Graham pleased with National Signing Day recruits

Arizona State University signed 27 football players on National Signing Day. Of the 27 student-athletes, 16 of them are committed to playing defense.

ASU made defense a priority during recruiting due to 16 defensive players graduating after the 2013-14 season. It was also important that they add more defensive depth because the depth was a weakness last season, Graham said.

Marcus Hardison, one of the most heavily recruited junior college prospects in the country, chose ASU over schools such as Florida State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The defensive end posted 50 tackles with four sacks his sophomore season at Dodge City Community College in Kansas, and ESPN ranked him as the fifth overall junior college prospect in the country.

“He is one of the best in the country at getting after the quarterback,” Graham said. “Hardison is one of the top defensive ends in America and a guy our fan base will love in a hurry.”

After losing Pac-12 Second-Team Brandon Magee, Graham wanted to add depth to the linebacker position as well, signing five players headlined by Chans Cox from Lakeside, Arizona. Joining Cox are Eriquel Florence, Antonio Longino and the Latu brothers, Alani and Viliami.

“There is no one that we signed that we don’t think can be impactful,” Graham said. “That is how good this group is.”

Cox was ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in Arizona by Rivals.com, and his high school, Blue Ridge, went 40-2 during his three years with three championship game appearances. According to Graham, he had to battle hard to keep Cox from signing with Notre Dame, but the 6-foot-3 linebacker kept his word and enrolled in school at the beginning of this semester so he could participate in spring practices.

Graham added to the secondary as well. Marcus Ball headlines the class and will play safety for ASU. Ball won All-Midwest Region honors by PrepStar in 2012.

The biggest story of the day may have been who did not sign with ASU. Rated as the fourth-best dual-threat quarterback by ESPN, Joshua Dobbs flipped his commitment with ASU in favor of Tennessee. Coach Graham, however, would only talk about players that wanted to be Sun Devils.

“We wanted to sign one and we didn’t,” Graham said on signing a quarterback. “I’m not going to talk about players that do not want to be here.”

It was second consecutive year that ASU did not sign a QB. They also did not sign a running back in their ten-player offensive class, which includes five wide receivers, three offensive lineman and two tight ends.

Graham said he placed a lot of focus on wide receivers, and he was especially proud of Jaelen Strong from Pierce College in California. Strong, a four-star prospect according to ESPN, caught 67 passes for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 10 games last season, and he can compete for a starting job next season.

“He is the most dynamic receiver I have seen on tape in a long time,” Graham said of Strong. “Our fans will love this kid.”

ASU also signed a couple of quality tight ends on Wednesday in Grant Martinez of Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, and De’Marieya Nelson of San Jaoquin Delta Community College in Stockton, California.

Nick Kelly, Jack Powers and Christian Westerman will bring great talent to the Sun Devils offensive line.

The big prize was Westerman, who transferred from Auburn to ASU after two seasons with the Tigers. He was one of the most sought-after prospects in Arizona high school history when he starred for Hamilton High School in Chandler, though he could sit for the 2013 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Arizona State is not among the expert’s “winners list” on National Signing Day, but Graham said he put together a great class of both talent and character.

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