ASU not expecting much on signing day

The first Wednesday in February used to be a big day for high school football players and the college programs which hoped to add them to their fold. But now that day is more of an afterthought. Sure, a few more pieces of a recruiting class can be added, but the big focus has shifted to the early signing day in December which started in 2107.

Arizona State has already signed 11 high school athletes and added another four through the transfer portal. This means it's unlike there will be any big moves by the Sun Devils on Wednesday.

Two athletes are committed to the Sun Devils but have yet to sign according to the major recruiting services. The most notable of those is four-star cornerback Isaiah Johnson out of St. Bernard in Playa del Ray, California.

Johnson, whose recruitment was headed by defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins and receivers coach Prentice Gill, had 21 offers and committed to ASU on Aug. 3, selecting the Sun Devils from an impressive list of suitors that included Pac-12 foes USC and Oregon, as well as Florida, Georgia, Penn State, LSU, Miami and Oklahoma.

California schools have not played football in the 2020-21 school year due to the global health pandemic.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder moved to Southern California over the summer after spending his junior season at Bluefield High School in West Virginia, which explains the balance of his offers coming from schools on the other side of the country.

The other athlete who could sign is kicker Edward Czaplicki out of Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina who had seven offers including ones from Air Force and San Diego State.

Kohl's Kicking, a national brand that specializes in special teams camps and assessments, has Czaplicki pegged as the No. 3 kicker and No 9 punter in the class of 2021.

Arizona State's 2021 class currently ranks No. 48 nationally and seventh in the Pac-12. That might seem underwhelming for Sun Devil faithful, but the school didn't have to go out and get a huge signing class because most of the team's seniors are taking advantage of the NCAA's ruling that allows players an extra year of eligibility because of the circumstances presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sun Devils are expected to return 20 of 22 starters as well as most of their kicking specialists.

Six of ASU's 11 high school recruits for the 2021 cycle are already enrolled so they'll have the benefit of taking part in spring practice in March. That group consists of receiver-defensive back Tommi Hill (Orlando Edgewater), cornerback Robert Regan (Orange Lutheran, Calif), quarterback Finn Collins (Bishop Alemany, Calif.), defensive end Eric Gentry (Neumann Goretti, Philaelphia, Penn.), offensive tackle Isaia Glass (Queen Creek) and guard Armon Bethea (Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, N.Y.).