ASU battling SEC powers for top in-state recruit

Tempe Marcos de Niza cornerback Priest Willis is this
year’s top high school football recruit in the state of
Arizona, and the freakishly athletic cornerback is
garnering interest from schools all over the country,
including SEC powers LSU and Florida.

Willis says he remembers back when he did not have one
offer from any school in the country, and recently the
Marcos de Niza superstar defensive back had to narrow his
list
of choices down to 16 schools. The list reads like a who’s
who of college football: LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame,
Florida, Florida State, Oregon, USC, UCLA, Oklahoma,
Michigan, plus a few others.

One of those other schools that made Willis’ final 16 was
Arizona State. The Sun Devils were the very first team to
offer him, which sometimes can create an instant bond
between athlete and school. Not to mention the fact that
he plays his high school football just down the street
from the heart of the ASU campus at Tempe Marcos de Niza.

Just so you know, Willis is a physical specimen at 6’2″,
195
pounds and he has the size and speed (he runs a 4.4 40-
yard
dash) to play at a very high level during his college
career. Willis has played corner in high school where he
shows great tackling ability and does not miss a step when
it comes to covering receivers, as he completely
manhandles them.

Many coaches and scouts believe that as the five-star
cornerback grows he could transition into a safety because
of his size/speed combination.

“I want to be a defensive back,” Willis told
Scout.com. “If they
want to put me at safety or cornerback, I’ll play either.
I don’t want to limit myself to just corner, I think I
bring value and can contribute more if I can play more
than one position.”

The past couple of years the Devils have let the top in-
state
recruits slip out of their hands and into the hands
of Auburn and Texas. New head football coach Todd Graham
needs to change that trend right now. If Coach Graham
could convince Willis to become a Sun Devil, it could be
exactly what Arizona State needs to turn that corner and
become an elite college football program.

It would send a message to all other big time recruits in
the state of Arizona if Willis stayed home and wore the
maroon and gold. It would tell them that ASU is the place
to go if you are from Arizona, that this team is going to
win, and that this team is going places that these kids
want to go.

That may be easier said then done though. Willis seems
very interested in LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Florida
and has set up official visits to three of the schools and
an
unofficial to the fourth.

Only time will tell on this one as Willis is in no hurry
to make his commitment anytime soon. He said he would like
to commit before the Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral game, which
takes place during week two for Willis and Marcos De Niza,
but later said he hopes he can just decide before the
Under Armor game.

Even though the decision most likely will not be made
until January, the pressure is already starting to build
around the state as to where Priest Willis will go to
college. For Coach Graham and company it could be just
what the doctor ordered, Willis would instantly inject
some energy and momentum into the Devils football program,
and really start the ball rolling on the complete culture
change Coach Graham wants to make in Tempe.

Follow @Vincemarotta