Between their four-hour flight from Los Angeles to Cleveland and their snowy, two-hour drive in a rental car to Columbus, Ohio, Raesjon Davis and his family made a pit stop at a fast food restaurant to recharge.
It was a far cry from the five-star treatment top-50 college football recruits receive in non-pandemic years: flights and hotels paid for, snacks awaiting their arrival, meals with coaches.
There would be no football staff waiting to show off lavish facilities, nor guided campus tours and academic presentations. This trip, lasting from Friday to Sunday, would allow for only visits to local restaurants and a self-guided tour of campus, all expenses coming out of pocket.