ASU football recruiting heats up with four commits in four days
Jun 20, 2016, 8:00 PM | Updated: 9:00 pm
Arizona State coach Todd Graham, right, talks with DJ Calhoun (3) prior to the team's Cactus Bowl NCAA college football game against West Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Four Arizona State recruits have committed to the school in the last week and three hail from the Valley.
Joining fellow Arizona-resident and 4-star Basha quarterback commit Ryan Kelley is tight end Jared Poplawski, outside linebacker and tight end Kyle Soelle, and offensive lineman Corey Stephens.
The three new recruits all have something in common — they all come from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale and all three committed to ASU on Friday.
ASU head coach Todd Graham came into this recruiting class looking to add more local talent and it seems to have paid off. Four out of the seven commits so far have come from Arizona.
Last year, Graham and the Sun Devils missed out on Saguaro product Christian Kirk, who went on to play in 13 games for the Texas A&M Aggies, where he finished with 80 receptions for 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns. But the Sun Devils remained aggressive in the state and have since turned it around.
Poplawski, a 3-star recruit, played in 12 games as a tight end last season and had 32 receptions for 438 yards with six receiving touchdowns for Saguaro.
Soelle also played tight end but committed to ASU with the belief that he will play as an outside linebacker. He has played on both sides of the ball during his high school career. He totaled 21 tackles with 3.5 sacks last season.
Stephens will look to add depth to ASU’s offensive line. At 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, he will try to clear the way for the Sun Devils.
The local recruits might have an impact on what 4-star safety K.J. Jarrell, also from Saguaro High School, is pulled in his recruitment.
The latest of the four recruits to commit is Cypress Ridge High School running back Trelon Smith from Houston, Texas, who committed Monday.
Last season, Smith rushed the ball 228 times for 1807 yards and 17 touchdowns. He added seven receptions for 88 yards and one receiving touchdown for Cypress Ridge.
Smith’s commitment was the seventh of Graham’s 2017 class.
