Bleacher Report: ASU’s Yellen made a mistake during 2019 signing window

The main story out of ASU football’s spring practices has been the quarterback competition, and for good reason.

Over the past year, the Sun Devils managed to sign three very talented quarterbacks with three different styles of play. Jayden Daniels, Joey Yellen and Ethan Long all have the opportunity to compete for the starting job next season.

There can only be one winner, though, which means two of those guys will be forced to sit on the bench for next season and perhaps even beyond that.

Daniels is considered by many to be the favorite, and because of this, Bleacher Report’s Brad Shepard named Yellen in his article listing 10 big-name recruits who made a mistake during the 2019 signing window.

Rather than stay in California and play for one of the Pac-12 schools or head to a place like Georgia, Washington State or Boise State, Joey Yellen instead committed to Arizona State in June 2018. Fellow pro-style quarterback Ethan Long did the same.

Six months later, dynamic dual-threat Jayden Daniels joined them in the Sun Devils’ 2019 class and became the odds-on favorite to replace Manny Wilkins on sheer talent alone. Those three guys will battle for the job with junior Dillon Sterling-Cole.

Shepard mentions that neither Yellen nor Long reopened their recruitment after Daniels committed to ASU despite having the opportunity to do so, which he believes may have been a mistake by Yellen in the long run.

Yellen is no slouch, having earned an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game. But while Daniels is a bit raw, his superb athleticism can help the Sun Devils win in a variety of ways.

If Daniels proves to be too talented to keep off the field, it may force Yellen to look elsewhere. There’s no way for head coach Herm Edwards to keep everybody happy, and the loser of the battle may want a do-over.

Since Daniels appears likely to win the job, that leaves Yellen as the most talented runner-up.

Yellen failing to win the starting job is by no means a sure thing yet, but in the event that Daniels (or Long or Sterling-Cole) does win the job, we may see him eventually go the way of Justin Fields and Tate Martell and transfer away from Tempe.