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Typical Porter, Not So Typical - Irish Sports Daily
Typical Porter, Not So Typical
Author: Christian McCollum
September 6, 2014
Photo taken by Monica Gibb
Photo by Monica Gibb
Porter Gustin has enjoyed a strong start to his senior season at Salem Hills High School, but the 2015 linebacker did catch a loss earlier this week. Not on the football field – where his squad is off to an impressive 3-0 start after a 42-14 victory last night – but at a family gathering on Monday.
“We were having a badminton tournament and he’s out to win,” said Gustin’s father, John. “He’s very competitive at that.”
John Gustin and Salem Hills head coach Joel Higginson beat Porter and one of his teammates 11-7 in the championship.
“He was visibly upset,” his father laughed. “He’s just always been that way. No matter what he’s playing, he’s competing to win. Especially if it is against myself and Coach Higginson but we were too much for them to handle and the family trophy went to the old guys.”
Since he was a youngster, Porter has been competing and excelling at several sports.
“Even at a young age, I could tell Porter was going to be unique because he worked hard off the field,” his father said. “Even as a young kid, every night he would come in and do push-ups and sit-ups religiously before he went to bed. As he got older then he started hitting the weights every night and continues to work out seven days a week. He almost over-trains.
“Good luck in trying to convince him to take one or two days off per week. Believe me, I have tried.”
After the loss in badminton on Monday night, Porter headed to Salem Hills High Schools to lift for two hours.
“He’s always put the time off the field like he does on the field,” John Gustin continued. “He would work out relentlessly. If it was baseball, he was playing baseball. If it was basketball, he could come home and make 200 to 300 additional shots before he went to bed.”
The training paid off.
Despite skipping several football camps and combines as he focused on other sports, Porter managed to emerge as one of the country’s top defensive prospects. He missed most of last year’s basketball season with a broken hand, which also caused him to miss multiple football games, but was an All-State player as a sophomore, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-5, 242-pounder has been laser-timed at 4.63 in the 40-yard dash and registered a 34-inch vertical. He was fourth in the state in the javelin this past spring and oh yeah, he’s an intimidating baseball pitcher with a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s.
“He was born with some natural talent, but really worked hard to get to where he is with some additional things,” his father said. “It was easy to see that eventually that was going to catch up and pay off for him.”
John Gustin played quarterback at the University of Wyoming, throwing for 2,757 yards with 17 touchdowns as coach Joe Tiller’s starter in 1994. Porter’s mother was a star basketball player, who was an All-American in high school and a four-time all-conference college player at BYU and Wyoming.
“He picked up some genetics from her,” John Gustin said. “She had some pretty good speed and athletic ability. A decent combination gave him some of that, but he works very hard to gain additional skills through personal work ethic, discipline and dedication.
Photo by Monica Gibb
Photo by Monica Gibb
In addition to working out relentlessly, Porter is also extremely mindful of what he puts in his body.
“He does not eat sweets,” his father said. “He’s never drank a pop. No junk food whatsoever. It’s all got to be whole grain wheat bread.”
Gustin’s parents have to carry a separate shopping list just for Porter. He gets frustrated when the rest of his family eats chocolate cake or frosted brownies on family night and once he turned down $500 in cash to take a single bite of an Oreo cookie.
That’s why even as he arrives today for his official visit to Notre Dame, Porter will have several things on his mind that have nothing to do with recruiting.
“It’ll be on three things,” his father said. “I guarantee you, one, it’ll be on figuring out where he can go lift, to get into the weight room somewhere and left. Two, it’ll be on making sure he eats properly on the road. He’s really picky about what he eats and how he eats. Three, it’ll be on watching Hudl, not for his own stats, but to learn what they did wrong in that game to prepare for our next game.”
Gustin is seriously interested in Notre Dame, which is why he made it a point to get to South Bend this weekend, but his primary focus right now is on his high school squad. Next week’s game against Timpview High School – which has won several state championships, including last year’s – has been circled on the Salem Hills calendar for some time.
“They’re traditionally one of the best teams in the entire state,” Higginson said of Timpview. “You know where you stand when you get done with them. We’re going to go, play them, put everything out there and see what we’ve got.
“Our goal is to win a region championship this year. We have to do some things to prepare ourselves to beat that team. I think if we do that, it puts you in a good situation and makes a state championship much more realistic.”
Porter holds himself to an extremely high standard. He wasn’t satisfied with 200-plus passing yards, almost 100 rushing yards, 13 tackles, including two sacks and two more for a loss in the Skyhawks’ opening victory. Higginson and John Gustin are first cousins and Porter is comfortable being honest with his coach.
“He said to me, ‘Coach, I’m glad we got the win, but I promise you I’ll play better next game. I’m not going to accept the way we played tonight and we’re going to get better,’” recalled Higginson. “You don’t want to ever say a kid’s played good enough because you want to get the most out of him, but if you can get that type of performance and have a kid genuinely concerned about the way he played and wanting to do better than that, boy, it gives you a lot of confidence as a coach.
“He wants 20 tackles. He wants four sacks. He wants to for 300 and run for another 100 or more. That’s what we’re going to get out of him. Stats mean nothing to us, wins and losses are what we’re about.”
Porter also holds himself accountable for holding others accountable.
“The greatest thing he brings to us is he brings a real high level of leadership,” his coach said. “Obviously with his frame and how big he is, he’s typically the biggest guy out there on both sides of the ball, but with that comes a significant amount of athleticism too. He’s just earned the respect of the young men and is a very, very high quality leader. He really has an ability to get the other guys to play at a high level. His expectations are so high and the guys are doing everything they can to follow him and do the things he’s asking them to do.
Photo by Mike Walker
Photo by Mike Walker
“He’s one of those kids who is pretty soft-spoken. But when he gets on the field, I think he’s realized, ‘This is my team and I’ve got to make sure we meet or exceed our expectations.’ The good thing about him is he’s such a competitor. He’s not going to let anybody slow down or take a play off. He’s very vocal now.”
With his focus set on his current high school season, some college coaches wondered if Porter had lost interest in their school because of lack of contact. With a voicemail stuffed with messages from reporters and coaches, Higginson often has to remind Porter to take the time to call the recruiters back.
“That’s just Porter,” his father said. “Not that he doesn’t want to keep in contact with coaches, his priorities are more on getting to school, working out, practicing, preparing to win and winning. All of that other stuff comes later.”
That other stuff will come “later,” but it’s definitely coming and with offers from schools like Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Florida State, Arizona State and Oregon among several others, Porter has plenty of options.
College scouts have said he could play anything at the next level from quarterback, fullback, tight end, defensive end and linebacker. Flattered to be offered by some schools as a quarterback, Porter is still a defensive player at heart.
“He likes the idea that he put himself in position to be good enough to play collegiate football on both sides, but he’s a defensive-minded kid,” Higginson said. “The kid wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he was locked up as a quarterback with a red jersey on him. That’s not his mentality.”
“His philosophy is this, if he can help a team win a national championship at tight end, he’d play tight end,” John Gustin added. “If it’s at quarterback, it’s at quarterback. He will do what helps the team. But if it was his choice to play a position, it’s going to be on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker.
“He’ll play anywhere. If a coach said, ‘Listen, we’d be better if you played right guard.’ He’d play right guard.”
Ironically, that will to win and focus on being a teammate first has helped Porter stand out as an individual.
“Coaches will tell you it’s hard to teach competitiveness,” John Gustin said.
“I think it’s just the drive to win that really motivates him. That’s what helped him get to where he’s at.”
About a year ago, Porter went on a deer hunt with his father and coach. He packed dumbbells and resistance bands to ensure a workout would not be missed. Upon discovering the workout equipment, Higginson and John Gustin looked at each other and said simultaneously with a smile, “Typical Porter.”
Typical Porter, Not So Typical
Author: Christian McCollum
September 6, 2014
Photo taken by Monica Gibb
Photo by Monica Gibb
Porter Gustin has enjoyed a strong start to his senior season at Salem Hills High School, but the 2015 linebacker did catch a loss earlier this week. Not on the football field – where his squad is off to an impressive 3-0 start after a 42-14 victory last night – but at a family gathering on Monday.
“We were having a badminton tournament and he’s out to win,” said Gustin’s father, John. “He’s very competitive at that.”
John Gustin and Salem Hills head coach Joel Higginson beat Porter and one of his teammates 11-7 in the championship.
“He was visibly upset,” his father laughed. “He’s just always been that way. No matter what he’s playing, he’s competing to win. Especially if it is against myself and Coach Higginson but we were too much for them to handle and the family trophy went to the old guys.”
Since he was a youngster, Porter has been competing and excelling at several sports.
“Even at a young age, I could tell Porter was going to be unique because he worked hard off the field,” his father said. “Even as a young kid, every night he would come in and do push-ups and sit-ups religiously before he went to bed. As he got older then he started hitting the weights every night and continues to work out seven days a week. He almost over-trains.
“Good luck in trying to convince him to take one or two days off per week. Believe me, I have tried.”
After the loss in badminton on Monday night, Porter headed to Salem Hills High Schools to lift for two hours.
“He’s always put the time off the field like he does on the field,” John Gustin continued. “He would work out relentlessly. If it was baseball, he was playing baseball. If it was basketball, he could come home and make 200 to 300 additional shots before he went to bed.”
The training paid off.
Despite skipping several football camps and combines as he focused on other sports, Porter managed to emerge as one of the country’s top defensive prospects. He missed most of last year’s basketball season with a broken hand, which also caused him to miss multiple football games, but was an All-State player as a sophomore, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-5, 242-pounder has been laser-timed at 4.63 in the 40-yard dash and registered a 34-inch vertical. He was fourth in the state in the javelin this past spring and oh yeah, he’s an intimidating baseball pitcher with a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s.
“He was born with some natural talent, but really worked hard to get to where he is with some additional things,” his father said. “It was easy to see that eventually that was going to catch up and pay off for him.”
John Gustin played quarterback at the University of Wyoming, throwing for 2,757 yards with 17 touchdowns as coach Joe Tiller’s starter in 1994. Porter’s mother was a star basketball player, who was an All-American in high school and a four-time all-conference college player at BYU and Wyoming.
“He picked up some genetics from her,” John Gustin said. “She had some pretty good speed and athletic ability. A decent combination gave him some of that, but he works very hard to gain additional skills through personal work ethic, discipline and dedication.
Photo by Monica Gibb
Photo by Monica Gibb
In addition to working out relentlessly, Porter is also extremely mindful of what he puts in his body.
“He does not eat sweets,” his father said. “He’s never drank a pop. No junk food whatsoever. It’s all got to be whole grain wheat bread.”
Gustin’s parents have to carry a separate shopping list just for Porter. He gets frustrated when the rest of his family eats chocolate cake or frosted brownies on family night and once he turned down $500 in cash to take a single bite of an Oreo cookie.
That’s why even as he arrives today for his official visit to Notre Dame, Porter will have several things on his mind that have nothing to do with recruiting.
“It’ll be on three things,” his father said. “I guarantee you, one, it’ll be on figuring out where he can go lift, to get into the weight room somewhere and left. Two, it’ll be on making sure he eats properly on the road. He’s really picky about what he eats and how he eats. Three, it’ll be on watching Hudl, not for his own stats, but to learn what they did wrong in that game to prepare for our next game.”
Gustin is seriously interested in Notre Dame, which is why he made it a point to get to South Bend this weekend, but his primary focus right now is on his high school squad. Next week’s game against Timpview High School – which has won several state championships, including last year’s – has been circled on the Salem Hills calendar for some time.
“They’re traditionally one of the best teams in the entire state,” Higginson said of Timpview. “You know where you stand when you get done with them. We’re going to go, play them, put everything out there and see what we’ve got.
“Our goal is to win a region championship this year. We have to do some things to prepare ourselves to beat that team. I think if we do that, it puts you in a good situation and makes a state championship much more realistic.”
Porter holds himself to an extremely high standard. He wasn’t satisfied with 200-plus passing yards, almost 100 rushing yards, 13 tackles, including two sacks and two more for a loss in the Skyhawks’ opening victory. Higginson and John Gustin are first cousins and Porter is comfortable being honest with his coach.
“He said to me, ‘Coach, I’m glad we got the win, but I promise you I’ll play better next game. I’m not going to accept the way we played tonight and we’re going to get better,’” recalled Higginson. “You don’t want to ever say a kid’s played good enough because you want to get the most out of him, but if you can get that type of performance and have a kid genuinely concerned about the way he played and wanting to do better than that, boy, it gives you a lot of confidence as a coach.
“He wants 20 tackles. He wants four sacks. He wants to for 300 and run for another 100 or more. That’s what we’re going to get out of him. Stats mean nothing to us, wins and losses are what we’re about.”
Porter also holds himself accountable for holding others accountable.
“The greatest thing he brings to us is he brings a real high level of leadership,” his coach said. “Obviously with his frame and how big he is, he’s typically the biggest guy out there on both sides of the ball, but with that comes a significant amount of athleticism too. He’s just earned the respect of the young men and is a very, very high quality leader. He really has an ability to get the other guys to play at a high level. His expectations are so high and the guys are doing everything they can to follow him and do the things he’s asking them to do.
Photo by Mike Walker
Photo by Mike Walker
“He’s one of those kids who is pretty soft-spoken. But when he gets on the field, I think he’s realized, ‘This is my team and I’ve got to make sure we meet or exceed our expectations.’ The good thing about him is he’s such a competitor. He’s not going to let anybody slow down or take a play off. He’s very vocal now.”
With his focus set on his current high school season, some college coaches wondered if Porter had lost interest in their school because of lack of contact. With a voicemail stuffed with messages from reporters and coaches, Higginson often has to remind Porter to take the time to call the recruiters back.
“That’s just Porter,” his father said. “Not that he doesn’t want to keep in contact with coaches, his priorities are more on getting to school, working out, practicing, preparing to win and winning. All of that other stuff comes later.”
That other stuff will come “later,” but it’s definitely coming and with offers from schools like Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Florida State, Arizona State and Oregon among several others, Porter has plenty of options.
College scouts have said he could play anything at the next level from quarterback, fullback, tight end, defensive end and linebacker. Flattered to be offered by some schools as a quarterback, Porter is still a defensive player at heart.
“He likes the idea that he put himself in position to be good enough to play collegiate football on both sides, but he’s a defensive-minded kid,” Higginson said. “The kid wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he was locked up as a quarterback with a red jersey on him. That’s not his mentality.”
“His philosophy is this, if he can help a team win a national championship at tight end, he’d play tight end,” John Gustin added. “If it’s at quarterback, it’s at quarterback. He will do what helps the team. But if it was his choice to play a position, it’s going to be on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker.
“He’ll play anywhere. If a coach said, ‘Listen, we’d be better if you played right guard.’ He’d play right guard.”
Ironically, that will to win and focus on being a teammate first has helped Porter stand out as an individual.
“Coaches will tell you it’s hard to teach competitiveness,” John Gustin said.
“I think it’s just the drive to win that really motivates him. That’s what helped him get to where he’s at.”
About a year ago, Porter went on a deer hunt with his father and coach. He packed dumbbells and resistance bands to ensure a workout would not be missed. Upon discovering the workout equipment, Higginson and John Gustin looked at each other and said simultaneously with a smile, “Typical Porter.”
