Interview Part 2: Rangy California ATH Logan Gamble wanted by colleges on offense and defense

St. Anthony High School’s Logan Gamble presents a dilemma of sorts for college recruiters, but it is the best kind of dilemma possible and that is where to play him. Gamble is a 6’5.5”, 198 pound, two-way star in Southern California lining up at wide receiver and defensive end presenting a world of options at the next level on both sides of the ball.

The where to place him scenario does not end there. Gamble could also line up as and outside linebacker in a 3-4 or, due to his frame, pack on 20-30 pounds and play tight end or even a Hybrid tight end position lining up in the slot or in the backfield as a receiving and blocking option. College coaches see all the various options and the talent. Thus far Arizona, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, Virginia, Washington State, and Wyoming have extended offers with teams like BYU, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Oregon, Toledo, Utah, and Yale showing interest.

Most immediately for the Saints, Gamble was an impact player during his junior year coming up with 15 receptions for 284 yards with 5 touchdowns. On defense head coach Mario Morales got 58 tackles out of Gamble, 13 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, and 7 quarterback hurries. The Saints ended the 2014 season 11-2 and shortly thereafter Gamble was ranked as the No. 1 tight end prospect in the state of California by Rivals and 247Sports and the No. 11 outside linebacker in the nation by Scout.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview we sat down with Logan to go over his breakout junior campaign, his offseason workouts, recruiting, and got a look ahead to how his Long Beach team will do in 2015.

Link to Part 1 of Logan Gamble’s interview. Continuation of Part 2 of Logan Gamble’s interview:

Do you play any other sports for St. Anthony’s?

“I used to play basketball but I am done with that now.”

Were you getting any looks for basketball?

“I was from UC Irvine and Pepperdine.”

With that in mind, I have that you have offers from Arizona, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, Virginia, Washington State, and Wyoming. Which schools are showing interest in your right now that have not offered?

“Utah, Utah State, Stanford, Oregon, Michigan, there’s a lot – there’s a bunch. Cal, Arizona State, Duke, Colorado, Colorado State and UCLA is on me super hard and Nebraska and Minnesota.”

Are you planning on going to any one-day college camps this summer?

“I will attend Michigan’s camp, Washington State, and probably Stanford and UCLA’s camp. I’ll probably be at the USC and San Diego State’s Passing League. Those are the camps I’ll probably be going to.”

Are you getting the talk or the feeling that if you attend some of these camps that the different schools will extend an offer?

“I get that feeling a lot but I don’t respect it. If you feel like if you already know how I can play offer me. I don’t think it is necessary for me to have to fly out there to spend $200 for an offer that I might not take in the long run. I told a lot of schools that I’ll come on unofficials if you offer me. If you offer me I will take an unofficial there but If I go on an unofficial say to Duke and they don’t offer me I’ve wasted $600 in plane tickets alone.

“So with the camps, you’ve seen my highlight tape, you can come to my practices. If you want to coach me at a camp I don’t think that is necessary but if a school has already offered me and I have a good experience with their coach and want me to go to their camp then, yeah, I’ll check it out. I’m not going to make an unnecessary long run to a camp for a school that might not offer me.”

Of the eight schools that have offered you which programs are pushing you really hard for your verbal commitment?

“Washington State, Nevada, Fresno State, SDSU, and Virginia are all pushing pretty hard. Those five. Arizona, San Jose State, and Wyoming have kind of laid off. Their offer is there but it’s just kind of sitting there. The other five programs I communicate with their program consistently.”

Have you put out a Top 5 or a Top 3 of your favorites yet?

“No.”

Do you have a time frame of when you will release a list of your favorites?

“I’ll release my Top 5 in September and then I’ll take my officials to the five schools.”

Do you have a timeframe on when you want to verbally commit?

“I’m going to wait until I take all five visits. I should be done with my visits half way through the season. I think after my fifth official visit I can make my decision.”

What is your checklist when you visit different camps and what will influence that final decision?

“How I feel on campus. If I feel welcome to go places in the locker room and if I feel welcomed to go places in the coaches office. If I can walk into a coaches office and say hello. That’s way more attractive than sitting in a lobby waiting for a coach to come out. Stuff like that and how they talk to you. Basically your coach, your player experience, the legacy of the school, the academic reputation, and the graduation rate is all super important to me. Basically a school that can check all five of those will most likely get the commitment.”

Which schools have you unofficially visited so far?

“I’ve taken unofficial visits to Fresno State, Arizona, SDSU, UCLA, and USC.”

How did the SDSU trip go?

“I liked it a lot that was my first trip. It was all new to me. Coach Tony White, the recruiting coordinator, he guided me through practice, walked the field, and took me into the locker-room. I took pictures with the jersey, like most recruits do. I also took a tour of the campus. I think I might go back there for a visit.”

How was the UCLA trip for you?

“It went awesome. I went up there with Curtis (Weaver). We walked on the field and there were two people working out. We didn’t know who it was. The quarterback was Tom Brady throwing the ball to Tony Gonzalez. It was super random. We watched the rest of the practice and then they asked us for our transcripts.”

How did the USC visit go?

“That went well too. We showed up at the Coliseum and watched practice for an hour and a half and then met with the defensive coaches that wanted to meet with me and Curtis.”

What are you working on in the offseason to improve before the college camps?

“I’ve been training a lot with Epic Strong, Apex Training Group, and with my high school team. I’ve been working on speed, strength, agility, basically strength in general, footwork, and route running.”

What is the main thing in the offseason you are working on to tweak before next season?

“My route running and my weight.”

What are the different positions each team is recruiting you to play?

“SDSU as an athlete, Arizona as an athlete, Wyoming as a defensive end and outside linebacker, and Fresno State as an athlete. San Jose State as a D-end outside linebacker, most of the teams that are offering me are offering on defense but they are telling me our coaches are still recruiting you as an offensive player. Washington State as an outside linebacker and tight end or wide receiver. Nevada tight end and wide receiver. Virginia as a linebacker or tight end/wide receiver.”

What about UCLA?

“UCLA as a tight end/wide receiver, like a flux tight end.”

What about USC?

“As an outside linebacker in a 3-4, a pass rusher.”

What about Stanford, Cal, Michigan, Oregon?

“Stanford as a wide receiver/tight end, Cal as a wide receiver/tight end, Michigan as a wide receiver/tight end, and Oregon as a wide receiver or outside linebacker.’

What is your preference?

“I haven’t made a decision on that. I feel offense right not but that could be because of 7×7 but I know when pads come on I will want to play defense.”

What is your favorite part of playing football?

“The energy that goes with it and the people I play with. I play with a fun group of guys. We all have the same goals and that is to win and we have fun doing it. We might get beat sometimes but when it comes to the game we all have each other.”

Who has made the biggest impact on your football career?

“I would have to say my teammates, every single one of them. I wasn’t going to play last year. I was all basketball. I was being recruited for basketball and then my friend told me to come out and play football. I wasn’t good, I was only doing special teams. But they kept telling me to come out and play. The main guy pushing me to get on the field transferred. He talks me into playing football and then he leaves the school. There are a bunch of guys on the team that have made football fun. I learned a lot of great stuff from each one of them. They’ve all made a difference for me.”

 

Written by Ryan Wright

Photo credit: photozoto.com