Miami-Ohio nabs Louisiana linebacker

It was late in the process before Miami-Ohio got involved with Slidell (La.) Northshore linebacker Chris Wade. The physical backer had a heavy interest in Yale, Tulsa, Tulane and others but recently, due to a connection that one of Wade's teachers had on the Miami-Ohio staff, the Red Hawks came calling. On Monday night that interest paid off with a commitment.

"I committed to Miami Ohio," Wade said on Tuesday morning.

Wade took a visit to Oxford, Ohio this weekend and enjoyed what he saw.

"It was real nice," he said. "The people were warm and welcoming and the institution, academic-wise, is one of the best in the country so it was a good fit."

Despite the late entry into the race, Wade quickly developed a relationship with the Miami-Ohio coaching staff and felt very comfortable with heading to play under them.

"Surprisingly, the head coach Mike Haywood is a real cool guy," he said. "He's down to earth and he takes care of his players so it really didn't take long for us to form a relationship."

With Miami-Ohio losing its three starting linebackers, Wade feels good about his ability to come in and contribute early. With his physicality and athleticism, Wade is certainly college ready.

"I'll probably be playing 'sam' or 'will' but I can always play all three linebacker positions," he said. "My mentality is to come in and be starting early. All three linebackers left and they have a new staff so it's every man for himself."