Four-star Idaho native WR Gatlin Bair discusses big rise in his recruitment

AUSTIN — Burley (Idaho) four-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair made the long trip in from the northwest to compete in the Texas Relays in Austin over the weekend, and walked away with first place in the 100-meter event after running a 10.18 in his prelim and dashing by the competition in the finals.

The 10.18 time was Bair's personal record and served as a big measuring stick to where stands among some of the nation's top sprinters.

"I actually told everybody that I wanted to run 10.2, so beating your PR is exactly where you want to be," Bair said. "Came out here from Idaho for some good weather and good competition."

His football recruitment has exploded in recent weeks as national powers continue to enter the race as each day passes, which has made it tough for Bair to take the next steps in his recruitment.

"I was trying to narrow it down to a top five and then I had like Georgia, TCU, Arkansas offer me in the last week," he said. "So now I'm just evaluating my top five and get some official visits planned out for the summer so that I can be committed before my senior season."

A visit to Nebraska in late March helped cement the Cornhuskers as a heavy contender in his recruitment as Bair felt comfortable in Lincoln because of its similarity to his home in Idaho.

"One of the big things was the people at Nebraska and the location," he said. "It feels a lot like home in the Idaho area. It felt very natural. The vision of the program is very impressive. They're taking a national power program that's kind of on the decline and trying to bring it back up. All of that energy and vision was really impressive."

Bair also swung by Texas last Wednesday ahead of the Texas Relays as he got to meet with new receivers coach Chris Jackson about his background and the vision for the Texas program.

"It was really good," he said about the visit. "It wasn't really a planned visit, I was the only one there. I got to talk to Coach Jackson and really get to meet him and figure out his background. I really like him and he's a down-to-earth guy. He doesn't care how high you're ranked, he just wants everyone to come in and work which really stood out to me."

Other major schools are in line for visits down the line, but Bair won't hammer anything out for certain until track season concludes.

"Oregon and Michigan are the two bigger ones," he said. "And then some local schools like Boise State, Utah and BYU."

Oregon and Michigan have each been a mainstay in his recruitment as each offer a unique opportunity for the next level.

"Kind of like Texas, just the opportunity to play at such a high level," he said. "The resources and the competition level is a really huge thing for me."

At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Bair is ranked as the No. 61 wide receiver prospect in the country for the class of 2024, according to Rivals.