Cupp ready for spring visits

Three-star Leipsic, Ohio offensive tackle Gavin Cupp just finished his high school basketball season, and plans to start focusing more on his recruitment this spring.

"I got to go out to one junior day this winter and that was Michigan State. That went very well," Cupp said. "That was a Spartan Elite Day and there were only about 20 of us there. That gave me a chance to talk to Coach (Mark) Staten, the linemen coach, a lot more than I would have on a regular visit. They told me to come back for spring ball, so that's what I plan to do."

Michigan State is not one of Cupp's 11 current offers, but his communication with the Spartans has been on-going since early in his recruitment.

"On Sept. 1 they were allowed to start sending mail, and four minutes after midnight on Sept. 1 two (coaches) from Michigan State got ahold of me," Cupp said. "That's how it really all started and since then they invited me to games and invited me to junior days.

"I feel pretty positive about them and they've shown a lot of interest in me. They said they like my film. The thing at Michigan State is they really like to know their prospects before they offer."

Current Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi was at Michigan State when Cupp first started being recruited by the Spartans and his latest offer came from Narduzzi's staff at Pitt last week.

"Coach (John) Peterson, the lineman coach, has sent me quite a bit through Twitter," Cupp said. "The other one I know is coach Andre Powell. He was at Maryland before he came to Pitt and he was my recruiter at Maryland, so maybe that had something to do with (the offer).

"We've talked a lot about visiting Pitt every since they offered. We'd love to get to Pitt. We're just trying to figure out where we're going to start."

Besides Michigan State and Pitt, Cupp has an ambitious plan of visiting each of the schools that have offered as well as several that are showing interest but have yet to offer.

"We're going to go to Ohio State and I talked to Michigan about heading up there," Cupp said. "Indiana has stressed visiting and Purdue has stressed visiting. I've been in contact with Georgia, so they wanted me to come down sometime. Missouri said there is a very good chance of them offering once more contact is allowed this spring."

Spring visits will set the early tone for Cupp's recruitment, as the research into which schools fit him best is just beginning.

"Every school that has offered and has interest in me, I have the same interest in right now," Cupp said. "I really haven't gotten to sit down and evaluate all my offers because I have been bouncing from sport to sport. With me not playing baseball this year, it gives me time to actually go out and see what these places have to offer."

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Cupp is ranked as the No. 27 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 14 player in the state of Ohio for the 2016 class.