$$ like its never been pushed because what you've got in you were going to find out" UFM
On one hand we may have missed out on a potentially great player, but on the other, it's a scholarship to use elsewhere...
Wasn't Love in the running for that scholly and then got turned away thus having him commit to Nebraska or is that a different player that Urban turned away? /iffact?
I don't always take names when I kick ass but when I do, they most often belong to a Wolverine.
Nope Neal was able to commit bc Love went to Nebraska
Ty for the response.
I don't always take names when I kick ass but when I do, they most often belong to a Wolverine.
I'm disappointed that Neal decommitted, but happy that he was upfront about it. I wish him the best of luck, wherever he goes.
If Neal is gone, I'm more than sure Urban and the staff will find a great player to fill that void.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
A little disappointed but we're well stocked at DE. There are positions in need of more depth that this scholly can be used at.
Honestly, I don't blame him. Everyone's throwing around the "sleeper" label with this kid, and he's still got another year of prep football to play. He committed super early, and obviously if he has a good senior season, he'll have a lot more attention. I hope he does well and ends up where he'll be the happiest, whether that's here, LSU or another school.
I wouldn't cheer for Michigan if they were playing the Taliban.
I mean no disrespect to Lewis Neal at all; even said best of luck to him at the end of my post and never wished ill or put him down.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, mine is, I wasn't terribly impressed with Neal, given the fact that we are working with reduced scholarships, I also think that the scholarship could be used to address other areas of our team, like maybe WR or OL (if Bobek leaving is true).
I know he was being recruited primarily as a LB and he has time to grow (into a college/pro DE body) but at 6'1 240 lbs he doesn't also seem the like prototypical body size for a linebacker in Meyer's defenses, even though he has the speed that Meyer covets.
I was never "excited" about his commitment but I wasn't going to put down a buckeye, but I certainly am not disappointed that he decommitted either and I think buckeye fans should be able to say as much.
Not that he sucks, or that he isn't good, just that I'm not horribly sad to see his decommitment
Neal decommits from OSU and gets an offer from LSU..... Tom Luginbill just added Neal into ESPNU's top 150.
edit: I jest.
Give it a week...Seriously
@carolinabuckeye
The issue posters have with your 1st comment is "we shouldn't be chasing UNC caliber players" when those who have paid any attention to the NFL draft know that those "UNC caliber players" are getting drafted so they must be pretty good ... I hate loosing out on this guy he looks good, and we will never have a class of all 4* or 5* players ... classes will forever be filled out w/your 3* and hitting on the 3* are just as important as hitting of the 4 or 5 star player ...
I understand that and I'm not saying people shouldn't disagree. They are absolutely right, UNC has put A LOT of players in the league but I wouldn't necessarily consider that the metric to usew when deciding when to pursue a recruit. I mean hell, TJ Yates started as a rookie, who on this board wanted him over Pryor or as our starting QB? That being said, maybe my "UNC caliber" comment wasn't the bet fit but,
I just don't get the harsh reaction, suddenly I'm a fanboy for voicing a pretty neutral opnion. I am sure Lewis Neal will be a good college football player, I just think we can use his schollie to better serve our team. Kind of takes the fun out of posting when instead of hearing people's counter opinions you just get lit up for it
I wouldn't take it to heart bro. I kinda agree with you. I was never real excited about this get. I wish him the best as well. Maybe he learned a good life lesson from this. I also agree that if all it took was another offer to come in and he waffles we probably don't want him.
Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.
I wonder if Neal committed more because the class was quickly filling up than because he knew it was the place for him. I hope he takes the time to figure it out and that he comes back to OSU, but the latter looks unlikely.
It's a bummer, but I'm more upset/disappointed that he even committed in the first place. Not even 2 weeks later he is decommitting, really? At this point, unless Urban thinks he's a game changer I say good riddance. Good luck to Lewis.
Immediately following his commitment he wanted everyones opinion about it via twitter. I found that really strange. It was like he was looking for approval that he did the right thing. He must have got caught up in the moment.
It'd be cool to have him, but he better not wait too long (if he hasn't already burned his tOSU bridge).
It's ten months until signing day; probably not a good idea to get wrapped up in any one recruit.
"Paralyze resistance with persistence." -Woody Hayes
Does anyone know if there have been any previous cases where a recruit decommits from a school but ends up signing with them on NSD?
Brionte Dunn quasi-decommitted from us last year and then signed.
William Campbell with Michigan
I understand he is a kid, but if he is going to decommit a week after giving his verbal, he is not the kind of player we want. I wish him the best of luck in everything he does.
DDay, should we not take Jayme Thompson who was committed just 2 months ago to WVU and now has committed to tOSU? Neal just received the LSU offer and perhaps just wants to visit to make sure he's making the right choice for HIM. I say, take all your visits and if OSU is the place for you then we will welcome you as a Buckeye. Lewis knows the class is filling up so he knows he could be left out.
I understand your point. It definately goes both ways. For me, I think it is more about doing it so quickly after committing. Just don't put it out there if your not sure. But hey, you can't get them all, and like I said, I understand he is a kid. I didn't make the smartest decisions when I was that age, so I can't hold it against him. So it's the next man up. We want kids who want to be buckeyes. If his heart isn't in it, or if he wants to explore his options, I wish him the best of luck. I wish him no ill will. It is important to remain classy in victory or defeat.
And when the #3 LSU Tigers travel to Columbus, Ohio in December of 2014 to play for a spot in the National Championship, and poor Neal is freezing his wee wee off, he'll be saying to himself "I'd be used to this weather if I'd been a Buckeye. I'm a saaaaaad Tiger."
Yet another example of NCAA suckiness. No verbals. Either a kid signs or he doesn't. This will rid the process of maybe he is, maybe he isn't. This should be a decision with a ton of thought. Allowing a verbal let's a family knee jerk. Not good for anyone involved. Allow a kid to sign whenever he chooses, but don't allow 'speed dating'. It will solidify the process, IMO.
Meh, we weren't complaining last year when we were stealing PSU, ND, and Wisky recruits. This is how the game is played. Accept that it isn't over until signing day.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
True, but if verbals were not allowed, Urbz wouldn't be accused of stealing. I have a hard time believing any of them would have signed. And if I were a Wiscy or State or PSU coach I would've liked to have known that my verbals weren't totally on board.
Actually I think the verbal process works just fine. If recruits were not allowed to verbal and could only commit permanently, then we would hear nothing from any recruits till signing day. and I think you would see alot more players regret their decision and see alot more transfers. Besides, how you going to be able to stop a kid from saying his intention is to commit to a team? Heck, any kid can verbal to any team they want with or without an offer. Kids will change their mind. Better now than on the last day or when its too late and they commit, then transfer causing teams to lose scholarship players when they could have had someone else.
I believe the verbal process is just fine!
I would like to think that the process of a kid picking a school is more important than signing day. That day is the Halmark holiday of college football. If a kid wants to commit, let them commit no matter the time of year. This will better prepare them for the work force. Job searching rarely involves giving a maybe to your employer. You are either in or out. Take your time, but once you decide you own your decision. Don't decide until you know. An early life lesson I wish I had to abide by.
How in the world would the NCAA police verbal commits? If they try to legislate on this we should secede immediately. Talk about overreaching their intended purpose... I can't believe this is even a serious concern.
The NCAA doesn't mandate that you hang on a kid's every tweet, or follow rivals, 247, and scout (and 11W) to see what each high school football player decides. Should the NCAA really prevent a kid from telling a coach that he wants to go there before signing day? How would any coach have any idea who to give written offers to? Because that is the situation you are imagining.
The NCAA has many issues, but this is very clearly not one of them.
Take your time, kid. We'll be glad to have you if you decide this is home.
I think Neal is a major want for this staff. Anybody who says "we didn't want him anyways" is just oblivious. I wish him the best and hope he joins the good guys
Sorry Urban, Woody is still my favorite
so much time til national signing day, kid just needs to wait and figure things out before commiting anywhere
Choosing a college is a tough decision when you're 18. Sounds like he wants to go south. Good luck to you.
I liked Neal BEFORE he decommitted.
/recruiting hipster
Taquitos.
LOL. He's from a totally obscure part of NC that you've probably never heard of.
"We get paid to score touchdowns, not kick field goals"
-- Urban Meyer
Nice.
Taquitos.
It's a very tough decision.
Take your time and figure out where you fit best.
Good luck Lewis!
Not all these early commits from the south are going to hold once the LSUs of the world come calling. That's just the way it is.
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
Bummer he decommitted cuz any kid Meyer lets commit is a stud. Not too worried about it at the same time because we're 10 months away from signing day and he could come back and loaded at DE best of luck to whereever he goes
Seems to me he should have thought a little harder before he committed. Decommitting happens, but within 2 weeks? Smh. Kid could be a stud, but glad we have another open scholly for someone who is all buckeye. Better hop on the train now cuz it sure ain't slowin down to wait for you, Lewis. If not, good luck to you elsewhere.
"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got 9 guys who better go do it again," said Meyer. "Do it a little harder next time."
This isn't a death sentence to his chances of being a Buckeye. It can be easy at that age to buy into something too quickly without considering all of your options. Maybe he'll like what he sees from us this coming season and recommit. And if he goes elsewhere...so be it.
Class of 2010.
What ever happened to Jordan Sherit? His film looked very impressive and he is bigger and faster than Lewis Neal.
Well... maybe my wish for Kimbrough might come into fruition after all. The kids a beast, fast, & nasty on the field! And above all... he WANTS to be a Buckeye! (fingers crossed)
He's a junior in high school. He committed on the high of being in the shoe and seeing 81+ thousand of us bucknuts in the rain and 40 degree temps. That's a lot to take in for a kid that age. Sure that had a lot to do with him committing. So he stepped back, took a look at it and decided he wasn't ready. Its probably the biggest decision he will have to make thus far in his young life. Don't fault him for wanting to be 100% sure. If he chooses to stay closer to home, so be it. Its his life to live, and his choice to make. Either way, gotta be glad he did it early enough he leaves himself at least the option to re-enter the fold if he so chooses. And if he doesn't, then there's still plenty of elite talent available for the staff to pursue.
Hate when anybody decommits from the program - I'm assuming he was worthy since he was offered. I'm am confident in this staff to fill the void quickly. Obviously I think you're making a mistake on not being part of something very special being built at OSU, but good luck where you finally decide to go - that is unless it is AACC - then all pleasantries are off the table.
The best thing about Pastafarianism? It is not only acceptable, but advisable, to be heavily sauced
He's a young guy having to deal with pressure from all directions. We don't really know who is pressuring him to decommit? Coaches? Family? Bros? Girlfriend?
I think it's cool that Urban left the door open for him, provided there's a spot. I'm sure there are plenty of coaches out there that would have not respected the kid's situation.
But, if he doesn't quite understand what it really means to play in the Horseshoe, he will be missing out. ;)
"We get paid to score touchdowns, not kick field goals"
-- Urban Meyer
Given how the commentariat at other sites would have dealt with this news, here's how I feel about this thread:
Lewis must be punished for his treachery!!!
Follow me @jaythesportsguy
Heard Bigelow is considering us. Any truth to this? Kid's commited to SC.
Arazi
I'm seeing a lot of people throw out Kimbrough's name when discussing who is going to take Neal's spot, and while I think Kimbrough is a very good talent, there's someone else I'd much rather see take this spot. Lewis Neal was being recruited as a DE/OLB-- was projected to play in the hybrid VIPER position. If you look at Neal's measureables, he was 6'1 232 with a 4.92 40 time. Someone else that would be perfect for that VIPER spot, IMO, is Jason Hatcher from KY. Hatcher is 6'2 238 and runs a 4.68 40.
Just based on the film I've seen, Hatcher is a better, more explosive athlete than Neal and I'm very impressed with him. Oh, and he goes to the same HS as James Quick, which is a nice little plus.
Hatcher has a great offer sheet and the more I see of him, the higher he goes on my personal board. Last I heard, Hatcher has OSU in his top 5 even though he does not have an OSU offer... yet.
If you ain't a Silver Bullet, you're a target
As a man who was once 17 -I totally understand this move. I made all sorts of rash decisions as when I was young. Things like this are to be expected - the kid is a HS junior. I gotta believe if he was offered that he would have been a genuine asset. As a die hard Buckeye fan I do hate to see it happen & there is a part of me that is a little ticked that a guy commits, wavers then decommits almost immediately. Not ticked as in angry at the kid but more that we were on an incredible roll and this is a buzz kill. I'd like to think this will only happen once.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Good luck to Neil. Hopefully, he'll find somewhere that he feels comfortable with the coach and is a good fit for him.
I'd way rather have a dude decommit than straight get flipped like Dodson and go verbal to verbal.
I understand it's a huge decision...but if a kid is going to change his mind that quickly...Something ain't right.
I wonder if one of his parents were getting in his head, like that kid that committed to Alabama, with his mother sitting right next to him wearing an LSU jersey at the press conference?
Wish him the best. It isn't the end of the world. Do we want players this wishy-washy?
"Here officer, hold my beer while I find my license."
Where did that kid end up going to, btw? Did you end up switching to LSU or did he stick with 'Bama?
Bama...
He's not being recruited by Bama...LSU is his best offer besides OSU. Meyer told him if you look you're done the more I read about this situation (I'm not buying him still being recruited). Nothing confirmed on that but Scarlet Buckeye Recruiting had an interesting article about OSU fans and "coming at him" for why he chose not to commit (Not to mention how Meyer had nothing to do with his Decommit and he still wants him in ths class). Imagine that...oh well...don't buy it. Look at what's there at LB...what LB/DE's are coming in 2012 and 2013. It's not a big deal...good luck to him at LSU bc he won't be wearing scarlet and gray. That you can take to the bank I'm sure.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
Agree with you. Get guys that want to be here. If he commits, then backs out, you probably don't want a guy like that anyway. Get guys that know what they want, who they are, and where they want to be.
I'm sure there's pressure to commit to tOSU because of limited space, maybe that had a role in him commiting. I get why people say we don't want him anyways, but at the same time, if he comes around and re-commits to us we will all be happy having him.
We have to remember recruiting is differnent this year. We can't wait around on guys forever. We need guys locked in. If we have a few guys flip on us coming signing day, and we have two open schollies, we will all be pissed.
Dustin Fox was our leading tackler as a corner.... because his guy always caught the ball.
Exactly Gluefingers! +100
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
I was hoping this would a decommit from Sprinkle instead. I still can't figure out why we took that kid?
On the upside, it's better than last year's gray boxes.
"It's just another case of there you are". ~ Doc (1918-2012)
"Winter is coming" - Urban Meyer
I wish Lewis the best of luck making his decision.
Alex -
You should post bad news in maize or blue boxes.
:-)
Try SUN and blue.
Dustin Fox was our leading tackler as a corner.... because his guy always caught the ball.
Alex...for some reason Bucknuts has Neal as a "soft" verbal. Why? Wouldn't decomitted mean...decomitted? Not sure why they would still put him in this class? Not trying to get insider Bucknuts info BTW. Just seems strange...
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
He may come back. On the other hand, Meyer could use him as an example and lock him out.
So when do we burn his Jersey?
Follow me @jaythesportsguy