Gage Pitchford is in awe of the recruits willing to commit the next four years of their life to a school and a campus that they’ve never seen in person. This isn’t like trying a new restaurant. This is choosing a college, he argued, and your decision shouldn’t have to come from pictures on the internet or Yelp reviews.

“It’s really the biggest decision of my life up to this point,” Pitchford said. “I would not jeopardize my future just to get an early commit. I have to make sure it’s perfect for my family and me.”

And, so, the challenge for schools across the country is building relationships with recruits without an exact timetable for when kids, like Pitchford, will be able to visit their campus.

And, for now, ASU has done that with the three-star offensive line prospect from Georgia.

In the gym about two weeks ago, Pitchford looked down at his phone and noticed a half dozen Sun Devil coaches had suddenly thrown him a follow on Twitter. Soon enough, ASU graduate assistant Adam Breneman called and handed him an offer to go play in the desert.

“I was like, ‘This is going to be huge,’” Pitchford said. “ASU was one of the schools that I always looked up to and watched as a kid. To be able to be offered by them was huge. It’s a dream come true really.”

And since the initial offer, Breneman and offensive analyst Kevin Mawae have teamed up on the 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle’s recruitment.

“I feel like they’re two different personalities,” Pitchford said of Breneman and Mawae. “Coach Breneman is more like me, he’s a laid back, cool guy. We were actually planning on playing Xbox this week (‘Probably Call of Duty: Warzone’), which is really cool. And coach Mawae is just a really energetic guy. I can tell he really loves what he does, which is awesome -- and I love talking to him.”

The Sun Devils are one of Pitchford’s 16 total offers, but part of just a trio of power-five programs that have extended an offer to the Georgia offensive lineman. And at the moment, Pitchford said ASU, Vanderbilt, Kansas and Air Force are the four schools talking to him the most.

While the proximity of those four schools is about what you’d expect tossing darts at a map blindfolded, Pitchford is only putting an inkling of weight to a school’s relative distance from his home. But say he was 50-50 between ASU and Vanderbilt, he said he’d likely lean give the edge to Vandy because of geography. But only if it’s a true coin toss.

Other than that, it seems the interest in adding Pitchford -- a 6-foot-6 offensive tackle who will probably bulk up to 320 pounds in college and still look lean -- is only growing.

“They (coaches) can tell that I play with passion. I really do love the game, and they can see that in my film. They like the speed I play at, the intensity,” Pitchford said. “Whenever I master techniques and play the way I play right now, I’ll be dominant … I really like setting the tone and letting that d-lineman know it’s not going to be an easy game.”

Pitchford said he’s optimistic things will soon begin to open up, and he’ll be able to start visiting campuses in July and then eventually make his commitment during or after his senior season. But, in the meantime, he’s been trying to do his at-home due diligence on the schools he’s most considering.

“When Arizona State offered me, I just put in ‘Arizona State academics’ and I saw what they’re known for,” Pitchford said. “And they’re mainly an engineering school, which I’m very interested in. That was huge for me. I instantly gave them a checkmark on that…Everything I’ve seen from Arizona State I’ve loved. I just can’t wait to get up there and feel it.”

So far, it seems the Sun Devils are on their way to checking off most of the things on Pitchford’s wish list.

“I want to have a strong relationship with the coaches, since that’s, obviously, who I’m going to be spending the most time with. I want to make sure they’re recruiting like-minded guys, guys like myself who have the same goals as me,” Pitchford said. “I want good academics. High-level football, if possible. I just want to feel at home every time I go there.”

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