The Davonte Neal saga: From Arizona to Notre Dame and back

Notre Dame wide receiver and punt returner Davonte Neal is transferring to Arizona, according to Jason Sapp of 247 Sports. Neal is returning to his home state to be closer to his family. Neal nearly chose the Wildcats over the Fighting Irish as a high school senior. Sapp reports that Neal will apply for a hardship waiver in hopes of being eligible in 2013.

That decision was a tough one for Neal, who failed to attend his own selection ceremony. He struggled with his own desires (staying home in Arizona) and pleasing his father (heading to Notre Dame). Neal’s absence led to unintentional hilarity, with children being forced into a multiple-set xylophone performance.

The news comes from Jason Sapp of Blue and Gold Illustrated:

Sapp reports that Neal is primarily transferring to better take care of a six-week old child, a development which he probably didn’t foresee when deciding to play for the Fighting Irish.

Hard to say just what sort of an effect this could have on his college career, since he’ll still need to graduate from one high school or another or obtain a similar degree in order to enroll at Notre Dame.

For more on Irish football, visit Notre Dame blog One Foot Down, plus SB Nation Indiana.

It turns out, according to Irish Illustrated, that the reason for Neal’s absence was a family emergency.

Neal apologized to those at the elementary school for missing the announcement.

Davonte Neal, a top athlete recruit from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral High School, committed to Notre Dame Tuesday afternoon after an prolonged recruiting and announcement process.

The commitment followed considerable drama earlier in the day. Neal was expected to commit to either the Arizona Wildcats or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tuesday morning, live from his former elementary school. Instead, Neal chose nobody. In fact, he didn’t even bother to show up. Hundreds of elementary school kids were crushed.

Neal’s finalists are Arizona, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Arkansas. In addition to those four, Neal held offers from Ohio State, Florida, and Oklahoma. Neal is 5’9 and 170 pounds and is rated four-stars by most recruiting services. He can play slot receiver or cornerback at the next level. Neal was impressive during the Under Armour All-America Game practices in Orlando.

If he plays offense, Neal should have an immediate impact in a spread offense in the slot and taking a few handoffs. If he plays defense, Neal could contend for a starting job, or perhaps as a nickelback. There’s no question that Neal will make an impact on special teams in the return game. Neal was one of the last remaining uncommitted prospects of the 2012 cycle and his signing just about wraps up the 2012 recruiting year.

Bless the school, which at one point had to have the xylophone team play a whole ‘nother set. Luckily, as pointed out on one of the most awkward sports broadcasts in the history of recruiting, principal Cheryl Green was able to quiet the crowd “just like that.” Amazing. Ultimately, the students were dismissed because it was time to eat lunch. Recruiting writers covering the announcement, unfortunately, were not.

The thinking seems to be, as it has all along, that his father is still playing an active role in the college choice. That role being that he wants his son to choose Notre Dame, while Davonte wants to attend Arizona. Some analysis from SB Nation’s Bud Elliot on what it may mean at some point when Neal does commit to a school:

Davonte Neal, a top athlete recruit from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral High School, is set to make his college choice at 11 a.m. EST Tuesday. Neal will decide between Arizona, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Arkansas. In addition to those four, Neal holds or at one point held offers from Ohio State, Florida, and Oklahoma. Neal is 5’9 and 170 pounds and is rated four-stars by most recruiting services. He can play slot receiver or cornerback at the next level.

UPDATE: Yes, it’s still going on. There’s been some delay:

Based on Monday’s real hot sports buzz, Notre Dame could have itself a fine little Tuesday:

For more on Irish football, visit Notre Dame blog One Foot Down, plus SB Nation Indiana.

But cheer up, Gators and Buckeyes fans. Bud Elliott’s already got you started on 2013 wide receiver recruiting:

Davonte Neal, one of the top athlete recruits in the country, is set to make his college decision on Feb. 21, according to the Daily Wildcat.

Neal had been considering Ohio State, but has narrowed his list to Notre Dame, Arkansas, North Carolina and Arizona. He has visited the former three and is scheduled to visit Arizona this weekend.

While Feb. 1 contained much of the excitement over recruits since it was National Signing Day, not all of the top college football prospects made their announcements on Wednesday. Several top prospects are keeping prospective schools waiting with bated breath for these announcements.

Coming from a Chicago high school, offensive lineman Jordan Diamond is waiting to make his announcement on Feb. 3. Diamond is a 4- or 5-star recruit depending on the recruiting service being looked at. He is considering Arkansas, Auburn, Michigan and Wisconsin.