Desmond Trufant, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound three-star cornerback from Wilson Senior High School in Tacoma, Wash., will be taking his first official visit this weekend (Nov. 15) to Arizona State.
"I like the team a lot," Trufant said of the Sun Devils. "I really like how the coaches run the program. They work hard and are serious about football and never give up."
Trufant says he's been surprised by Arizona State's disappointing 2008 campaign, but is optimistic about their future. "They are a young team," he said. "I think they'll have a breakout season next year."
Although Trufant continues to deny a leader, he says that if he's impressed by his trip to Tempe, the Sun Devils will likely be his top choice. "I'm excited about the visit," he said. "If it goes really well I think they'll be number one, but I'll have to take my other visits to know for sure."
He doesn't have any other official visits scheduled, but has already unofficially tripped to Oregon, Washington and Washington State. Trufant says he may also visit Colorado and Idaho. All of those schools have offered.
"I'm looking for a whole team environment," he said. "I want a program where the people really get along and I plan on talking to a lot of players on my visits. I want to see from them how it's like and what they think. They are the ones that know best."
Despite being only 30 minutes away from Washington, Trufant says that doesn't give the Huskies any kind of edge. "The distance won't matter," he said.
What will matter is the Huskies' coaching situation. "I guess it's unfortunate that coach Tyrone Willingham is stepping down, but that's how things go," he said. "Anything can happen and I just want to see what happens next. I haven't talked to any of their other coaches about it yet, so I'm just waiting like everybody else."
The Huskies in-state rival, Washington State, haven't fared much better this season. "I think it's all about recruiting with them," he said. "They need help to get better and get things going. They just need to find the right pieces and I think they'll be fine."
Trufant's brother, Marcus Trufant (now with the Seattle Seahawks), played cornerback for Wazzu.
One northwest team that has been successful this year is Oregon. "I think I'd be a good fit there," he said. "They are always a pretty good team and I like their defense. The coaches are great and they've been around for a long time and aren't going anywhere."
Another school that Trufant is likely to visit is Colorado. "I haven't been there yet," he said. "I'd like how they've won some big games this year, but they are still a young team. They are gonna be getting better and I think I could probably play early there."
Trufant, ranked as the No. 66 cornerback in the country by Scout.com, finished his senior season (4-6) with 67 tackles and 12 total touchdowns (rushing, receiving, special teams).
He is also being recruited for track and considers himself a "jumper." He has a personal best long jump of 22'7", triple jumps 46'7" and high jumps 6'2".
"I haven't decided if I'll do track in college," he said. "I'm not sure yet."
Trufant reports a 3.0 core GPA and a 1200 SAT and 19 ACT.