Gabe Ervin is rolling with the punches. The pandemic sucks, and everyone can agree it’s thrown a major wrench into normal life. As for Ervin, that means a detour in how he’s gone through the recruiting process. He should be on visits right now. These days, he should be quite familiar with the sounds, the sights, and the smells of a half dozen college campuses he is considering.
And, when it comes down to it, he should have no doubts where he wants to commit.
Yet, there’s a sense of unknown. Because of that, many kids have pushed back their recruiting timetable. ‘How can I commit to a school that I’ve never been to?’, they’ll argue. It’s a fair point. With mass uncertainty, confidence in big decisions wain.
Nonetheless, Ervin views it as simply a new normal, something that shouldn’t change how and when he makes his decision.
“I would definitely (commit without going on a visit). You have to adapt to the new normal. It’s just the new way of life for recruiting,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of virtual tours, it’s like I’ve been there.”
On Thursday, Ervin made a big next step in his recruiting process. The three-star running back out of Buford, Georgia narrowed his 24 offers down to a top-five: Nebraska, Georgia, Duke, Michigan State and Arizona State.
“They all have a family connection and family values that I feel like I could play at that school. I feel like all five of those schools, I feel like I would fit good,” Ervin said. “Now I just have to ‘X’ out which ones I like best and which ones I don’t.”
For now, ASU is still in that mix. Speaking on the phone Thursday afternoon, Ervin went silent for a few moments, taking the phone off his ear to scroll through his old calls. Then he found his initial phone call with ASU running backs coach Shaun Aguano. It was on Jan 18 when the Sun Devils first reached out to the 6-foot-1, 190-pound tailback from the Peach State.
The conversation ended with an offer from the Sun Devils. And, since then, the pair’s relationship has grown.
“He’s been very kind. Very open. He just wants me to make the best decision for me, not just for ASU,” Ervin said of Aguano. “That’s what I like about him. And that’s how we connect. And he has a passion for the game, a passion for running backs.”
Despite the fact the Sun Devils just last December signed two four-star running backs (DeaMonte Trayanum and Daniyel Ngata), Ervin said Aguano has told him ASU always needs running backs and he can help build up the Sun Devils’ room at that position.
“(Coaches) like that I’m a fast downhill runner. I can make a guy miss. I have all the attributes for a great running back -- I have the size, the height,” Ervin described. “I’m most effective in the play of power. I’m a good power guy.”
As a junior for the 14-1 Wolves, Ervin rushed for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns.
It’s clear that -- at least in terms of geography -- ASU is the outlier in Ervin’s top five. Tempe is more than 1,200 miles away from the next closest campus on his short list (Nebraska).
Regardless, Ervin doesn’t feel an urgency to attend a school close to home. It certainly helps, too, that there’s precedent. T Lee, Ervin’s former teammate at Buford High, recently finished up his first spring semester as an ASU defensive back.
But above everything else, Ervin said he’ll choose the school “that’s the best version of me.”
“The best version of myself is making a name for myself. Making a name for Gabe Ervin Jr.,” he said. “Doing everything to the best of my ability, my utmost potential … I can maximize my potential with playing time. The best version of myself on and off the field, like academics, everything. I want to excel in everything.
“Schools need to have somewhere where I feel like I will make an impact on it. Schools need to have an offensive scheme that I feel like I will fit into.”
If it’s not clear by now, Ervin, even through the phone, oozes confidence. He says that comes from his dad, who taught him to go hard after the things you want. And, through the recruiting process, Ervin has used those lessons. If you’re not confident in yourself, he argues, why would anyone else believe in you?
To this point, Ervin has a lot of people believing in him. He said he expects to commit before his senior season begins in August, and would then be eligible to graduate in December and get out to his new school for spring ball.
And if that’s in Tempe?
“If you said that I will commit to ASU in three months, I would say that I feel like I made a good decision based upon the people I’m surrounded by,” Ervin said in response to a hypothetical. “I’d be surrounded by great people and great people who will get me to the next level.”
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