'13 PA LB Alex Anzalone (Verbal Offer/Florida Commit)

[HoffVir]

Notre Dame football recruiting: Anzalone develops into state champ


Wyomissing's Alex Anzalone (24) stiff arms Aliquippa's Dajon Perry in the PIAA-AA state championship last Saturday.

By TYLER JAMES - Follow me @TJamesNDI
South Bend Tribune
8:13 p.m. EST, December 19, 2012

Ross Tucker watched Alex Anzalone fumble the ball twice in the first half of his final high school football game and his heart sank.

Tucker, a Wyomissing grad who played seven seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman, was providing color commentary for the PIAA Class AA championship game between Wyomissing Area and Aliquippa and worried that him alma mater's star player would fall short in his journey toward the school's first state championship.

The two fumbles by the Notre Dame linebacker commitment, one coming as a running back and the other as a punt returner, resulted in two Aliquippa touchdowns, and the perennial state power led 14-7 at halftime.

But with help from his teammates, Anzalone was able to impact the game in other ways and Wyomissing would complete the comeback to win 17-14. The victory marked the first state championship for Wyomissing, but also became the first title for any school in Berks County, which has seen NFL quarterbacks Chad Henne and Kerry Collins play on its football fields.

"What really jumped out to me was, in the second half, there was nowhere to run," Tucker said. "Wyomissing was getting crushed. Alex was getting hit as soon as he got the ball every time. But he made several plays on defense."

Anzalone finished the game with 14 carries for just 38 yards after rushing for 594 yards and 11 touchdowns in the five previous playoff games. On defense, he still managed to make 10 tackles -- one for a loss -- and one pass breakup.

Wyomissing was supposed to be outmatched in the state championship game. Aliquippa has a history of producing talented players including former NFL players Mike Ditka, Ty Law, Sean Gilbert and New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. This year's Aliquippa team had five potential Division I players, including junior running back/defensive back Dravon Henry and junior lineman Jaleel Fields.

Wyomissing, on the other hand, had Anzalone and a handful of players that will end up at the Division II and III levels.

Anzalone made plays chasing down Aliquippa's quarterback on an option run and breaking up a fourth down pass to end a drive.

"I even said on the broadcast, that's what you have to do at Notre Dame," Tucker said. "That's exactly what he's going to have to do."

Before the rise

Tucker has known Anzalone since he was a little kid running around the football camp at Wyomissing that Tucker would return to while playing in the NFL.

Tucker played at Wyomissing under Bob Wolfrum, still the team's head coach, in the '90s and would get asked back to work summer camps while he played in college at Princeton and played for five different teams in the NFL.

Then when Anzalone reached his sophomore year in high school, Tucker watched him play varsity football for the first time. He saw a scrawny 6-foot, 165-pound cornerback that had athleticism, but didn't really stand out.

"There are some 10th-graders that you know they're a Division I recruit. Alex was not that," Tucker said. "You knew he was going to play college football. People thought he could grow and mature into a I-AA kid, but I didn't look at him and think he totally jumps off the film and off the field as someone who's going to be Division I for sure."

After his NFL career, Tucker started working in sports media, working for ESPN.com and SiriusXM among others, and started a recruiting service called Go Big Recruiting, which allows high school athletes to submit their highlight videos and information to college coaches and then be able to tell if a coach has watched their film.

By the time Anzalone finished his junior season as a 205-pound running back and linebacker, Tucker decided to see if he could help Anzalone get noticed.

At the American Football Coaches Association national convention in January 2011, Tucker started showing Anzalone's junior highlights to some coaches. When he showed a coach at Rutgers the film, the coach asked Tucker to call Anzalone immediately so he could talk to him. The interest continued to grow when Tucker reached out to schools such as Penn State, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Ohio State.

Ohio State assistant coach Mike Vrabel, a former teammate of Tucker's with the Patriots, made Urban Meyer aware of Anzalone and an offer was extended. An Alabama assistant watched Anzalone in person with Tucker and after five plays told Tucker that he'd be a national recruit. Nick Saban would later offer Anzalone. The secret was out and the offers rolled in.

"Early January, most of the schools had not heard of him. By mid-February, he essentially had a scholarship offer to anywhere in the country he wanted to go," Tucker said. "I guess that's just how it works. That tells you how good his tape was and how quick the recruiting process works. In six weeks they turned around that quickly where it was USC, Alabama, everybody. It was amazing."

Still improving

Anzalone might have muffed a punt return in the state championship game last Saturday, but the fact that the 6-3, 232-pounder was used in that position in the first place exemplified his athleticism.

Tucker compared Anzalone to a guy like Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bears linebacker who was used as a punt returner at times in college.

"How many 235-pound kids in high school are even returning punts and kickoffs in the first place? ... That's when you know that you've got somebody that's really rare," Tucker said.

When Stanford and Notre Dame started recruiting Anzalone, Tucker said, members from each coaching staff told him he could be a running back at their schools. Alabama liked Anzalone as a possible H-back or tight end.

"He is very good catching the ball in space and catching the ball out of the backfield," Tucker said. "I find that remarkable they thought he was athletic enough to actually be a running back at that level."

Anzalone's long frame allowed him to deliver numerous stiff arms as a running back, and his added strength allowed him to develop into an elite linebacker prospect. He's ranked among the top 50 players overall in the 2013 class by both Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, third for inside linebackers on Rivals, and fifth for outside linebackers on 247Sports.

Anzalone said he talked to Tucker once a week during his senior season and has been like an older brother and role model for him.

Tucker attended the first game and the last two games of Anzalone's senior season and has seen highlights from the others.

Anzalone's biggest improvement, Tucker said, has come in his physicality as a linebacker.

"He got a lot better this year at delivering a shock and a blow when he tackled," Tucker said. "He didn't do very much of that as a junior. As a senior he had some knockout-type hits. He got a lot better at getting off of blocks as well."

His "crazy long arms and big hands" will be useful when shedding 300-pound offensive linemen. Tucker would know. Playing center and guard during his career, he was often matched up against inside linebackers like Anzalone.

"At Notre Dame, with the defense they run, he's going to really have to be good at that," Tucker said. "I told him that one of the things that he really needs to focus on is just his technique shedding guards because in a 3-4 that's going to happen sometimes. You have to lock those guys out."

After watching Anzalone develop into a dominant high school player, Tucker said he's anxious to see how his skills adapt at the college level. Anzalone will finish his high school requirements this week and enroll at Notre Dame in January.

"He has no business being on the field with some of these (high school) kids. He's as heavy as some of their linemen, but he could have played safety and wide receiver for Wyomissing this year if he wanted," Tucker said. "He's a very gifted athlete and he's worked extremely hard at it to put the weight on the right way and get the grades in school. I'm really eager to see how he'll do."

http://www.southbendtribune.com/spor...490,full.story

[HoffVir]

Alex Anzalone ‏@AlexAnzalone_24
Awarded Student of the Month by the Wyomissing Rotary Club #STUDENTathlete
2:07 PM - 20 Dec 12

[zimmsbg78]

Alex Anzalone has had a busy week.

Last Thursday, the 2013 Notre Dame linebacker commit hosted Irish head coach Brian Kelly, defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and offensive coordinator Chuck Martin at his house in Wyomissing, Pa.

“It was cool to have them in my house and to let them see where I live and the community I live in,” said Anzalone. “We had fun and shared a bunch of laughs. It was just a good time that I will always remember.”

On Saturday, Anzalone and his Wyomissing Area High School teammates accomplished their ultimate goal, winning the Class AA State Championship with a 17-14 victory over Aliquippa.

“I don’t think it’s hit most of us yet,” he said. “It’s a huge deal for a lot of the alumni and the community. I think we’ll probably comprehend it a little bit more down the line. Right now, it’s like we’re on cloud-nine. It’s pretty cool.”

On Tuesday, he earned his driver’s license.

On Wednesday, he was named to the Pennsylvania Class AA All-State Team and also picked up Class AA Player of the Year honors. And then on Thursday, he was named Student of the Month by the Wyomissing Rotary Club.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder appreciates all of the honors that have come his way, but it was the team goal of grabbing the state title that stands out the most.

Anzalone brushed off a fumbled handoff and a muffed punt early in the game to help lead his team to the tight victory.

“I just kept myself composed,” he said. “After the punt, I really just thought to myself, there’s no point in getting upset over it and letting it affect my game. I just stuck with it and played hard. I knew it was going to be my last game, so there was no reason to let it affect my game.”

Cornerback Devin Butler made the drive up from Washington, D.C., to support his fellow Notre Dame commit.

“That was awesome,” Anzalone said. “I was texting him on the way up and he was giving me a couple motivational texts. After the game, I talked with him and his parents. They seemed like they had a good time. It was cool to have them there. They had a lot of fun.”

Butler’s journey illustrates the bond within Notre Dame’s 2013 recruiting class. James Onwualu was even thinking of flying in from Minnesota for the game.

“We’re just all really close and that just shows what kind of group we have going in and what kind of bond we have,” said Anzalone. “It should help us so much when we get there and deal with adversity on and off the field, just having each other’s backs.”

At the end of the month, Anzalone will head down to Florida to prepare to play in the Under Armour All-American Game.

“People have said it’s the most fun week of their life, so I’m pretty excited for that,” he said.

And a week after that, he’ll enroll early at Notre Dame.

“It’s definitely mixed emotions, bittersweet,” he said.

“A lot of people are going to miss me and I’m going to miss a lot of my friends. It’s worth it. I think for me it’s time to move on to college because I feel like I’ve had enough of high school after winning the state championship, to be honest. I’m ready for it.”

But first comes Friday, Anzalone’s last day of high school.

Not a bad final week.

[iloveirish_12]

When does he start at ND?

[lowayne]

He has submitted all his paperwork to be an EE. Not sure when the EE's arrive.

[marv81s]

Jan 8th or something like that. It is a week before classes start

[zimmsbg78]

Video interview after Under Armor practice...........

[HoffVir]

Tyler James ‏@TJamesNDI
On ESPN2 at 9 EST. RT @alexanzalone_24: Won that skills challenge! pic.twitter.com/r9kHLADa

4:01 PM - 2 Jan 13

[zimmsbg78]

Alex and new ND commit, Tarean.........

http://t.co/ylbOTlUn

[zimmsbg78]

http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/recr...f-under-armour (free)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Alex Anzalone enjoyed participating at The Opening and at Gridiron Kings this summer, but the Notre Dame linebacker commit is really enjoying himself down here this week at the Under Armour All-America Game.

“With the pads, that changes the game completely,” said Anzalone. “You have to think about the run and the pass; read your keys and go hard all of the time. You can’t take a play off or else you’ll get exposed.”

Overall, Anzalone is enjoying himself.

“It’s been pretty cool getting all of the gear, seeing all of the players you know from The Opening and places like that, getting back and having fun,” he said.

“Also, playing at a different level – pretty much the college level – different speed, different physicality from high school, it’s just a different experience overall. I think it’ll definitely help me out in the long run.”

The Pennsylvania native has been extremely impressed with the level of play in the practices leading up to Friday’s game.

“It’s completely different for me,” said Anzalone, who is fresh off a state championship with his Wyomissing Area High School squad.

“I come from a small classification. Defensively, it’s tougher just because you have to get used to the play development, which is so much faster. The players are faster, the linemen are huge and you have to take on blocks and get off them fast and have great technique or else you’ll get exposed.”

Anzalone is more than holding his own though. He’s excelled in pass coverage all week and claimed the Obstacle Course title over fellow linebackers Reuben Foster, Ben Boulware and Matthew Thomas.

He’s shifted between outside and inside linebacker spots on the Black Team defense and could play both on Friday.

“They’re having me play Sam and maybe a little bit of Will, it depends on the game,” he said. “Maybe because of the personnel we have, but they like me at outside. I can play either one.”

The future Irish linebacker has the pleasure of being coached by former Penn State star linebacker LaVar Arrington.

“It’s cool,” laughed Anzalone, who has been dubbed ‘Quasimodo’ by Arrington because of his college destination.

“He’s a funny dude. We actually have a common buddy in (former NFL lineman) Ross Tucker, so we have bonded pretty well. He went to Penn State, so he knows the area. The way he coaches, it’s just great to learn from him.”

Anzalone will enroll at Notre Dame in a little over a week.

That's funny!