ASU Football: Arizona State Recruiting Stays Hot
Arizona State football continues a strikingly hot summer of recruiting with it’s most recent commitment for the class of 2021, Lakeview Centennial’s Ezra Dotson-Oyetade. Dotson-Oyetade, who committed on Monday to the Sun Devils after being recruited by coaches Kevin Mawae and Adam Breneman, is the top-ranked center for the 2021 recruiting class.
Dotson-Oyetade held 27 other offers before choosing Tempe as his new home, according to 247 Sports.
The commitment from Dotson-Oyetade propelled the Sun Devils to a current twenty-third ranked recruiting class for next year. Should ASU hold on for an official top-25 ranked class for 2021, it would be the first time since 2015/2016 the Sun Devils saw back to back ranked classes in the recruiting department. When Herm Edwards initially accepted the job to become Arizona State’s head football coach, some doubted his ability to coach and connect with a younger generation of players who may not know him as their parents do.
Yet in a recruiting landscape that’s dominated by zoom calls and no official visits, Edwards and the rest of his coaching staff are showing Arizona State’s a school to be taken seriously on the recruiting trail. The Sun Devils currently hold 20 commitments for the class of 2021, all committing after COVID-19 dramatically impacted the country.
Dotson-Oyetade’s commitment lands him as ASU’s fourth-highest ranked recruit for his class, as the three names graded above him are all four-star composite recruits (Dotson-Oyetade is a strong three-star composite recruit on 247): CB Isaiah Johnson, ATH Tommi Hill and WR Junior Alexander. Arizona State’s also increased their reach in historically talented recruiting states, as their top-four players for the 2021 class hail from California, Florida, Washington and Texas, respectively.
With the cancellation of the fall football season, recruiting has already begun to change. In an interview with AllSunDevils, co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis pointed out some differences:
“Because many of the places or areas you would say we have prospects at, I think you’re seeing a lot more earlier commitments by young men in those areas because they want to solidify their spot and their opportunity because maybe they’re not going to get an opportunity to play their senior season,” said Lewis.
“Also, I think some may try to take advantage of the early January, early enrollees. Once you get them here, they get an opportunity to get a head start on their collegiate career. I think we see an uptick in both of those areas.”
While the future looks uncertain, Arizona State remains firmly committed to the recruiting trail, and their recent results give reason to believe the Sun Devils’ efforts will only produce stronger results.