We caught up with the local Gilbert Williams Field High School kicker and Alabama commit Brandon Ruiz following his trip to the hometown school to discuss his experience in Tempe and his overall recruiting process.

This weekend marked Ruiz’s second visit to the Sun Devils, as he previously attended Arizona State’s Junior Day event. The kicker committed to Alabama back in June but in recent months has been receptive enough to ASU’s recruiting efforts to take an official visit.

“I liked how all the top in-state recruits were there,” Ruiz said referring to his fellow visitors such as Austin Jackson, Tyler Johnson and Isaiah Pola-Mao. “There were few other big time names there too. I got to hang out with the players and see how family oriented everything is.

“Coach Slocum is really wise because he has been coaching in the NFL and it was good talking to him. He really likes my technique a lot and compared me to Zane Gonzalez and Mason Crosby. I also talked to Zane Gonzalez and he told me a lot about the team and the school. Coach Graham told me how much he was looking forward to the (2017) class and about the advantages of playing in your back yard.”

Ruiz said that he does see himself still committed to Alabama at this point, and will officially visit Tuscaloosa next week. He added that currently, he has no plans to visit any other schools.

“It’s pretty clear to me that I’m going to Alabama,” Ruiz stated. “I was there just one time in June so I want to go back and be on campus again and see everything. They’re not looking at any kickers and I will start there as a freshman.

“My decision was based on playing for the best team.”

My take: unless Ruiz has the best poker face known to man on the phone (and he's a man of few words as it is), as it stands now it doesn’t look like this is going to break ASU’s way. Based on what he said, hard to imagine him coming back from the Alabama official trip with the thought of decommiting unless the Crimson Tide said or pulled off something that won’t sit well with him.

Having said that, even if he was blown away by the ASU visit I doubt he would express that on record less than a week before his Alabama visit.

National Letter of Intent is just under two months away and Ruiz will have plenty of chances to stop by ASU’s campus but after this coming weekend, he’s more than likely not visiting Alabama again. So that is one factor that could help ASU. I’m sure ASU won’t let up on its recruiting efforts either way.

The four-star two-way standout from Los Angeles Hawkins and former Arizona commit told me tonight he plans to visit ASU on Jan. 13.

Still open to pretty much all Pac-12 schools along with Nebraska, Michigan and Notre Dame at this point.

wow!!! Hope it's true!!!

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Recruiting Rainmaker

I see where the Cats ace rainmaker, Donte Williams, has been hired by Nebraska, where he will get a big raise with the Huskers to take his talent for getting players to commit to his school to Lincoln...

He had been the lead recruiter in about half of the AU commitment class so far, so his departure could jeopardize some of those commitments before national signing day in February...

This made me wonder who the ace recruiting rainmaker was for our Sun Devils and I'm not sure that we have one on our staff but was wondering what you all thought..??

Matt Lubick was our ace recruiter initially under Dennis Erickson and he was a one man home-run hitter for us and ended up getting quite a few quality players to ASU before he left for greener pastures...

He was the offensive coordinator under Mark Helfrich at Oregon this past season and who knows where he will end up when all the dust settles with the recent firing of Helfrich but you can bet he won't be in the unemployment line for a long time given his ability to attract talent to a school...

I think Mike Norvell, Chris Ball and Chip Long were all considered strong recruiters for the Sun Devils until they left for Memphis, after Norvell got the head coaching job there last year...

Now, I'm not sure if the Sun Devils have any ace recruiters, although Chip Lindsey and Jay Norvell may turn out to be very good recruiters for us but I'm not sure about any one else at this point...

I guess time will tell how effective these guys are and whether Graham can close the deal with enough high quality players to fill some positions of need so we're not looking at another sub-par season in Tempe...

As we all know, we still have question marks at QB and, especially in the secondary, where it has been a real mess for the past couple of years...

We also need more defensive beef up front and some players that can put pressure on the opposing QB, without having to blitz a good portion of the time, like all the PAC title contenders have each season...

We're also thin at RB and in the LB corps, so those numbers need to be improved just as much as some other positions...

Plus, we have to replace both our great kicker and very good punter that were two of the few bright spots for us this past season...

I know it's good to have great "teachers" and all that on a staff but it is more important, in my mind, to have at least a couple of great recruiters that can get great players to come to ASU because as we all know...here it comes...Talent Is Destiny...

Just look no farther than USC, that is by far the best team in the PAC, despite Wash winning the conference and why Ohio St and Mich, despite not playing in the Big 10 championship game, are national championship playoff contenders, while Penn St and Wisconsin are not...

To me USC should be in the playoff picture right now because I think, like Colin Cowherd, that they are one of the four best teams in the country, which they've proven ever since they found their QB in Sam Darnold...

Talent wise, they are only behind Alabama, which is the clear best team in America these days because they clearly have more NFL prospects on their team than anybody else as far as most can tell...

Anyway, getting back to the question at hand...do our Sun Devils have any recruiting "rainmakers" on our staff and, if we do, who are they and why..??

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Isaiah Pola-Mao - a source I talked to confirmed everything Ralph said and more. IPM is more bullish than ever on ASU and the Sun Devils are in the driver's seat here.

Tyler Johnson - nothing I heard tonight changes my mind to what I knew prior to the visit - ASU is in the lead. Yes, his recruitment could drag on and yes he can take all five visits, but the hometown school is in the lead.

Austin Jackson - ASU still doing well here. Keeps cards close to his vest and it's gonna be a battle with USC, but I still see ASU having a good chance to land him.

Randall Grimes - seems intent to still visit USC and Nebraska. The more time passes by the less I like ASU's chances here.

Blake Barnett - haven't recived any feedback as of yet, but if he isn't viisting any other school prior to Dec.12th (the dead period) you have to like ASU's chances here.

Amaud Willis-Dalton - scheduled to talk to him tomorrow. Not getting a strong vibe so far though.

Brandon Ruiz - I realize what he told me in our interview and now I also know that I never want to sit down to a game of cards with him...

Greg Johnson....."I've decided to reopen my recruitment."

Fabian's game recap

CT Steckel‏@ctsteckel
I've been told Mike MacIntyre will interview for the #Baylor job after the PAC 12 title game. Believes it'd be a great fit. Faith & Football

Sonny Dykes also rumored to interview for this job. If MacIntyre wants this job gotta believe with the buzz he has right now he would leave for a position that will double his $2.2 million salary.

Funny how just today a friend of mine talked to me about Alex Perry's recruitmnet and questioned why he would choose Colorado who's 2016 season will probably be a flash in the pan. If MacIntyre leaves you wonder how Colorado would recover.

I'm a big fan of Jose Garcia and Kevin McCabe on the AIA Saturday show, they've been really good to me personally. Today they actually had my high school basketball writer on, so I tuned in, and stayed tuned in until they finished their interview with some of Chandler High's players. Kevin McCabe asked TJ Green why he didn't give any consideration to staying home and playing for ASU, and in my head I was like "uh-oh..." because if you've followed this board, you know that Arizona State hasn't looked at Chandler this year- softening their pursuit of Kolby Taylor, and not visiting in preseason (outside of Seumalo to see his own kid).

The answer was as cringeworthy as it could possibly be... along the lines of "They've never actually even talked to me." McCabe realized it wasn't a great moment and cut it off right away.

Y'all know my view on this. Outside of Kadeem Carey, Arizona is not the place to look for running backs. It's why Joe Logan ended up at NAU. It's why TJ Green is headed to Corvallis. It's why Paul Perkins was lightly recruited as well. TJ Green is talented enough to make an impact on Arizona State's roster in the future- his jump-cuts create space where there are none, and he's an elite pass catcher out of the backfield. He'll do fine in Corvallis, and it'll spur questions about ASU when he does. ASU is comfortable with that, but it definitely doesn't paint the best picture to have it be public knowledge that there was no relationship whatsoever.

I talked with Isaiah Pola-Mao for about 30 minutes today. I won't be able to post a full story right away, but I figure I'd bullet point some stuff.

-He had some serious questions about ASU coming into the visit. The two biggest were academic and regarding the assistant coaches. He felt like those questions were honestly answered in a players only Q&A meeting with N'Keal, Jack Smith, DeMario and others. He said he hasn't been the best natural student and he doesn't want his struggles to repeat. He said he was told that you have to try to fail with all the resources students are given. He also said he thinks Todd Graham is an awesome person but he's worried about the assistants being one way during recruiting and another once you commit. Jack was able to candidly vouch for who each assistant is as a person. The rest all hammered home the family atmosphere. He said getting these questions answered made a huge difference in how he sees ASU.

-I asked him if he saw the pattern of teams treating him like a second option, he got pretty animated here. He knows he's a backup plan for Bubba Bolden for most major schools and it eats him up. He also said he knows that KJ Jarrell will end up with more accolades nationally because of the whole Saguaro thing. He wouldn't mind being at the same school with these guys but anyone who has treated him as a second option is pretty much getting the same treatment back from him (except for one school)

-It's currently down to ASU, Washington and USC. USC didn't jump in until Bolden decommitted, and that's something he keeps in mind.

-He's always wanted to stay home, but he admits as an 18 year old he has the itch to leave. He knows that more than anyone, Mountain Pointe is an insulated community, and the ASU coaches did a good job of making him feel like Tempe would be leaving home and staying home at the same time- best of both worlds.

-He likes Seattle, and loves most things about the program/school, but the cold weather gives him some pause.

-He's got a torn labrum. He says he feels good and he'll get a second opinion about what to do, but it definitely caused him issues in the state championship.

Oregon has agreed to pay the rest of Helfrich's $11.6 million buyout in order to fire him. For context, Todd Graham's buyout is $14 million.

In my opinion, Helfrich was the worst coach in the Pac-12. So who takes over the mantle next?

Local product who led Chandler to the state title this season. Got a chance to watch a lot of him in person this year, and I'm really high on him. I think there's room for conversation that he's as good a QB in his class as Spencer Rattler.

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The humiliating loss to Arizona hurt. A lot. Speak of the Devils is here to help and answer the tough questions.

To help us dig deep, we welcome Hod Rabino and Ralph Amsden into the studio.

We tackle the big issues surrounding the state of the program. Did ASU quit against Arizona? Should Keith Patterson go? How hot is Todd Graham's seat? How will the 5-7 season impact recruiting? And more. Much more.

We cap off the show with our annual season awards, honoring the best (and worst) of 2016. #StrongTakesAhead

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Nebraska. He is their ace recruiter and lead recruiter on eight of their commits.
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hearing some chatter about these 5-7 teams like us, UCLA, Vandy, Cal, Hawaii....
Anyone have any legit intel on this?

I saw on AZCentral that he was visiting ASU. I thought I could read about it here first but cannot find anything. What is the latest if anyone knows.

team is 5-0 (as is Ty Thomas')
Smith 113 carries, 875 yds, 7.7 ypc 14 TD
7 receptions 117 yds, 17.0 ypr, 3 TDs
VERY consistent..his lowest average per carry in a game was 7.0 (highest was 8.2 twice)
They play @ Cy-Fair tonight

Embarrassing! That team is not very good! Every head coach in the South, except the USC coach, should be embarrassed. WOW.

Hopefully tonight in better news we play UNLV go devils see you ther

The ASU hockey team pulled out another nice win last night, knocking off Colgate 5-4. They are 2-1 on the 4-game homestand that finishes up with a rematch with Colgate at 7 p.m. at Oceanside. While I'm sure most going to a game tonight will choose hoops, I would urge anyone on the fence to come out to Oceanside and check out this squad. Oceanside is not the best venue, but it is fun when it is full like last night and these boys under Coach Powers play hard and will earn your respect. You won't be disappointed.

According to this Nebraska website story