ASU Football: Wide receiver Jordan Kerley to opt-out of 2020 season

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

Arizona State sophomore wide receiver Jordan Kerley is opting out of the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19, according to a report by Sun Devil Source.

Kerley played in 13 games during the 2019-20 season and caught six passes for 81 yards.

Kerley’s opt-out comes two days after it was reported that four-star freshman wide receiver Elijhah Badger was ruled academically ineligible for the 2020-21 season.

With both wide receivers now out of the picture for 2020, ASU is left with eight scholarship wide receivers: seniors Frank Darby and Brandon Pierce; sophomores Ricky Pearsall and Geordon Porter; redshirt freshman Andre Johnson and freshmen LV Bunkley-Shelton, Johnny Wilson and Chad Johnson Jr. Head Coach Herm Edwards praised Wilson and Bunkley-Shelton on Wednesday in a webinar held by the Pac-12 Conference.

“Johnny, obviously with his length, has tremendous catch radius,” Edwards said. “It’s the first thing [with him]. He can run.”

Edwards added: “LV has been fantastic. He really has. He’s made plays everyday in practice.”

Badger and Kerley’s absence means the Sun Devils lose additional depth at the position, where they are attempting to replace former wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

Edwards said that Bunkley-Shelton and Wilson were “in the hunt” for playing time before going on to rave about them Wednesday. The duo figures to be among the replacements for Kerley and Badger just less than a month shy of the season-opener against USC on Nov. 7.