Demontre Hurst, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound three-star cornerback from Lancaster, Texas, has already taken one official visit to Arizona on Oct. 18 and is set to visit Wake Forest on Nov. 8.
"The atmosphere at Arizona really stood out," Hurst said. "It was nice weather and the campus is great. It really impressed me. I like how calm the campus was, but during game day they go crazy. I haven't seen anything like that before. College life seems cool."
Another factor that impressed Hurst about the Wildcats was their coaching staff. "The coaches are like big brothers," he said. "They are fun to be around. They look after you and are all about the players. They really relate well with the players and are all good men too."
Hurst, ranked as the No. 40 cornerback in the country by Scout.com, admits that is especially true of head coach Mike Stoops. "Coach Stoops is a great guy," he said. "He told me he thinks I'd make a big impact in their secondary."
Arizona remains firmly entrenched in Hurst's top four choices. He says he now favors No. 8 Oklahoma State slightly over No. 19 North Carolina, Arizona and Wake Forest. Other schools he's still considering are No. 11 TCU, Tennessee and Kansas State, all of whom have offered (18 total).
"Oklahoma State is a real good team," Hurst said. "I knew they were pretty good, but they've really caught my eye this year. They are doing great and I think they'll give Texas Tech a run for their money this weekend (the Cowboys take on the Red Raiders in Lubbock on Nov. 8).
"Oklahoma State has a great wide receiver too, so it'll be a good battle with (Texas Tech's receiver) Michael Crabtree," he said. "It should be a real good game. Hopefully Oklahoma State will come out on top."
While the Cowboys and Red Raiders game is going on, Hurst will be in Winston-Salem, N.C., for his official visit to Wake Forest. "I've been talking to them since the beginning and I've had my eye on them for a long time," he said of the Demon Deacons.
"I really like the style of defense they play and they think I could develop into a great player there," Hurst said. "They even said that I could make a run to play early."
The Deacs used to be Hurst's top choice and while he says they're still one of his favorites, he admits the other programs have moved up. "I still like Wake Forest and anything can change after my visit," he said. "But the others have really caught my eye more.
"Wake has been a little jumpy this season," he admitted. "They do well and then not so well, but their defense seems consistent and I think they can still get better.
"The other schools are all playing a little better," Hurst said of Oklahoma State, Arizona and North Carolina. "They are all programs that are rising and I'd love to be at a place that is on its way up and be part of that."
Besides the Cowboys surprising success, Hurst admits he didn't see North Carolina's winning season coming either. "They've come a long way since last year," he said. "They are playing real good and have really surprised me.
"I really like (defensive line) coach John Blake," Hurst said. "He came to my last game and said he wants me in Carolina blue."
Hurst plans on scheduling official visits to North Carolina and Oklahoma State after his season is over. "We start playoffs soon and I'll set up the other trips once we're done," he said.
Lancaster High is currently 5-4, with one game left before the playoffs start. Hurst has 40 tackles, two interceptions, two fumbles recovered and two kick returns for scores.
While not out of the race, Tennessee and Kansas State have both become relative long shots at this point. "They are in pretty similar situations," he said. "I know (Kansas State) head coach Ron Prince just got fired and (Tennessee) coach Phil Fulmer will be stepping down at the end of the season.
"I was actually supposed to visit Kansas State this month, but with the coaching situation I don't think that's gonna happen," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen and I haven't really talked to any coaches at either school about it yet."
Hurst admits that coach Prince being fired is especially painful. "I really liked coach Prince," he said. "We talked a lot and I'm kind of second guessing everything about K-State now. It definitely changes a lot of things."
He reports a 3.0 core GPA and a 1290 SAT.