State of the Sun Devils: Why is Arizona football out-recruiting Arizona State?

On the latest edition of State of the Sun Devils, Jeremy Schnell, Jesse Morrison and Mitch Vareldzis break down the latest in Arizona State football recruiting.

They discuss how Arizona football secured a commitment five-star Salpointe Catholic defensive end Elijah Rushing and why ASU has yet to land a recruit of Rushing’s level under new head coach Kenny Dillingham.

Schnell, Morrison and Vareldzis continue to discuss the recruiting battle between the two institutions and how Arizona ranks 11 spots higher than ASU in the 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting class rankings. They give solutions for how ASU can catch up to its rival.

After diving into the football side of things, the guys discuss former ASU women’s basketball assistant coach Nikki Blue taking over as the Phoenix Mercury’s interim head coach and how she brought in former Sun Devils head coach Charli Turner Thorne as an assistant.

The podcast crew then react to some interesting audio from Blue where she described why ASU went with Natasha Adair as its next head coach instead of her when Turner Thorne retired last year.

Schnell, Morrison and Vareldzis wrap up the podcast by talking about the addition of ASU hockey to powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2024 and how this move could lead to the Sun Devils becoming a hockey power.