OLB Alex Anzalone To Decide This Weekend

Alex Anzalone, a 4-star OLB from Pennsylvania, announced via Twitter that he will commit this weekend during The Opening.  Anzalone's decision will be between the Gators, Notre Dame, and the home state school; Penn State.

The talented OLB was once an Ohio State commitment, but after a bizarre situation, he decommitted.  The situation involved a convicted sex offender tweeting to Ohio State targets and taking a picture with Anzalone and other targets.  This bothered Alex and his family which resulted in him opening his recruitment back up.

The decision seems like it will ultimately come down between the Golden Domers and the Gators.  Even with Penn State being in his home state, there hasn't been a lot of momentum for the Nittany Lions.  Also, I don't think Anzalone will want to go to the conference that has Ohio State in it.

Anzalone's father is a graduate of Florida and his grandparents reside there.  It was thought that Florida would be the choice after his decommitment.  However, I think Notre Dame will be end up as Anzalone's pick this weekend.  Academics are going to be a big part of his choice and it is hard for any school to top Notre Dame's.

Hopefully I'm wrong.

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2013 Recruiting: Quinton Powell

Position:  Outside Linebacker

Hometown/School:  Daytona Beach, FL - Mainland

Height/Weight:  6'2/200

Rivals - 247Sports - Scout - ESPN

Other Offers:  Arkansas, Clemson, Miami, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida State

Report:  Powell committed to Will Muschamp back in February, on Florida's Junior Day.  Here is what Powell said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel shortly after word got out:

"Just the fact that I felt at home ... that was the main thing that I was looking for and I feel right at home here. I was looking for a family and I found it right here. ... plus, I've always been Gator fan."

The four recruiting services all give Powell a 4-star rating.  Rivals, Scout, and 247Sports all rank Powell as the 14th-best OLB in the nation, while ESPN lists him in 8th place.  The real interesting thing is that the services all greatly vary on where Powell is ranked nationally overall.  ESPN shows him the most love as they list him in the top 100 overall (83).  247Sports has him at 160, Rivals at 225, and he isn't ranked nationally according to Scout.  From the 83rd-best player according to one service to not even being in the top 300 in another service.  Weird.

Powell racked up 105 tackles, 14 sacks, and registered 50 quarterback hurries on his way to leading Mainland to the 8A Semifinals.

On to the scouting reports.

Elite Scouting Services ranked their top 2013 state of Florida prospects back in April.  Powell came in 22nd in their pre-Spring rankings.  This is what they had to say:

Powell can be used as a pass rusher off the edge or drop back into coverage and go against a receiver or tight end. He is most likely going to end up as a SAM backer in college. His ability to cover a tight end is what will draw the attention of college recruiters. He is effective against the run as well.

Scout also goes into detail about Powell's upcoming move from playing a rush end in high school to an OLB in college or maybe even an ILB:

Powell spends a lot of time with his hand down on the line of scrimmage in high school, but he will drop back to linebacker in college. He is a natural athlete with good size and very good speed. He could play inside or outside linebacker on the next level because of size, speed, and skill-set. He will need work on playing space, reading and reacting to the ball, and dropping into coverage.

And lastly, Rivals:

Powell predominantly plays defensive end and rushes off the edge, but during the spring and summer he has shown an ability to play in space and do things away from the ball that show he is a major prospect at outside linebacker. When working at the line, Powell is quick off the snap and does a good job of shedding blocks and getting into the backfield. In space, he shows good lateral movement and the ability to effectively cover the pass. He is very good at using his length to make the play.

Powell will be one of seven Gator commits to participate in The Opening.  You can watch The Opening July 5th through the 8th on ESPNU.

Gator Recruiting News - 6/21

Hopefully Gator fans will see more of this from Alex Anzalone.

Alex Anzalone Down To Final Pair.  The Rivals 100 Outside Linebacker has narrowed down his top choices to Notre Dame and Florida according to Blake Alderman of InsideTheGators.com($).  Here is what he had to say of playing for the Gators:

"At Florida I would be in the honors college which is a plus and I think the way they play their defense between a 3-4 and a 4-3 would maximize my capabilities playing defense. Both are great opportunities." 

If Anzalone commits to the Gators, he will be the fifth linebacker in the 2013 class.  Anzalone was once committed to Urban Meyer at Ohio State, but decommitted after a really bizarre situation.  A Buckeye fan and convicted sex offender interacted and took a photo with Anzalone.  The occurrence upset the Anzalone family and he shortly decommitted after

Current UF commit, Ahmad Fulwood, is doing his best to get Anzalone to come to Florida.

Alvin Kamara Names Top Ten.  The four star running back from Georgia has Florida in his final list with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Florida State, USC, Auburn, and Oklahoma State.  Oh ya, he was the guy who Nick Saban sent 105 letters to in ONE DAY.

Florida, Michigan Remain On Top.  ESPN updated their 2013 recruiting rankings and to no surprise, Michigan and Florida remain #1 and #2.  Florida State moves up to 9th and Clemson is now up to 12th.