4-star WR Gatlin Bair announces top five schools

Burley (Idaho) Burley Senior four-star wide receiver Gatlin Bair holds nearly 25 offers, but he is ready to cut down his list. Bair announced Saturday that Boise State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon and TCU are his top five schools.

“Each of those programs is very development-oriented,” Bair told On3. “They are very good in the strength and conditioning department and are winning programs too. Those are some of the things that really stuck out to me. They are some of the schools that recruit me the hardest and I just felt a really good connection with the coaches and they are places I could see myself putting on the jersey and playing for them.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound wideout has already visited the Broncos and Cornhuskers. He enjoyed his time at both schools and was impressed by the people around the program, as well the campuses in Boise and Lincoln.

At the moment, Bair plans to graduate in January before spending two years on an LDS mission. He plans to take official visits to his five finalists over the summer.

“I definitely think the official visits will play a big role,” said Bair, the No. 89 overall prospect and No. 16 wide receiver in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. “Everyone I’ve talked to that’s made a decision like this, they said it comes down to a feel. The people I talk to, they just say, ‘When you know, you know.’ I’m playing it out and sticking with things that are really important to me, like the relationships with the people and that sort of thing. Whichever school really sticks out the most is the school that I’m gonna choose.”

Bair breaks down his top five schools

Boise State: “They take guys that aren’t ranked or ranked very low and they put them in the NFL. Their motto is based off development and a blue-collar program is what they’re based off of. That’s how I grew up. It really feels like home to me. The other thing too is I have a really good relationship with all the coaches, coach (Andy) Avalos, coach (Matt) Miller. They’re two great coaches and even better men. I feel like that’d be a place that I could go and develop, not only as a football player but as a person.”

Michigan: “My head coach coached Colston Loveland, so there’s that connection. They were one of the first schools to offer me. They were the biggest Power Five school to offer me early, so I’ve been in constant communication with them for a while. They’re an elite program and they put guys in the NFL. I think they’ve got one of the best strength and conditioning programs in the nation. I think they could develop me very well.”

Nebraska: “Nebraska reminds me a lot of Boise State, which was one of the things that jumped out to me. The people there are very similar to the people that I grew up around, very hospitable people, very nice people. The other thing is the vision that coach (Matt) Rhule has for Nebraska. Everybody on the staff has either played or worked for coach Rhule. He speaks very highly to the fact that you’re gonna have ups and you’re gonna have downs. He’ll pick you up when you’re down and he’ll always have a spot for you. It’s a relationship that lasts a lifetime, which was a big thing that jumped out to me. The vision that he has for the program and the energy in that program, I just felt it. I think it’s gonna be turned around and be a very successful program here in the next couple of years.”

Oregon: “It’s a very well-known program. Junior Adams is a phenomenal wide receivers coach. They’ve got a ton of technology and a ton of things that can help develop me into a great football player.”

TCU: “I got to talk with the strength and conditioning coach. I really like the way that he talked and some of the things that he said were very impressive to me.”