Four-star end setting visits

Things on the recruiting front are slowing down for Dodge City (Kan.) Community College defensive end Marcus Hardison. Well, they're slowing down as much as possible for a four-star prospect with 24 scholarship offers, anyway.

His two newest offers came from Utah and Florida State during the summer months, and his last campus visit was to Texas Tech in the middle of the offseason. The situation is not without its perks. Hardison, one of the nation's top junior college players, has used the momentary lull to focus on football.

Things are about to pick up again, though. He knows it and has prepared accordingly. He doesn't call what he did on Monday afternoon "trimming his list," but it certainly had the same effect. Arguing over the correct term is splitting hairs.

The label he uses is moot anyway. Hardison has a certain cluster of possible colleges in mind and has finally decided to name them publicly.

It is what it is, as the kids say.

"I'm still kinda of wide open … kind of. I have a couple schools that I'm looking at," he said. "It's Arizona State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Texas A&M, South Florida and Florida State.

"Arizona State is recruiting me the hardest right now, for sure."

Whatever you do, don't construe his words as a "cut." Hardison doesn't like that term for one reason or another. He doesn't mind the word "visit," however. He's already started the process of setting those.

First on the docket will be a trip to Arizona State on Nov. 17, when the Sun Devils are set to host Washington State. Because of his junior college schedule, it's unclear how many Divison-I games Hardison will be able to attend, but that won't stop him from seeing certain campuses before making a decision.

Hardison said that, in addition to his scheduled trip to Arizona State, he'd like to visit Florida State as well as Texas A&M and South Florida. Dates for such trips have not been set but will be finalized as part of what the sought-after prospect expects to be a busy next month.

As hectic as Hardison expects the coming stretch to be, he does not intend to make a verbal commitment until December.

"I'll probably wait until the signing day," he said.

Hardison projects as a May junior college graduate and will arrive on the campus of his choice next summer.