Gustin has three more visits in mind
Porter Gustin knows his list needs trimmed. He plans to make his cut in the near future, too. It's just that the four-star linebacker isn't prepared to pull the trigger just yet.
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That's not to say he isn't getting there, though. He'd simply like to take a few more visits before he starts narrowing options and dropping the outliers.
"I'm not for sure, but I'm hoping to get to visit Ohio State, Florida State and Notre Dame this summer," Gustin said. "Those are the last three I'm hoping to make a visit out to before the season. After that, I can probably be totally comfortable with cutting the list."
When Gustin does begin to narrow his focus, he will do so aggressively. Many of his 28 scholarship offers will be tossed to the wayside. The Salem Hills (Utah) High School standout is taking his time, sure. But when he finally decides to take action, he'll take it aggressively.
"I'm close to getting a top five or seven," Gustin said. "I've been close for a long time now. I have to cut one or two more teams. I haven't announced any of them yet, but I have a group of seven or so right now. I don't want to say any of them until I get the others taken out.
"There's no timetable in mind for the top 5. Whenever I get it, I get it. It should be coming out soon."
Gustin plans to return to a meticulous pace after announcing his finalists. All five official visits will take place and a commitment won't come until he's finished with his travel.
Gustin once planned to announce his choice at the U.S Army All-American game in January, but that is starting to seem less certain. Instead, he intends to play things by ear. There's a decision checklist in place, and Gustin intends to follow it strictly. He doesn't operate on whims. His choice will be anything but rushed.
"I want to get to know the coaches and see which coaches will be around for a while," Gustin said. "I want to see what their contracts are like and all that. I want to get to know the players and see the environment of the school. I also want to play for a great football program. The ones I have narrowed down to have all been traditionally good at football."
The No. 113-ranked prospect in the 2015 class, the 6-foot-5 Gustin recorded 78 tackles and four sacks as a junior at Salem Hills, where he plays quarterback in addition to his role on defense.
Rob Cassidy is a West Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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