Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, high school senior Casey Tucker verbally committed to Stanford. The 6’4″, 280 pound offensive tackle was apparently waiting to make sure he was admitted to the university. Tucker, who is from Chandler and attends Hamilton High School is one of the most sought after offensive linemen in the nation. Every scouting service has him as a four or five-star recruit.
Arizona State Coach Todd Graham recruited Tucker heavily. Graham needs to keep at it. Until that Letter of Intent is officially faxed in, these commitments are not binding. Casey Tucker is exactly the kind of player that Arizona State cannot let get away, especially to a conference opponent.
At ASU, Tucker would have a shot at playing right away. He’d have to earn it, of course. But he’d have a shot. He would also be quite celebrated, much like ASU running back DJ Foster. Foster was one of Graham’s first signings and is considered a huge step forward in keeping local talent. Tucker could be in that category. He could have his picture up on billboards with the word “Loyalty” under it. (Just like Foster).
Graham needs to remind Tucker of that, amongst other things and keep recruiting this kid. Every year, players change their minds at the last minute. There’s no reason to think it couldn’t happen with Tucker. The whole staff, current players and even other current recruits need to keep after Tucker to convince him to stay. It’d be worth it. He’s that good.
And it wouldn’t hurt if someone close to the family reminded Mr. and Mrs. Tucker that going to visit their son and watch his games would be a lot cheaper if he was in Tempe, as opposed to Palo Alto.
Landing Tucker would not only be a feather in the cap for Graham. It would be a brilliant finishing touch to a recruiting class that many are calling as the best ASU has had in a long time.