Was Alex Anzalone’s Decommittal Related to Charles Waugh Situation?

Alex Anzalone, a consensus four-star recruit, decommitted from Ohio State yesterday. We’re not sure why Anzalone departed, but you have to wonder if it has anything to do with the creepy, creepy situation surrounding Ohio State fan Charles Waugh, a registered sex offender who contacted and took pictures with Anzalone and other recruits, SB Nation’s Land-Grant Holy Land reported.

For those unfamiliar, a quick summary of the Waugh situation: Charles Waugh is an Ohio State fan in his early 30’s who, in 2007, pleaded guilty to possession of matter portraying sexual performances by minors. On April 30, he sent a motivational message on Twitter to 129 people affiliated with Ohio State athletics, some of whom retweeted it. This drew attention to his behavior and the fact that he had previously went out of his way to meet up and take pictures with OSU athletes including Anzalone. On May 3, Ohio State sent a mass text to student athletes alerting them of the situation and instructing people to avoid contact. On May 4, Anzalone decommitted.

Land-Grant Holy Land had a pretty detailed analysis of Waugh’s behavior and why it was problematic, while Black Shoe Diaries discussed the awkward zone around the NCAA’s rules surrounding social media and how it helped lead to this.

Anzalone hasn’t said why he decommitted, but it’s hard not to imagine that this situation had something to do with it. Either way, we probably should stop paying attention to what 17-year-olds think, but it’s part of college football, so it’s never going to stop.