Time to Slow Down for Gumbs?

For Hayward (Calif.) Stellar Prep outside linebacker Addison Gumbs the past few weeks have been an absolutely whirlwind. The Rivals250 prospect has been making his way around the country with visits to in-state USC and UCLA along with more distant trips to Oregon, Oregon State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

The Oklahoma visit happened last Saturday and for the 6-foot-3, 211-pound prospect his time spent with Sooners linebacker coach Tim Kish went as well as Oklahoma could have hoped.

“I felt like it was a great visit. I talked to a lot of coaches, coach Kish, we spent pretty much the whole day with him. Spent some good time with him and coach (Bob) Stoops. It was great seeing some of the California guys, good talking with (Joe) Mixon and (Michiah) Quick.”

“Quick told me he loved it there, said it was like a family there – a lot like California.”

The nation’s No. 13 outside linebacker said that it wasn't only the players that he found a real comfort level with.

“It was everything in general [that stood out]. They are serious about what they were doing, but are still real relaxed and focused,” he said. “I really felt like I fit in well, the coaches seemed great, I felt like things went really well.”

It wasn’t an experience that was singular to his Oklahoma trip though with Gumbs saying several schools made a big impression on him during his trips around the country. And though there was plenty of information to help him get an idea about his upcoming decision in some ways the trips made things even more difficult.

“Definitely, it’s been great going on all of these trips, learning more about the schools, the programs, it’s really helped me a lot, clarify what I already knew,” he said. “It’s kind of a bit of both, I know what programs are really great, I know how great the programs are, but I know it’s going to be an even tougher decision after I’ve seen them.”

As mentioned his decision is expected later this spring though he admits to not having a set date on when that decision will come.

“It’s probably going to be a general area, I don’t have a date set. I think I’ll feel right about it and I’ll wake up one day and be ready,” he said.

His next step, before making a decision is to begin to narrow his list down to a top five but before he can ever do that he has two more trips to take.

“I think I take a few more trips, I think I go to Nebraska and Washington and I may go back to USC, I may try and narrow it down, and get it down to a top five,” he said.

On all of these trips he has been with his father, and Stellar Prep head coach, Desmond and says that having not only a parent but his on-field boss with him on these trips.

“It’s great having him there. Sometimes when people talk, I might not catch everything or understand it, it’s great having him there for that.”