St. Rita's Gaston trims long list to six

St. Rita's Bruce Gaston, whom recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has described as the top-rated defensive tackle in the Midwest, said Tuesday that he has narrowed his list of finalists from 15 to six.

The 6-4, 300-pounder said he will decide between Purdue, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona and Notre Dame. He plans to make official visits this fall and announce his decision after the season.

"It was very difficult to narrow my list," Gaston said. "All of the schools did a good job of recruiting me. I didn't feel a lot of pressure. But I feel relieved and I'm looking forward to the rest of the process. Now I can focus on my senior year."

Other schools that had offered scholarships included Illinois, Virginia, Boston College and Northwestern.

Gaston is a late bloomer. He had a good-but-not-great junior year and didn't attract any offers until he began to stand out in camps earlier this spring and summer. College coaches are excited by his size, quickness, agility and athleticism, a rare combination for defensive linemen.

"I've trained myself to get to this point and I'm still training to get where I want to be," he said. "I always hoped it would be like this, the attention from the colleges. But I didn't expect it to blow up as it really did."