Notre Dame Football Recruiting 2012: The Indecision of Davonte Neal

On Tuesday morning at 11:30 AM, highly touted recruit Davonte Neal was expected to announce his collegiate decision in front of roughly 600 students at Kyrene de la Esperanza, Neal's former elementary school.

There's only one problem. Neal didn't show.

From the information available at the moment, which is very little, the reason for Neal's no-show isn't known for certain. 

The only thing that is for certain is that there are 600 very upset elementary school students at Kyrene de la Esperanza. I'm sure their teachers aren't too happy, either.

On a serious note, the Arizona Republic gave its take on the situation Tuesday morning.

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The issue, apparently, is a power struggle between Neal and his father, Luke. Luke Neal has been pro-Notre Dame in recent weeks, while Davonte has been leaning toward the UA.

Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez made recruiting Neal a priority shortly after he was hired Nov. 21 as Mike Stoops' permanent replacement. Rodriguez hired Charlie Ragle, Neal's coach at Chaparral, as Arizona's new liaison to in-state high schools.

The Wildcats then signed two Chaparral players, linebacker Cody Ippolito and defensive end Dylan Cozens, with hopes Neal would follow.

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Could Rich Rod and his Wildcats have a serious shot at landing Neal? Most would say no, but Neal's failure to appear at his press conference makes me think otherwise.

Rodriguez is a genius for hiring Neal's head coach as an assistant, as it will only give Arizona a more realistic chance at landing Neal.

Playing close to home can never be left out of the equation, either.

Then again, Neal's grandmother lives in North Carolina, giving Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora an advantage that two of Neal's pursuers—Arkansas and Notre Dame—don't have: a connection to the Neal family.

However, fans and rabid college football recruiting enthusiasts must keep one basic principle in mind: anything is possible.

Heck, we could wake up tomorrow, and Neal may have announced to give the decision process another two weeks.

At the end of the day, the minds of 18-year-olds are extremely indecisive, as witnessed by this morning's circus. Don't give the kid grief, though. It's completely uncalled for.

Like Gunner Kiel before him, Neal is struggling to make the most important decision he has likely been faced with to this point in his life. Having the media following his every step doesn't aid that process.

So please, give Davonte Neal some breathing room, and give him all the time he needs to make the right decision for himself.

Wouldn't you enjoy that same courtesy?