Interest in Gustin runs wild

Turns out, the journey from little-known high school athlete to full-fledged recruiting commodity only takes a few months. Just ask Salem (Utah) Salem Hills High School standout [db]Porter Gustin[/db].

Gustin, who missed nearly four games with an injured hand a year ago didn't have many offers with which to work in the fall or early winter. Once March hit, however, things on that front changed. Some schools like Gustin at linebacker. Others want him to play defensive end. The constant is that colleges want him on the roster.

"Utah State was actually the first to offer," Gustin said. "After that, it just kind of blew up. I was surprised. I didn't know it would go this fast and big I was expecting a few offers, but I thought me being hurt would hold me back a little. I guess it all worked out."

Today his offer list stands at 21. The 6-foot-5, 247-pound Gustin has his hands full with travel and constant conversations with college coaches. Still, he's wasting no time continuing the gauntlet. There are plenty of campuses to tour, after all.

"This next weekend, we're going on a big trip," Gustin said. "We're going to hit Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State. Maybe even Boise State, too. Then, after that, I'm not exactly sure because we have to schedule around basketball and baseball, but we plan to see a lot of different schools."

The sudden nature of Gustin's recruitment has placed the Utah-based athlete behind the curve of sorts. He names no favorites in the process and hasn't visited as many programs as he would like. From here, he'll take his time. Even with his peers naming frontrunners and making early commitments, he sees no reason to hurry the process.

"I've only been to some of the California schools and Boise State, so I want to check out the rest of these schools before I name favorites," he said. "everything is pretty even with everyone right now."

Gustin, who originally planned to announce a commitment prior to his senior season, says he now plans to choose a school in January at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.