ASU Football: 4-Star Lonyatta “Junior” Alexander Has Committed to Play at Arizona State
Lonyatta “Junior” Alexander caught 24 touchdown passes in 12 games last season for Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington. On Friday, he announced that he is headed to Arizona State in 2021.
Alexander is a four-star recruit and the 33rd-ranked receiver in his class, according to 247Sports. He averaged 110.7 yards per game as a junior, according to MaxPreps.
He’s a tall target at around 6-foot-4 with “fluid” movements, as both Sports Illustrated and 247Sports evaluations put it.
SI All-American summarized his skillset:
“Shows better quickness from secondary releases than off-line. Very good body control and ability to adjust to balls in flight. Disciplined eyes to track throws with natural judgment. Good-sized strike zone via natural ability to reach and pluck from all angles. Willing to deliver a good initial pop at the point on perimeter when asked to block.”
Alexander does not have elite speed, but he has savvy and utilizes good variance in his routes to get past cornerbacks. He can use bends, digs, delays, sluggos, posts, outs and comebacks, according to SI.
Reed Shumpert, a fellow wide receiver at Kennedy Catholic, said that the future Sun Devil’s strength on the field is going up to get the ball in the air.
Recently graduated KCHS wide-out Justin Baker elaborated:
“He always catches the ball,” Baker said. “He can track it in the air really well. He’s a very sure-handed receiver, especially when he got older.
“He had highlight after highlight.”
Having that natural ability to read the ball and make plays down the field is a strong foundation, and Alexander has time to polish his other skills before he steps into the spotlight at Sun Devil Stadium.
As a teammate, Shumpert and Baker vouched for Alexander’s leadership and determination.
“Junior is one of the most caring, hardworking teammates there is,” Shumpert said. “No matter if ‘he’s having a bad day, he’s still going to lift up the team and the wide receiver core.”
Baker added: “People will say any person has obviously grown. But Junior, the amount he’s matured has been insane. He used to get frustrated a lot, but the older he got, he started to work so much harder. He got bigger, stronger, faster. Technically, he is a better receiver. But then mentally, his game is much better. He can really focus and lock into the game.”
Baker also said he worked out with Alexander after last season ended, and the future Sun Devil looks stronger than he was in the fall.
Alexander picked ASU over four other Pac-12 schools on his final five list: Washington, Washington State, Utah and California.
It has been a strong week for ASU football recruiting. On Wednesday night, four-star athlete Tommi Hill Jr. announced his commitment. On Friday morning, three-star halfback Martin Lucas did the same. Then, Alexander capped off the week.
ASU now has 11 commits for 2021.