TEMPE, Ariz. — An NCAA investigation has made this a challenging recruiting cycle for Arizona State. The university suspended assistants Adam Breneman, Prentice Gill and Chris Hawkins, three of the program’s strongest recruiters. In addition, administrators have kept recruiting coordinator Antonio Pierce from scouting prospects on the road.
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With the early signing period starting Wednesday, Arizona State has six public commitments and three four-year transfers lined up. (Four prospects have decommitted since news of the investigation broke.) Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, the Sun Devils’ class ranks 11th in the Pac-12 and 91st nationally. Rankings mean little at this point, but it’s clear coach Herm Edwards and his staff have a lot of ground to make up. They likely will do so through the transfer portal.
A look at the prospects already on board:
Bryce Pierre, tight end
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Previous school: Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.
Ranking: No. 30 junior-college prospect, No. 2 tight end.
Commitment date: Dec. 4
Notable: A three-star prospect, Pierre (6-5, 240) fills an immediate need and should compete for immediate playing time. At Mt. Sac last season, he had 20 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Pierre previously played at Chaffey College in California.
Jacob Newell, tight end
Hometown:Springfield, Ore.
High school:Thurston
Ranking:N/A nationally, No. 58 tight end
Commitment date:Nov. 8
Notable:Offensive coordinator Zak Hill has tried to build up the program’s tight ends room since he arrived in 2019. Newell, a three-star prospect, helps in this regard. Previously committed to Nevada, Newell (6-5, 220) flipped to Arizona State shortly after his official visit because he relished the chance to play at the Pac-12 level and loved everything the Sun Devils had to offer. At Thurston, where his dad is an assistant coach, Newell plays tight end, defensive end, receiver, fullback and running back. He’s a three-year starter. “He’s just a matchup nightmare,” Thurston coach Justin Starck said. “He’s too big for small defensive backs to stay with, but he’s way too fast for a linebacker to match up with.” In seven games this season, Newell averaged 15.4 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns in Starck’s pro-style offense. Newell also plays basketball at Thurston, so he plans to arrive in Tempe over the summer. “When he just focuses on playing tight end, he’ll be phenomenal,” Starck said.
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Robby Harrison, defensive lineman
Hometown: Greenwood, S.C.
High school: Emerald
Ranking: N/A nationally; No. 165 defensive lineman
Commitment date: Sept. 27
Notable: A three-star prospect, Harrison plays defensive end but is expected to shift inside in college. The 6-3, 285-pound lineman had reported scholarship offers from schools such as Cincinnati, Indiana, Air Force, Kansas State and Michigan. Arizona State, however, was the first to offer, doing so during the summer of 2020. “I think Robby would excel anywhere he decided to go,” Emerald coach Cody co*ckrell told The Greenwood Index-Journal. “I’ve been with him since he was an eighth-grader, just being here as a ball boy. Robby is just a special individual. He’s great in the classroom and he’s a good person. He’s going to do anything to help you out. He could have chosen any one of his offers and he’s going to excel because he’s going to keep his head down and he’s going to grind.” Harrison also has played tight end in high school.
Tristan Dunn, safety
Hometown: Sumner, Wash.
High school: Sumner
Ranking: No. 428 overall, No. 37 safety
Commitment date: July 21
Notable: A three-star prospect, Dunn (6-3, 190) brings great size and versatility to the secondary. (He also plays receiver.) At Sumner, Dunn plays both in coverage and close to the line of scrimmage. He hits hard. In February, the Tacoma News Tribune called him one of the state’s “rapidly rising” recruiting prospects. The 2021 spring season 4A South Puget Sound Player of the Year, Dunn also had reported scholarship offers from Pac-12 schools Utah, Arizona and Washington State.
Tevin White, running back
Hometown: Stafford, Va.
High school: North Stafford
Ranking: No. 209 overall, No. 19 running back
Commitment date: June 24
Notable: A four-star prospect, White is the highest-ranked player in Arizona State’s class. He attracted recruiting attention from programs such as Georgia, South Carolina and Penn State, but he locked onto the Sun Devils and never wavered. His official visit to Tempe in June was the only one he took. At 6-1, 206 pounds, White has good size, but he’s not just a power back. He said he likes how offensive coordinator Zak Hill lines up running backs in different spots, allowing them to make plays in space, which is where White said he excels. “I’m just not a running back that can get you 3-4 yards up the middle,” he said. “I can do a lot more than that.” At North Stafford, White ran inside and also produced big plays catching passes off wheel routes. He excels in the classroom as well, carrying a 3.8 grade point average.
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Carter Brown, kicker
Hometown: Pearland, Texas
High school: Dawson
Ranking: N/A nationally, No. 4 kicker
Commitment date: Nov. 27, 2020
Notable: This suddenly has turned into a position of need. The Sun Devils last year signedEddie Czaplicki, but he has emerged as the team’s punter. That could leave an opening at kicker just as the strong-legged Brown arrives on campus.
Transfers
Rodney Groce Jr., linebacker
Hometown: Pleasant Grove, Ala.
Previous school: Mississippi State
Commitment date: Dec. 6
Notable: Groce recently visited Arizona State and committed shortly thereafter. He has good size at 6-2 and 245 pounds. As a second-year freshman in 2021, Groce played in four games, contributing mostly on special teams. He was a three-star prospect and the No. 29 inside linebacker in the 2020 class.
Messiah Swinson, tight end
Hometown: Bayshore, N.Y.
Previous school: Missouri
Commitment date: Dec. 7
Notable: Arizona State loses 6-foot-7 tight end Curtis Hodges and will replace him with the 6-7, 255-pound Swinson. Coming out of high school in 2017, Swinson chose Missouri over the Sun Devils. He suffered an ACL injury before the 2018 season. In 2020, he had two catches for 38 yards. This season he had five for 46.
Derrick Smith, defensive back
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Previous school: Illinois
Commitment date: Dec. 7
Notable: With safeties Evan Fields and DeAndre Pierce departing, Smith should come in and compete for a starting job. He has great size at 6-2, 220 pounds. He played in seven games last season, posting 17 tackles, one for loss. In 2020, Smith had 22 tackles in eight games. A former three-star high school prospect, Smith started his college career with Miami, where he played two seasons for the Hurricanes.
(Photo: Kevin Abele / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Doug Haller is a senior writer based in Arizona. He previously worked 13 years at The Arizona Republic, where he covered three Final Fours and four football national championship games. He is a five-time winner of the Arizona Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow Doug on Twitter @DougHaller
