When Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson took the podium in late November to set the standards for ASU football’s next head coach, he did so with an emphasis on one area: recruiting.
The hire of Herman Edwards left many Sun Devil fans questioning the future of the program. Sixty-six days later, and Edwards’ first recruiting class consists of 22 players.
“With the limited amount of time we had, we really upgraded our roster,” Edwards said. “And it started with our offensive line.”
ASU bolsters offensive line with transfer
Graduate student Casey Tucker announced Jan. 30 on Twitter that he would be transferring from Stanford to ASU after being granted a final year of eligibility.
At 6-feet-6-inches and 315 pounds, Tucker will likely come in and play left tackle.
“He’s a big-time player for us that we look forward to coming in immediately, and (to) sure up our offensive line,” assistant coach Donnie Yantis said.
With guard Sam Jones forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the draft and center A.J. McCollum having graduated, there are seemingly two holes to be plugged on the offensive line.
With the addition of Tucker, a former five-star recruit who has played in 27 games for Stanford, the Sun Devils have seemingly added the man they want to protect redshirt senior quarterback Manny Wilkins’s blindside.
Three other offensive linemen committed to ASU’s 2018 recruiting class.
Replacing dominant linebackers with a “nasty individual”
With the loss of DJ Calhoun and Christian Sam, the Sun Devils desperately needed to find an impact freshman to fill the void. They are attempting to do so with four-star linebacker Merlin Robertson.
“He’s a nasty individual,” said linebackers coach Antonio Pierce. “And I mean that in a very malicious way.”
The 6-foot-3-inch, 235-pound linebacker from Gardena, California racked up 126 total tackles and seven sacks in his senior season.
While the Sun Devils have upperclassmen ready to step into starting roles, Robertson, the No. 5 inside linebacker prospect in the country, is likely to be in the starting rotation.
Pierce’s past helps ASU secure No. 6 safety in the country
After four years as head coach of Long Beach Poly high school, Pierce was hired at ASU. Not only does Pierce bring NFL player experience to the team, but he also brings Aashari Crosswell.
Pierce coached Crosswell in high school, and after spending months trying to get other universities to look at Crosswell, he brought him to ASU.
“I coached a lot of players that went to SEC, ACC and other Pac-12 teams, but he was the best player on our football team last year,” Pierce said.
Pierce said Crosswell’s versatility and ability to make plays is what sets him apart.
Jermayne Lole, who played along the defensive line for Long Beach Poly, is also part of ASU’s recruiting class.
Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.
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