For a long time now, Porter Gustin has gotten out of bed before sunrise, running conditioning drills on a dark football field and lifting weights before school.

The five-star prospect has rarely missed a day of training. He gave up all sugar, sweets and junk food at the age of 12. He has never drank soda pop.

On the bio portion of his Twitter account, Gustin has written, "Work hard in silence, let success make all the noise."

So when the coveted 6-foot-5, 237-pound prospect raised the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy on his official visit to Ohio State over the weekend, he got a glimpse of what all that hard work, all that sacrifice, could lead to.

"When the three-time national championship caliber coach like Urban Meyer hands a 17-year-old like Porter a trophy to hoist up, it resonates down to the very core," his father, John Gustin, said.

Gustin is scheduled to announce a college choice Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET during a ceremony at Salem (Utah) Salem Hills, a school he helped accomplish its most successful football season in its history this past fall. Ohio State, USC, Arizona State and Utah are the finalists.

Gustin previously officially visited the Trojans (Jan. 16), Sun Devils (Jan. 23) and Utes (Jan. 28) before seeing the Buckeyes. The family hasn't shied from stating that Gustin's desire to win a national championship could prove to be the determining factor.

Meyer made a tremendous pitch on the final weekend before National Signing Day.

"They call it Theory versus Testimony at Ohio State, and it is impossible to ignore," Gustin's father said.

Premium Forum - How will OSU finish out the 2015 class?Click The other finalists also have made strong cases in recent weeks. USC assistants Peter Sirmon and Justin Wilcox were in town last week to see Gustin throw at a major league showcase in front of baseball scouts. Arizona State assistants Chip Long and Keith Patterson dropped by for a meeting before the Gustins left to see Ohio State. And Utah, the local school, also could be considered a viable option.Here to view this Link.

Ohio State made the looming decision all the more difficult.

"Ohio State was extremely impressive," John Gustin said. "Coach Urban Meyer and his staff were amazing. It's a first-class operation all around."

Gustin passed for over 2,800 yards and rushed for nearly 900 yards, totaling 32 touchdowns as a quarterback this past season. On defense, he had over 150 tackles, including 29 behind the line of scrimmage, to go along with 10.5 sacks and two interceptions. [rl]