ASU football recruiting on the rise for 2021
The Arizona State football program has already landed 18 commitments from recruits for the 2021 cycle which has helped propel it up to No. 4 in the Pac-12 according to 247Sports.
Where does that stand compared to past years? Well, last season at the end of July the Sun Devils had just seven. Of those 18 ASU now has, 10 of the commitments have come in the last month.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a lot to do with that number. There are still off-campus recruiting restrictions so prospects have had to settle for virtual tours, unless they were able to visit before college campuses shut down in March.
Antonio Pierce, co-defensive coordinator as well as recruiting coordinator, said in the spring he thought the current climate would lead recruits to commit early because many don’t know if they’re going to have a high school season or when that would start so they would want to lock something down.
Some of the states in the worst shape are major hunting grounds for the Sun Devils. There are also recruits who needed a good season to improve their stock, so they are likely to jump on a good offer, particularly if there is a chance they might not have a senior season.
Also significant is the wide geographic range from which ASU’s recruits are coming. There are 11 states represented in that class of 18 with five players from California. The Sun Devils have signed a class with 10 or more states represented only three times, the last coming in 2016, and have not had a class with 12 or more.
Who might be the next to pledge to ASU? There are some strong candidates.
Among those highest on the list is center Ezra Dotson-Oyetade out of Lakeview Centennial in Garland, Texas. He is the No. 1 ranked player in the country at his position and the Sun Devils have made the offensive line a priority, already securing five linemen in the next class.
The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder has 27 offers with Missouri looking like ASU’s biggest challenger when it comes to his commitment. ASU analyst Kevin Mawae, a 16year veteran of the NFL and member of the Hall Fame, is heading up the player’s recruitment which certainly doesn’t hurt.
Other prospects have praised Mawae’s presence on the coaching staff. While he is technically an “analyst,” head coach Herm Edwards has already hinted that Mawae will be the successor to current line coach Dave Christensen.
Dotson-Oyetade, who also competes in track, has been selected to play in the ’21 Polynesian Bowl Jan. 23 in Honolulu.
Also high on the Sun Devils wish list is four-star cornerback Isaiah Johnson out of St. Bernard in Playa Del Ray, California. Johnson, 6-2 and 180 pounds, is the No. 78 player nationally, the No. 6 corner and the No. 10 player in the state by the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Rivals has tagged him the top player in the state and eighth nationally at his position even though he missed a chunk of his junior season with an ankle injury.
Johnson, who has 21 offers, is projected to pick ASU by both services. It would be quite a coup for ASU with other schools in Johnson’s top five being Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU and USC.
The player is a recent addition to the Southern California scene, having moved last month after three seasons at Bluefield High School in West Virginia.
Among the other prospects ASU is targeting are strongside defensive end Monkell Goodwine of National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland. He has 25 offers and has released a top five of Texas A&M, Clemson, Kentucky, Alabama and ASU with the Aggies looking like the team to beat.
Also on the ASU radar is Tysheem Johnson, a two-way performer out of Neumann Goretti High School in Philadelphia. Johnson, a four-star recruit who has 36 offers, is a teammate of Eric Gentry , who committed to ASU.
He is said to be leaning toward Ole Miss, with ASU in his top seven along with Alabama, LSU, Stanford, Maryland and Texas A&M. Johnson is ranked the No. 21 safety nationally and No. 10 prospect out of Pennsylvania by 247Sports.
ASU finally landed its first Arizona recruit of the cycle when Queen Creek’s Isaia Glass announced his decision on Thursday, one of four pledges to come the same day. A current teammate may be joining him as safety Krew Jackson, the No. 12 prospect in the state, is also projected to pick the Sun Devils.
Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 200-pounder, has 15 offers with Arizona among the others. Pierce and secondary coach Chris Hawkins have led his recruitment.