The collateral damage of the Philadelphia Eagles bending Brian Kelly’s ear may have cost the Notre Dame coach one of his prized recruits for 2013.Linebacker Alex Anzalone was expected to enroll early for classes at Notre Dame this week, but instead informed the program he had changed his mind and would enroll at Florida instead, according to a report on Irish Illustrated.
Anzalone is a four-star linebacker rated the No. 50 overall player in the country, according to Rivals.com, a 6-foot-3-inch, 229-pound prospect that might have been able to work his way into the Irish’s inside linebacker rotation for 2013 with the graduation of Manti Te’o.
He also has been prone to changing his mind: Once committed to Ohio State, Anzalone dropped his pledge after a controversy involving a registered sex offender posting a photo of himself and Anzalone on the Internet after Anzalone made an unofficial visit to the Buckeyes.
In addition, Anzalone’s father, Sal, is a Florida graduate.
Notre Dame had the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, per Rivals rankings, before Anzalone’s change of heart. The Irish now drop to No. 2, coincidentally behind Florida.
By Brian Hamilton Tribune reporter2:53 p.m. CST, January 10, 2013
