In-state recruiting to heat up between Arizona, Arizona State

College football has entered a new era in The Copper State. With change at the helm of Arizona and Arizona State, Kevin Sumlin and Herm Edwards are looking to strike gold on the in-state recruiting trail.

In 2018, the lasting impressions of Todd Graham and Rich Rodriguez are recruiting classes that rank 11th and 10th in the Pac-12, respectively. In six seasons, neither program had a class ranked in the top three of the conference.

Convincing recruits to stay home and play locally is not a simple task. The objective becomes more difficult when a recruit is the top prospect in the state. Since 2012, N’Keal Harry is the lone No. 1 prospect that has remained in-state. He signed with the Sun Devils in 2016.

Aside from their in-state recruiting battle, competing for Arizona’s top prospects with perennial Pac-12 contenders USC, Oregon and Washington presents a difficult challenge for Edwards and Sumlin as first-year head coaches. Both enter the unknown with high expectations and backgrounds unfamiliar to the conference.

Edwards, coaching at the collegiate level for the first time, comes to ASU following a nine-year hiatus from coaching. The former ESPN analyst, 63, last coached the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008.

One of the biggest learning curves for Edwards has been adjusting to college recruiting. After being hired, he met with players who were committed prior to the early signing period but does not have much experience with recruiting tours. In the NFL, Edwards showed the ability to scout talent as he was part of the group that drafted Pro Bowlers Tamba Hali, Jamaal Charles and Branden Albert to the Chiefs.

Eleven players signed with ASU on Dec. 20. Of those, offensive lineman Ralph Frias was the highest-rated player from Arizona to come to Tempe at No.12 in the rankings, per 247sports.com.

Sumlin, now in his third head coaching job after stints with Houston and Texas A&M, has proven to be a strong recruiter in his 10 years as a head coach.

In six years at Texas A&M, Sumlin signed 58 four-star and nine five-star prospects and had a top-12 recruiting class on average. While he no longer has the pull of an SEC program, he has established roots in Texas that will be valuable in Tucson.

Part of the struggles Arizona and ASU endured trying to keep top players in-state were caused by Sumlin. Three players ranked No. 1 in Arizona played for him while he was in College Station. Kyle Allen (2014) and Christian Kirk (2015) signed in back-to-back classes while safety Priest Willis (2013) transferred after two seasons at UCLA.

Despite success in recruiting, the Aggies finished above .500 in SEC play once under Sumlin, ultimately leading to his firing.

As for the next chapter of the Territorial Cup rivalry, the schools won’t face off until Nov. 24. Until then, it’ll be Edwards and Sumlin competing to give their program a better chance at long-term success.

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