ASU Football Recruiting: Letters of Intent Continue For Devils

Adding to its already strong group of commits, the Arizona State Sun Devils continue to receive faxes from some of the best players in the country. Pledging their skills to Todd Graham and his staff, this new crop of players will be looking to help build on a 10-win season and a Pac-12 South championship.

Many coaches argue that games are won and lost in the trenches and the Devils have bought into that sentiment by recruiting to reload a defensive front that was one of the strongest in the country in 2013, but depleted by graduation and early entry to the NFL. Wednesday, they started achieving those goals by receiving letters of intent from several players with the talent to contribute right away.

On the defensive side, following early signings of Renell Wren, Chad Adams, Ismael Murphy-Richardson and Christian Sam, the Devils received official word from linemen Conner Humphreys, Tashon Smallwood and Dalvon Stuckey to bring their talents to Tempe. Stuckey, a former Auburn commit and the top JUCO DT in the country, is expected to contribute right away and fill Will Sutton’s void up front. Humphreys and Smallwood need polish, but should expect to contribute within the next couple years.

The secondary also got better with the pledges of cornerbacks Armand Perry and Kweishi Brown and safeties DeAndre Scott and Dasmond Tautalatasi. Brown, rated the #3 JUCO corner in the country, should compete for a starting position right away, while Perry looks to have the build and speed to be effective in slot coverage and Scott has the skills to be a special teams ace. Tautalatasi has excellent size at 6-1, 185lbs and has potential to be a big hitter in the secondary.

The offense also added some new weapons in the form of quarterback Manny Wilkins, wideouts Jalen Harvey and Tyler Whiley, tight end Brendan Landman and linemen Quinn Bailey and Sam Jones.

Wilkins has been a Sun Devil wire-to-wire, committing last May and never taking any other visits, and proving his intangible value recruiting several ASU targets on the school’s behalf. An intelligent, athletic signal-caller, the Novato, CA native has all the skills succeed Taylor Kelly.

With the departure of starters Kody Koebensky and Evan Finkenberg, offensive line has been a priority this off-season and, while the Devils have missed out on some prospects, Coach Graham likes what he has in place up front and who they have brought in today. Bailey is a local product who projects as a tackle at the next level; a 6-6, 302lbs prospect, Bailey picked ASU over offers from Oregon, Arizona and Washington and looks to have the skills to contribute down the road. Jones is in a similar situation; the Colorado native is very athletic and has impressed scouts with his hands and quick feet, but may have to wait to make an impact in Tempe.

Devils in Detail will continue to have National Signing Day coverage as letters of intent and commitments are received