2024 4-star ATH Fred Gaskin III narrows down to eight schools

Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard four-star 2024 athlete Fred Gaskin III has well over two dozen offers to his name, but he’s ready to start narrowing things down in his recruitment.

The No. 177 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus is down to eight schools, he tells On3. That list includes Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Penn State and Tennessee.

“Player development, good coaching, a family bond when I get around the coaches, and what my family thinks about the schools with education are what’s most important,” he said.

Gaskin has already visited Auburn, FSU, and Alabama, and he will be at Tennessee’s junior day event this weekend. The rest, he plans to get to this spring and summer either on unofficial or official visits.

He doesn’t have a commitment plan in place, but that could change depending on how his visits go.

“I don’t plan to commit to a school before my senior year, but I’m kind of just going with how my recruitment goes as of right now,” he added. “There’s no set commitment date at the moment.”

Fred Gaskin III breaks down his top schools

The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder broke down each of the programs in his top eight and why they made it there.

Alabama: It’s their commitment to excellence. There’s a standard they hold as the best of the best, so putting them in my top schools, it’s me saying I really like what they’re doing with their program. Over the years, they’ve been the top dog for a while now. They’re known for player development and getting guys into the NFL, and also for making better men. They are doing something right with their program.

Auburn: I’ve been in contact with Zac Etheridge. They’re an SEC school, they play fast, and they play with a nickel also. Which is kind of what they want me to play at, and also be able to come down in the box at times. That’s what I want to go to college and do, so it fits what I want to do as a playing scheme.

Colorado: I would say [Coach Deion Sanders] is definitely a big part of my interest with them. Over time, he’s shown he can bring a program and change it around. And he’s taking his coaches and players from Jackson State with him, so you can tell he has a set foundation he wants to have on his teams. You can see he has a real vision for what he wants to accomplish.

Florida State: It’s an in-state team, and it’s always good to be close to home and not too far. I like the family bond there; I can tell I’m very accepted into that school from how the coaches treat me and how they check on me. They treat me like I’m already there.

Michigan State: It’s a school that has developed DBs, and the coaches have really reached out to me a lot. They were a school that was kind of questionable about offering, but they wanted me to be locked in with them before they even offered me. If they’re gonna offer somebody, they’re offering for a reason, so that stood out to me a lot.

Ole Miss: I’m in contact with the head coach, Lane Kiffin, and Coach Brown. I talk to him almost every week. He texts me and my dad, so he’s talking to my family as well. They’re a school that has been on me heavy since last year, and I got the offer not too long ago. It’s only right that I include them on my list and get up to campus this spring or summer.

Penn State: I talk to Coach Terry Smith, and he’s kind of been wanting to get me on campus a lot. I text him, and it’s like, ‘We need you on campus. Come get around the coaching staff.’ When I look at a school, I want one that’s going to recruit me heavy, and I admire that about them.

Tennessee: I can’t say yet how they are in person, but through text and talking to them on the phone, they really like me as a player. And they tell me about their scheme and how I would fit into the defense, and I feel like I can trust them as a coaching staff.