Like him or not, Todd Graham is a man of his word.
Since arriving to Tempe two years ago Graham promised sweeping changes on the field and off at Arizona State. He preached class-acts off the field from the Sun Devils and champions on it. Coming of a 10-win season and Pac-12 South title Graham and his staff kept the positive momentum moving forward landing a Top 20 recruiting class on Wednesday’s National Letter of Intent Day.
Scout.com lists the Sun Devils’ class at #16.
“This is the best recruiting class we’ve had at ASU [in] the internet era,” Graham half-joked to the media Wednesday afternoon. “I’d like to thank our [current] players. We are looking for young men who are givers. Who have great character. We’re really excited about this group. You’re going to see some young, explosive players.”
After losing out on the nation’s top pocket passer Kyle Allen from Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Graham and his staff landed four-star duel threat quarterback Manny Wilkins from California. The 6’3, 185-pounder is expected to be the incumbent to senior and two-year starter Taylor Kelly.
“One of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country,” Graham said. “His stats speak for themselves.”
ASU’s biggest in-state catch was four-star wide receiver Tyler Whiley from Scottsdale Chaparrral. The 6’1 two-way star, who also played cornerback for the Firebirds, picked the Devils over UofA, USC, Oklahoma, Washington and others. Graham believes he could play some nickel corner or situational downs on defense before his Sun Devil career concludes.
“Very versatile,” he said of the speedy Whiley. “Tough to not put the ball in his hands with the size and speed he provides.”
The Devils got a late surprise landing top junior college three-star defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey. The 6’3, 325-pounder could slide into the spot vacated by standout Will Sutton. He originally signed with Florida State out of high school before playing the past two seasons at Pearl River junior college.
“This guy is one of the top defensive tackles in the country, junior college, in the top 25 in the nation overall recruit,” Graham explained. “Again, you see a lot of these guys, I think over 13 of these guys were four‑star players. Being able to recruit this level of player, I think you guys are going to be very, very excited about his explosiveness. I think he is a guy in line with Will [Sutton] in the type of explosiveness that we’re looking for.”
As of Wednesday evening, here is the complete list of 2014 ASU recruits.
Chad Adams, Cornerback | 5-10, 175 Freshman
Quinn Bailey, Offensive Line | 6-6, 302 Freshman
Edmond Boateng, Defensive Line | 6-4 1/2, 270 Redshirt Sophomore
Kweishi Brown, Defensive Back | 6-0, 198 Junior
Darrius Caldwell, Linebacker | 6-6, 235 Junior
Coltin Gerhart, Quarterback | 6-0, 216 Freshman
Jalen Harvey, Wide Receiver | 6-2, 185 Freshman
De’Chavon “Gump” Hayes, Running Back | 5-11, 192 Junior
Connor Humphreys, Defensive Line | 6-4, 275 Freshman
Sam Jones, Offensive Line | 6-5, 285 Freshman
Brendan Landman, Tight End | 6-5, 242 Freshman
Eric Lauderdale, Wide Receiver| 6-2, 195 Junior
Ismael Murphy-Richardson, Linebacker | 6-4, 215 Freshman
Armand Perry, Defensive Back | 5-11 1/2, 183 Freshman
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Eric Sorenson
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.