Johnstone plans to cut list this summer

Tyler Johnstone has plenty of offers but by the end of summer the Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton offensive tackle plans to cut his list to five and two programs are almost assuredly going to make it.

Oregon, after a recent unofficial visit, and Colorado, his first offer, are expected to be in his top five and then Johnstone, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect who has picked up almost all his offers this spring after an impressive showing at the Los Angeles NIKE Camp, will figure out the other three in the next couple months.

Johnstone, rated No. 28 among offensive tackles by Rivals.com and ninth in the Arizona state rankings, was thoroughly impressed by the Ducks during a recent visit.

"I saw Oregon first last Friday and they took me around campus and they treated it as much like an official visit as they possibly could," Johnstone said. "I got a complete tour of all their facilities including their academic resources center and that tour was incredible. The facilities are absolutely ridiculous. I loved it.

"It's safe to say they'll be in my top five that I'm trying to narrow down right now. I'll probably have that list by the end of summer. The coaches there are great guys. There is a lot of longevity to the coaching staff. Eugene is a nice place so I liked Oregon a lot."

Johnstone also stopped at Oregon State last week and the Beavers are certainly in contention. He was blown away by offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh and he could be the key to getting Johnstone to Corvallis.

"They were pretty incredible, too," Johnstone said. "Coach Cavanaugh, the o-line coach there, is an incredible coach. He just manufactures NFL linemen. They're definitely an up-and-coming program and all their coaching staff is super-friendly but really serious when it comes down to football. Corvallis, just the town itself, was a lot like Eugene so no one one-ups each other on that aspect."

Next up for Johnstone is a trip to Southern Cal to work out at its Rising Stars Camp this week. The Trojans have not yet offered but the Arizona prospect said one would be huge - and it would make his decision that much tougher. Following his camp stop at USC, Johnstone will also visit UCLA, which has already offered.

"An offer from USC would be huge," Johnstone said. "I'm not saying I would or wouldn't go there but an offer from them would be huge. It's such a prestigious program. It's one of the schools everyone knows about.

"It's the one school on the West Coast that is respected by the East Coast. I didn't watch a lot of college football until I got to high school really but I knew about USC. They're the kind of program that really sticks out to the rest of the world. That would be an incredible offer to have."

Colorado has to be pleased to know it should make Johnstone's top five. It was his first offer but there is more that Johnstone likes about the Buffaloes, including their coaching staff and the location.

"(Offering first) helps out a lot and it shows they were willing to stick their neck out for me," Johnstone said. "I love the coaches there. Boulder is a nice place to live so they're probably going to make my list as well."