With just over two weeks left before the December signing period begins on the 18th, the Sun Devil staff is naturally busy rounding out the 2020 recruiting class positioning itself to have a good chance to fill the remaining vacant spots with multiple four-star recruits. Let’s examine together the current recruiting picture for ASU, and project how we see this group of Arizona State newcomers rounding out.
First, let’s look at the list of commits (listed in order of recent to oldest commitment date):
DL Joe Moore
LB Caleb McCullough
DL Omarr Norman-Lott
LB Jordan Banks
OL Paul Rubelt
OL Jacob Nunez
DB Doneiko Slaughter
RB DeaMonte Trayanum
QB Blake Shapen
DB DeAngelo Taylor
LB Will Shaffer
DB Macen Williams
OL Ben Bray
DB T Lee
WR Chad Johnson Jr
Yes, that list is only 15 and not 17, because as reported previously barring unforeseen circumstances OL Frank Thompson and WR Kobe Stewart won’t be part of this class.
As a reminder please keep the news about Thompson and Stewart not being part of this class in the Huddle. I don’t intend to adjust the commit list or mention this publicly before either of those players make it public first.
Frank Thompson simply didn’t progress as expected as a senior. So, in hindsight, he’s someone that shouldn't have been offered just based on a great big man camp on ASU’s campus last June. Furthermore, ASU needs more immediate help in the form of a graduate transfer at the offensive line position and feels very good about their chances of securing a graduate transfer left tackle (with one year of eligibility left) who currently plays in a Power 5 program. I can’t reveal the name because he’s not in the transfer portal yet. But that’s one more aspect going into the reasoning of not having Thompson as part of the class.
And by the way, if ASU either this month or in the spring sees another graduate transfer offensive lineman that they really like don’t be surprised if they try and make a move there. Yes, numbers are tight as we will illustrate later on here, but the blueshirt/greyshirt avenue can and will be pursued if needed. UPDATE: I mentioned Rublet, who committed sight unseen to ASU as arriving only in the summer which made me "suspect" that he was going to be a blueshirt and now I got confirmation of that. Will Shaffer is the other.
Things are trickier with WR Kobe Stewart because he’s an above average prospect at his position. It’s just that ASU feels good about their chances of landing other wide receivers who are better than him and a pledge list that had to be cut down one way or another is naturally playing a part here too.
Now, while the true commit list is actually 15 in terms of players who have yet to set foot on campus, we have to adjust that number and put it at 20 because of the blueshirt players. These are players who are part of the 2019 roster and some of them, in fact, did already play this year. Because they fit the blueshirt criteria of not coming on an official visit and not signing a Letter of Intent with ASU, they were able to join the team in the summer in time for fall camp and have their scholarship count towards the 2020 class numbers.
This list of five are:
DL Anthonie Cooper
DB Jack Jones
OL Cody Shear
LB Elijah Juarez
WR Brandon Pierce
So, the bottom line is that with a max of 25 players in your recruiting class, minus five blueshirts already counting towards that figure, and minus 15 players who are currently committed and not designated as a greyshirt/blueshirt, ASU has just five slots available.
In other words:
25-5-15=5
So now let’s take a look at the viable prospects for ASU. Yes, this list is going to be pretty short, but I rather zero in on the same prospects ASU is zeroing on, and not muddle the field with Plan B prospects so to speak. And yes, this list of viable prospects can and will change in the next two weeks.
The two prospects I have forecasted to join the ranks are:
ATH (probably WR) Elijhah Badger
DB Edward Woods
So, if that holds true 5-2=3 slots that remain open
The prospects I feel the strongest about right now (and I stress right now because we know how fluid recruiting is) joining the 2020 ASU class ranks are:
RB Corey Wren. I tried to keep this name under wraps as long as I could when I hinted that there was one prospect committed elsewhere that I felt ASU could flip, but his name in that regard has been out there for a while. But yes, the Georgia pledge by all reports I’m getting from various sources is someone no one should be surprised to see as part of this ASU class. He did visit here in the summer and ASU’s diligence with him is poised to pay off.
WR Lavon (LV) Bunkley-Shelton. Said for a long time that I felt good about ASU’s chances with the four-star prospect. His close relationship with QB Jayden Daniels and the fact that just three weeks after his official visit to Tempe he took an unofficial just this past weekend, naturally shows how serious he is about the Sun Devils and he has conveyed that sentiment to the staff as well.
If I were to list another tier of prospects I may not feel quite as good about in comparison to Wren and Bunkley-Shelton, but feel that ASU at a minimum has a good chance of landing are:
WR Gary Bryant. My front page article says it all as to how strong he feels about ASU. I love the fact that ASU got his last official visit, although you’ll have to be a lookout to see if he takes an unofficial visit this week or next to one of his other suitors.
WR Johnny Wilson. The Oregon commit has been receptive to ASU’s overtures ever since he visited in early November. I feel less optimistic about him than Bryant, but just because that I haven’t been able to get a hold of Wilson and just haven’t heard much about him and how feels about ASU in comparison to others. But still, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him as an ASU signee.
So, we have four prospects I feel good or great about being part of ASU’s 2020 class and only three slots left, assuming my forecasts of Woods and Badger come true. So that shows you that a move to adjust the class might just be a matter of when, not if.
The next tier of prospects are ones where the picture is cloudier, so to speak.
TE D'Andre (DJ) Rogers. I’m told that even with Donnie Yantis’ departure, someone who was very, very close to Rogers and his family, that ASU still has a shot. We’ll see how true that is, but as we stated here previously if Rogers, a spring high school graduate does decide to only sign in February then you can all but etch in stone that he won’t be part of this ASU class.
DB Dontae Manning. Yes, he loved his visit to ASU but then visited Oregon a week later, and on the last weekend before signing day he will visit Georgia. Under the radar perhaps, landing Manning could truly register as ASU’s biggest 2020 recruiting coup.
OL Jalen St. John. This is purely based on the report that came down just yesterday that the Missouri decommit was being contacted, among others, by ASU. Now, I certainly got the impression that when it came to high school offensive linemen ASU wasn't in the market anymore, so I was a little taken back by this report. Nonetheless, it shows you how highly ASU thinks of St. John to at least attempt and take a swipe at him. If he does visit, then we will know that this prospect is very, very serious. For now, just a name to keep in mind.
Generally speaking, not expecting many official visitors to come by Tempe this week and next.
10-12 current commits are expected to enroll at ASU in January. I will work on getting an updated detailed list.
As always, feel free to ask me any questions on this post or other recruiting matters.
First, let’s look at the list of commits (listed in order of recent to oldest commitment date):
DL Joe Moore
LB Caleb McCullough
DL Omarr Norman-Lott
LB Jordan Banks
OL Paul Rubelt
OL Jacob Nunez
DB Doneiko Slaughter
RB DeaMonte Trayanum
QB Blake Shapen
DB DeAngelo Taylor
LB Will Shaffer
DB Macen Williams
OL Ben Bray
DB T Lee
WR Chad Johnson Jr
Yes, that list is only 15 and not 17, because as reported previously barring unforeseen circumstances OL Frank Thompson and WR Kobe Stewart won’t be part of this class.
As a reminder please keep the news about Thompson and Stewart not being part of this class in the Huddle. I don’t intend to adjust the commit list or mention this publicly before either of those players make it public first.
Frank Thompson simply didn’t progress as expected as a senior. So, in hindsight, he’s someone that shouldn't have been offered just based on a great big man camp on ASU’s campus last June. Furthermore, ASU needs more immediate help in the form of a graduate transfer at the offensive line position and feels very good about their chances of securing a graduate transfer left tackle (with one year of eligibility left) who currently plays in a Power 5 program. I can’t reveal the name because he’s not in the transfer portal yet. But that’s one more aspect going into the reasoning of not having Thompson as part of the class.
And by the way, if ASU either this month or in the spring sees another graduate transfer offensive lineman that they really like don’t be surprised if they try and make a move there. Yes, numbers are tight as we will illustrate later on here, but the blueshirt/greyshirt avenue can and will be pursued if needed. UPDATE: I mentioned Rublet, who committed sight unseen to ASU as arriving only in the summer which made me "suspect" that he was going to be a blueshirt and now I got confirmation of that. Will Shaffer is the other.
Things are trickier with WR Kobe Stewart because he’s an above average prospect at his position. It’s just that ASU feels good about their chances of landing other wide receivers who are better than him and a pledge list that had to be cut down one way or another is naturally playing a part here too.
Now, while the true commit list is actually 15 in terms of players who have yet to set foot on campus, we have to adjust that number and put it at 20 because of the blueshirt players. These are players who are part of the 2019 roster and some of them, in fact, did already play this year. Because they fit the blueshirt criteria of not coming on an official visit and not signing a Letter of Intent with ASU, they were able to join the team in the summer in time for fall camp and have their scholarship count towards the 2020 class numbers.
This list of five are:
DL Anthonie Cooper
DB Jack Jones
OL Cody Shear
LB Elijah Juarez
WR Brandon Pierce
So, the bottom line is that with a max of 25 players in your recruiting class, minus five blueshirts already counting towards that figure, and minus 15 players who are currently committed and not designated as a greyshirt/blueshirt, ASU has just five slots available.
In other words:
25-5-15=5
So now let’s take a look at the viable prospects for ASU. Yes, this list is going to be pretty short, but I rather zero in on the same prospects ASU is zeroing on, and not muddle the field with Plan B prospects so to speak. And yes, this list of viable prospects can and will change in the next two weeks.
The two prospects I have forecasted to join the ranks are:
ATH (probably WR) Elijhah Badger
DB Edward Woods
So, if that holds true 5-2=3 slots that remain open
The prospects I feel the strongest about right now (and I stress right now because we know how fluid recruiting is) joining the 2020 ASU class ranks are:
RB Corey Wren. I tried to keep this name under wraps as long as I could when I hinted that there was one prospect committed elsewhere that I felt ASU could flip, but his name in that regard has been out there for a while. But yes, the Georgia pledge by all reports I’m getting from various sources is someone no one should be surprised to see as part of this ASU class. He did visit here in the summer and ASU’s diligence with him is poised to pay off.
WR Lavon (LV) Bunkley-Shelton. Said for a long time that I felt good about ASU’s chances with the four-star prospect. His close relationship with QB Jayden Daniels and the fact that just three weeks after his official visit to Tempe he took an unofficial just this past weekend, naturally shows how serious he is about the Sun Devils and he has conveyed that sentiment to the staff as well.
If I were to list another tier of prospects I may not feel quite as good about in comparison to Wren and Bunkley-Shelton, but feel that ASU at a minimum has a good chance of landing are:
WR Gary Bryant. My front page article says it all as to how strong he feels about ASU. I love the fact that ASU got his last official visit, although you’ll have to be a lookout to see if he takes an unofficial visit this week or next to one of his other suitors.
WR Johnny Wilson. The Oregon commit has been receptive to ASU’s overtures ever since he visited in early November. I feel less optimistic about him than Bryant, but just because that I haven’t been able to get a hold of Wilson and just haven’t heard much about him and how feels about ASU in comparison to others. But still, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him as an ASU signee.
So, we have four prospects I feel good or great about being part of ASU’s 2020 class and only three slots left, assuming my forecasts of Woods and Badger come true. So that shows you that a move to adjust the class might just be a matter of when, not if.
The next tier of prospects are ones where the picture is cloudier, so to speak.
TE D'Andre (DJ) Rogers. I’m told that even with Donnie Yantis’ departure, someone who was very, very close to Rogers and his family, that ASU still has a shot. We’ll see how true that is, but as we stated here previously if Rogers, a spring high school graduate does decide to only sign in February then you can all but etch in stone that he won’t be part of this ASU class.
DB Dontae Manning. Yes, he loved his visit to ASU but then visited Oregon a week later, and on the last weekend before signing day he will visit Georgia. Under the radar perhaps, landing Manning could truly register as ASU’s biggest 2020 recruiting coup.
OL Jalen St. John. This is purely based on the report that came down just yesterday that the Missouri decommit was being contacted, among others, by ASU. Now, I certainly got the impression that when it came to high school offensive linemen ASU wasn't in the market anymore, so I was a little taken back by this report. Nonetheless, it shows you how highly ASU thinks of St. John to at least attempt and take a swipe at him. If he does visit, then we will know that this prospect is very, very serious. For now, just a name to keep in mind.
Generally speaking, not expecting many official visitors to come by Tempe this week and next.
10-12 current commits are expected to enroll at ASU in January. I will work on getting an updated detailed list.
As always, feel free to ask me any questions on this post or other recruiting matters.
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