Team Recruiting Countdown: No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils

No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-10 No. 5)

2008 Haul: 27 signees, 1 Athlon Consensus 100

Scouting Report:

The Sun Devils had a difficult time protecting the quarterback in 2007, giving up 55 sacks for nearly 400 lost yards. They ranked 117th in the nation in sacks allowed. Needless to say, offensive line was an area of focus. The Sun Devils landed five promising o-lineman, headlined by big Zach Schlink (Peoria, Ariz.). Schlink is a versatile prospect who could play tackle or guard.

In a conference that is loaded with potent passing attacks, strong secondary play and a solid pass rush are a must. ASU addressed both of those areas landing six defensive backs and six defensive lineman. Safety/athlete Jarrell Barbour (Peoria, Ariz.) will be a big time force in the defensive backfield for the next few years in Tempe. The inside-outside combination of defensive end Jamaar Jarrett (San Marcos, Calif.) and tackle Lawrence Guy (Las Vegas, Nev.) should really bolster the defensive line.

The most talented group in this class is the offensive skill position players. Wide receiver prospects Kemonte Bateman (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Gerell Robinson (Chandler, Ariz.) will be difference-makers on the outside. Both are incredibly blessed with the physical tools to be game changers on the perimeter. The Sun Devils also got their running back of the future in Ryan Bass (Corona, Calif.). Bass is a wonderful blend of strength and speed.
 
Although not a highly ranked prospect, one quarterback prospect certainly catches the eye. Jack Elway, son of NFL legend John Elway, visited campus in the fall and committed on the spot. The elder Elway visited with him and by simply being there, helped to convince other prospects to join the Sun Devil band wagon.

Arizona State played the recruiting game very well and signed 14 of his 27 future players from the state of California. Five of those prospects came from one high school: the very prominent Centennial High in Corona, Calif. That is called a pipeline.

In classic Erickson style, Arizona State signed five junior college players as well.

Top Prospect: Gerell Robinson – ATH – Chandler, Ariz. (6-4, 215) AC100 No. 79

Robinson has the body and size of an outside linebacker but he moves like a smaller wide receiver. With the team needs in the defensive secondary, a move to safety is a possibility. His real potential will be on offense at the wideout position. He can be amazing with the ball in his hands. 

Robinson combines tremendous athletic ability with quickness and football smarts. He is a very well-spoken kid who still remains very raw. At the moment he uses great intangibles and instincts, combined with sheer athleticism to make plays. He will need to work on refining his game; learning the subtle nuances of the wide receiver position may take a redshirt year. He is more prepared to play safety now, but the upside at wide receiver could be too high to pass up.

Best of the Rest:

Kemonte Bateman – WR – Los Angeles, Calif. (6-1, 185)
Ryan Bass – RB – Corona, Calif. (5-10,  190)
Jarrell Barbour – DB – Peoria, Ariz. (6-3, 195)
Lawrence Guy – DT – Las Vegas, Nev. (6-6, 280)
Zach Schlink – OL – Peoria, Ariz. (6-4, 300)

Sleeper: Jamaar Jarrett – DE – San Marcos, Calif. (6-6, 240)

This young defensive end prospect is a beast in along the line of scrimmage. He is not overly explosive or speedy but has great size and plays with solid all-around technique. He would fit perfectly in a 3-4 scheme where a bigger, more physical player role is needed on the outside edge. Jarrett has the frame to add some 25-30 pounds, which could turn him into an Adam Carricker power-type defensive end.

A Sun Devil Soap Opera

Corona's (Cali.) Centennial high school is loaded with top level talent every year. This year is no exception. Matt Scott, the quarterback is headed to Arizona to play for Sonny Dykes and Mike Stoops. The very talented all-purpose running back Ryan Bass had also been slated to play for the Wildcats.

In the immortal words of Lee Corso: "Whoa, noooot so fast my friends!"

Bass has recently committed to Arizona St. The interstate rival of the Wildcats, the Sun Devils have done a great job of poaching talent all season. Especially from Arizona. Bass marks the third player to decommit from Arizona and head to Tempe.

Superstar wide receiver prospect Gerell Robinson (ranked No. 80 in the Athlon Consensus 100) was originally committed to Arizona before re-opening his recruitment and then choosing ASU on national TV at the US Army AA Bowl. Also, talented safety prospect Jarrell Barbour had been slated to be a Wildcat but swapped to ASU when Dennis Erickson and staff told him he could get into school easier in Tempe.

Arizona State also stole a very talented wide receiver prospect from Los Angeles: Kemonte Bateman. Bateman had been a UCLA Bruin pledge. He is a top-100 type player.

Centennial also sends inside linebacker Shelly Lyons and athlete Brandon Magee to Arizona State next season. In my mind, that qualifies as "pipeline" status.

MORE TROUBLE FOR THE UCLA BRUINS:

Outstanding linebacker prospect Uona Kaveinga has decommitted from UCLA and is instead headed to BYU. The Cougars added Harmony, FL wide receiver prospect O'Neill Chambers also. BYU and Fresno St are battling it out for the top Mid-Major class in 2008. BYU has a slight edge now with these latest pledges.

More importantly, this UCLA class now hangs in the balance. Rickie Neuheisel will have to work miracles to keep this class in the top-10. Aundre Dean, Rahim Moore, EJ Woods, Derrick Coleman could all end up bailing ship on the Bruins. There are many worried fans in Westwood at the moment.

Stay Tuned!

Photo by Athlon Sports

Athlon Consensus 100: 71-80

The third release of the Athlon Consensus 100 has hit the presses...

71. Chris Tolliver - WR - Rayville, LA (LSU)
72. Matt Meyer - OT - Stockton, CA (USC)
73. Lynn Katoa - LB - Salt Lake City, UT (Colo)
74. Brandon Barnes - ATH - Bunn, NC (NC St)
75. Antoine McClain - OL - Anniston, AL (und.)
76. Josh Jenkins - OG - Vienna, WV (und.)
77. Mark Barron - WR - Mobile, AL (Bama)
78. Jordan Futch - S - Hollywood, FL (Mia)
79. Mike Glennon - QB - Centreville, VA (NC St)
80. Gerell Robinson - WR - Chandler, AZ (ASU)

This is a tremndously versatile group of prospects. Futch could play LB but wants to play safety. Barnes, Tolliver, Barron and Robinson could all end up at wide receiver. But then again, three of them could be playing safety as Tolliver is the only pure pass catcher of the group. McClain and Meyer could end up at guard or tackle.

It is startling to me that it took almost thirty names to get to our first QB. And he is a good one. Mike Glennon is one of the best pure pocket passers in this class. He will never wow anyone with his mobility but once he gets on a roll in the passing game, he is very tough to stop.

Stay Tuned to Athlon Sports as we release ten names every Monday and Thursday.



The Athlon Consensus 100

Deeper Look: 71-80
Deeper Look: 81-90
Deeper Look: 91-100

US Army AA Game Notebook:

Heading into this game I really felt that the offensive skill position players were better on the West team and that the defensive front seven was better on the East team. That was pretty much how the game played out with one exception. No one can stop Terrelle Pryor.

There is no substitute for supreme talent. It was a clean sweep from the top prospect in the nation. He took home not only the win today but also the games' Most Valuable Player and the US Army National Player of the Year award too. It is very easy to see that he is clearly the best player in the nation.

Some random thoughts....

The athleticism was very apparent at the quarterback position for the East team with Pryor, Star Jackson and MarQuies Gray. The West had no answer for the speed at the QB position.

Miami defensive tackle prospect Marcus Fortson was dominate as the East shut down the West ground game. The linebackers were all over the field led by another Miami defender Arthur Brown. There is no way Brown plays in the middle. He was noticeably smaller than guys like Steven Filer and Etiene Sabino. Brown will be a fabulous weakside backer.

The wide receivers for the West were phenomenal. D.J. Shoemate, Dan Buckner, Jameel Owens and particularly Michael Floyd played well. I would have liked to see Shoemate used more out of the back field. I am very high on all four of these kids.

Gerell Robinson is very raw and very good. He is a smart, well-spoken kid that has freakish size and athleticism. He may want to redshirt at Arizona St to learn the subtleties of the wide receiver position. He is gifted enough to play right away though.

Speaking of the Pac-10. The west coast had a great day landing three of the kids announcing on Saturday. Robinson is headed to ASU; Solomon Koehler leaves Hawaii for the desert and Arizona; Covaughn Deboskie chose Cal.

Alabama and Georgia are in a heavyweight bout for the SEC recruiting race. After stealing A.J. Harmon from Clemson, the Bulldogs are making a strong push for not only the SEC crown but maybe the top class in the nation.

With Gray's commitment to Minnesota, Tim Brewster has found a piece to build a future around. The Gophers' class is very strong as the Big Ten doormat has dipped into Texas, Chicago and now Indianapolis to snag a lot of solid prospects.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AJ Harmon - Georgia
Patrick Johnson - LSU
Shayne Hale - Pitt
MarQuies Gray - Minnesota
Ryan Williams - Va. Tech
Solomon Koehler - Arizona
Gerell Robinson - Arizona St
Covaughn Deboskie - Cal
Brandon Smith - Michigan

Photo by Rivals.com