8/21/2017 football Edit

Florida, Tennessee, LSU in the running for former Buckeye pledge

Rob Cassidy • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

HIALEAH, Fla. -- With his commitment to Ohio State now voided and in the past, Andrew Chatfield is careful with his words. News of his next step, if decided on, is being guarded.

The four-star linebacker goes out of his way to avoid mentioning specific schools he’s considering and he’s certainly not naming favorites. He will, however, engage in a discussion concerning teams that have contacted him most since he became a recruiting free agent. It’s the closest Chatfield gets to sharing real news.

“It was LSU, Tennessee and Florida,” he said. “I think that was it, really. Those three came in quick.”

And so those schools, along with Miami and others will likely be in the running to land Chatfield’s commitment, whenever that takes place. He has set no date for such an announcement and says he’ll take his time when it comes to settling on a landing spot.

For now, he’s enjoying his newfound uncommitted status, his transition to which Chatfield says Buckeye coaching staff took quite well.

“Ohio State was alright with it when I told them,” Chatfield said. “They just said, ‘It’s your decision and you have to feel alright with it.’”

A senior at Ft. Lauderdale’s American Heritage High School, Chatfield is ranked as the No. 13 outside linebacker and the No. 210 overall prospect in the class of 2018.

IN HIS WORDS:

-- “Nobody [is the favorite] right now. Nobody is even really in the running to be honest. I’m just trying to sit back and get focused for the season”

-- “I’m taking a big step back. I need to take my time and figure out what’s the right school for me.

-- “I don’t have visits set or anything because I don’t really know anything about where I want to go right now. I’m not going to take visits until after the season.

RIVALS REACTION: Who knows? Chatfield seems likely to stay in the Southeast and may well end up not leaving Florida for college. Miami -- should it push -- and UF seem to be the most likely landing spots, but it’s hard to project before his official visits.