Louisiana linebacker John Bailey Gullatt had trouble late last year deciding between playing football for Army or Harvard. Harvard was pushing for the West Monroe High senior to commit but Gullatt was highly interested in West Point following a summer visit.
One mid-January night changed Gullatt's mind. Army head coach Jeff Monken and fullbacks coach Mike Viti, assigned to Gullatt's recruitment, were expected for a home visit but a snow and ice storm delayed their arrival. Monken's plane couldn't land in Monroe, La., so his flight was diverted and he had to drive 100 miles from Shreveport to Monroe. Viti had an even longer drive from Texas through the treacherous conditions. Gullatt was so impressed he decided to commit that evening.
"That showed how bad they wanted me," said Gullatt, who signed his letter of commitment with Army on Wednesday. "They always told me that they did. I guess that was action behind their words. I had some other schools recruiting me hard, some in-state and some Ivy League, but nobody was going out of their way like that. They had to fly 26 hours and drive through an ice storm to see me. That was definitely the turning point of them recruiting me." Full Story