With 19 commitments already on board, Todd Graham has put together a top 25 recruiting class and arguably the best Arizona State recruiting class since 2008. And with the 2013 Sun Devils leading the Pac-12 South, Arizona State could be setting itself up to be a perennial contender for conference championships.
Arizona State football recruiting 2014: Sun Devils raiding California for top talent
Todd Graham is putting together one of the better Arizona State recruiting classes in recent memory.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Four-star wide receiver Tyler Whiley of Scottsdale is the only currently committed player who hails from Arizona. (The Sun Devils will always have to reach into California and Texas to fill out their recruiting classes, but ASU’s 2014 class is uniquely free of Grand Canyon State talent.) Whiley checks in at 6’1, 190 and is considered the 44th-best receiving prospect in the country, according to the 247 Sports Composite index.
Lining up alongside Whiley will be fellow four-star wideout Jalen Harvey, who committed to Arizona State on Oct. 21 over California, Oregon, Oregon State, and Tennessee. Harve is considered the 13th-ranked player in the state of California, the 20th-ranked wide receiver prospect in the country, and the 133rd overall prospect in the 2014 class.
The Sun Devils’ pair of four-star wide receiver commits is complemented by the addition of four-star quarterback prospect Manny Wilkins of Novato, Calif. Wilkins (6’2, 180) is ranked as the 9th-best dual-threat quarterback in the 2014 class.
Derik Calhoun (El Cerrito, Calif.) is both the most recent player to commit to Arizona State but also the most highly-rated prospect on the defensive side of the ball to commit to the Sun Devils. Calhoun is a four-star outside linebacker and is ranked as the 14th-best player at that position, according the the 247 Sports Composite index. He is considered the 184th-ranked overall prospect in the 2014 class.
Still to come -- Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst
The Sun Devils continue to pursue several top football recruit targets. One of them is defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood, of Fresno (Calif.) Central East -- one of the most loaded teams in California.
The Sun Devils would also like to sign four-star linebacker Michael Lazarus, of Berkeley (Calif.). In fact, Arizona State is considered the heavy favorite for the extremely athletic linebacker.
