Arizona's top targets in our loaded 2014 class are each close to making their college decisions - completing the official recruiting visits remaining on their recruiting lists. While some top-rated prospects in the class have already given verbal commitments to college programs, the top 3 remaining uncommitted targets in the class are each on official recruiting visits this weekend.
For each of these three young men, this weekend's official recruiting visit is the last remaining visit on their schedule of visits that they will each take this fall. Sunnyslope's 6-foot-10 senior post Michael Humphrey, Mesa Mountain View's 6-foot-10 senior post Payton Dastrup and South Mountain High School's 6-foot-8 senior forward Zylan Cheatham are each on scheduled visits to three different college programs this weekend, and a decision for each looks to be coming soon.
Michael Humphrey recently narrowed down his list of college programs to two different schools, Stanford and the University of Arizona. Humphrey is on his final recruiting visit this weekend to the University of Arizona. Humphrey, a top recruiting target for each of the schools that recruited him this fall, also attended the Wildcats' Red-Blue scrimmage last weekend. While Humphrey indicated that he might not be interested in the Wildcats during the July evaluation period, Head Coach Sean Miller and his staff have made up a lot of recruiting ground with the talented post prospect and will try to seal the deal this weekend.
Humphrey's mother attended the program as a college student, and the lure to play close to home seems to be a key component in his college recruitment. Stanford will also be tough to beat for Humphrey, since he has indicated all along that he was looking for a school with a strong academic profile.
Humphrey also visited Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, before narrowing down his list of schools.
For Mountain View's Dastrup, the recruiting process has also been a long one, as he has been considering 7 different college programs in his recruitment - Kansas, Florida, Ohio State, Virginia, BYU, UCLA and Arizona . Dastrup visited the University of Virginia last weekend, and this weekend he is on the campus of Ohio State.
Ohio State chose to bring Dastrup up this weekend alongside five-star center Myles Turner - looking to round out their already strong recruiting class.
Dastrup will take a two-year Mormon mission after completing high school, so the lure to play for BYU, a program that understands the Mormon culture and faith thoroughly, will be tough to beat for Dastrup. Each program in pursuit of Dastrup has indicated that they are willing to adapt to Dastrup's wishes, so it will be very interesting to see which direction Dastrup chooses. He has indicated that he plans to make his decision this fall, but recently it has been reported that Dastrup's indecision could lead him to a spring decision.
For South Mountain High School's 6-foot-8 ultra-athletic wing prospect, Zylan Cheatham, this weekend also looks to be very big. Cheatham narrowed down his list of college suitors recently to Washington, San Diego State and New Mexico. The Lobos looked to be clearly in 3rd among the list of college programs, but recently, with the commitment of top-rated national prospect Malik Pope to San Diego State, the door swung open for New Mexico to get back into the recruiting race.
New Mexico looks to have already made up serious ground this weekend, as the Lobos filled their famous gymnasium (The Pit) with fans on Friday evening, with fans holding up signs expressing their desire to have Cheatham.
It has been some time now since Cheatham visited Washington and San Diego State. With Cheatham still undecided as to what program he will choose at this point, New Mexico could get it done this weekend, since in the recruiting business, the most recent recruiting visit goes a long way in persuading the student-athlete.
This weekend will be a huge weekend for these three young men, as each student-athlete looks to make a decision very soon - maybe sooner than later.