ASU Football Recruiting: Signing Day 2013 LOI Tracker

Graham and his staff had surprising success with their 2012 recruiting effort, signing immediate starters D.J. Foster, Marion Grice, Chris Young and Jaxon Hood, and they hope to improve on this performance with the current class.

ASU’s Class of 2013 features a group of versatile players on both offense and defense, with four-star prospects like standout linebacker Chans Cox, coveted juco defensive end Marcus Hardison and versatile linebacker Viliami Latu already in the Sun Devil camp.

Here’s how ASU’s class is shaping up on Signing Day:

In The Clubhouse (25 commitments)

Who’s Signed?

• Chans Cox, LB, Lakeside, Ariz. – LOI RECEIVED
• Nick Kelly, OL, Sacramento, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED

Who’s Committed?

• Marcus Ball, Ath, Westerville, Ohio – LOI RECEIVED
• Nick Begg, DE, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED, GREYSHIRT
• Nick Brown, Ath, Florence, Ariz. – GREYSHIRT
• Demetrius Cherry, DE, Frostproof, Fla. – LOI RECEIVED
• Tre’Vell Dixon, Ath, Baldwin, La. – FLIPPED TO NEBRASKA
• Joshua Dobbs, QB, Alpharetta, Ga. – FLIPPED TO TENNESSEE
• Will Earley, DB, Mesquite, Texas – LOI RECEIVED
• Eriquel Florence, LB, Valley, AL – LOI RECEIVED
• Matt Haack, K, Des Moines, Iowa – LOI RECEIVED
• Marcus Hardison, DE, La Gorda, Fla. – LOI RECEIVED
• Kisima Jagne, DL, Chandler, Ariz. – LOI RECEIVED
• Ellis Jefferson, WR, Denton, Texas – LOI RECEIVED
• James Johnson, S, Upland, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• A.J. Latu, LB, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Viliami Latu, LB, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Ronald Lewis, WR, Harvey, LA – LOI RECEIVED
• Antonio Longino, LB, East Cleveland, Ohio – LOI RECEIVED
• Garrett Marino, DE, Mission Viejo, Calif. – ACADEMIC ISSUES – NOT SIGNED
• Grant Martinez, TE, Scottsdale, Ariz. – LOI RECEIVED
• Solomon Means, DB, Stockton, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Joe Morris, WR, West Palm Beach, Fla. – LOI RECEIVED
• De’Marieya Nelson, TE, Stockton, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Jayme Otomewo, S, Los Angeles, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Jack Powers, DE, Salinas, Calif. – LOI RECEIVED
• Damarious Randall, DB, Pensacola, Fla. – LOI RECEIVED
• Cameron Smith, WR, Coppell, Texas – LOI RECEIVED
• Corey Smith, DL, New Orleans, La. – LOI RECEIVED
• Jaelen Strong, WR, Philadelphia, PA – LOI RECEIVED

The Battleground

Who’s Possible?

Scout.com ranked the 6-1 175-pound Moore as the No. 24 cornerback in the 2013 class. He has excellent size and loves big hits. Moore will choose on Signing Day morning from Arizona State, Cal, Oklahoma and Oregon State.

The 6-1 215-pound Judge has ideal size for a weak side backer and displays outstanding football intelligence. The Arizona State staff is recruiting him as a Spur linebacker, which is a safety/linebacker hybrid role in the Sun Devil defense. ASU has been in the hunt for Judge, a UCLA verbal commit, for some time now. The Sun Devils have a reasonably good chance at landing the accomplished linebacker. Judge will announce is final decision on the Fox Signing Day show.

• George Adeosun, OL, Alpharetta (GA) – SIGNED WITH VIRGINIA
Adeosun is a two-star tackle who just happens to be the teammate of QB Josh Dobbs, a key (but wavering) recruit in the Sun Devils’ 2013 class. Adeosun has reported offers from schools such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma and Purdue. He is visiting ASU this week. Stay tuned.

• Marcus Ball, Ath., Westerville (OH) South – LOI RECEIVED
Montee Ball’s little brother remains a likely catch for Wisconsin, but ASU is still on the radar screen. At 6-3 205-pounds, it’s possible he’d see action on both sides of the ball for the Sun Devils. On offense, Ball could be a mismatch for linebackers with his speed, and he could use his height and speed on defense for either blitzing or coverage.

Who’s a Longshot?

Carrington has emerged as a possible wildcard in Arizona State’s 2013 class. The four-star receiver committed to Oregon in June, but has been in contact with the ASU staff since the departure of Ducks coach Chip Kelly. Carrington indicated on Twitter that he would make an announcement on Monday, Feb. 4.

The 6-1 175-pound Means was a qualifier out of high school and attended Weber State after graduation. Due to family reasons he was forced to move back home and suited up for Butte College for the 2012 season, posting 38 tackles, one interception and a team-leading 12 passes defended. Means recently received a scholarship offer from Arizona State, and made an official visit to the Tempe campus over the weekend. A soft commit to the University of Houston, he has not made a final decision on his LOI.

Storylines to Watch:

1. Can Todd Graham close strong? Graham gained a reputation as a strong closer in recruiting during his days at Tulsa, and it will be interesting to see if he can seal the deal with a number of blue chip prospects this year. Graham and his staff are focused on a coveted group of uncommitted players, who have the potential to significantly improve the 2013 recruiting report card.

2. Are the Sun Devils building the Pac-12’s best defense? With the return of Pac-12 defensive player of the year Will Sutton, ASU has bolstered a rough-and-tumble defensive unit that only stands to get better next year. And the Sun Devils are going big on defense with the 2013 recruiting class. They are the only school in the Pac-12 with more defensive commits than offense and also have the highest amount of junior college transfers in the conference.

3. Does Joshua Dobbs stand by his early commitment to ASU? Dobbs committed to Arizona State last summer before the emergence of Taylor Kelly under center. With signing day less than a week away, the No. 4 rated dual-threat QB is ripe to be flipped, though for now he remains committed to the Sun Devils. He’s drawn plenty of interest as programs rush to finish the recruiting season strong with the Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers making late hard sells. Even Stanford has been looking at Dobbs, offering to let him play both football and baseball in Palo Alto. – FLIPPED TO TENNESSEE