Sorry Stoops: Erickson Plucks a Prospect out of Tucson
Dennis Erickson raided Mike Stoops’ backyard over the weekend by adding a top Tucson prospect to the 2009 recruiting class. With less than two months remaining until signing day, here’s a look at where the Sun Devils stand—and what big fish are still in play.
Dennis Erickson and Mike Stoops have no choice but to share Arizona’s high school football talent. Fortunately for ASU, Erickson’s isn’t very good at sharing.
Not only does Erickson eat much better than Stoops, but this weekend he raided Stoops’ fridge by plucking WR J.J. Holliday out of Tucson’s Santa Rita HS. Holliday caught 54 passes for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
So where does this leave ASU in the scholarship department?
ASU starts with 85 scholarships, and 62 scholarship players from last year’s team are due to return next fall.
- Junior college transfers DE Dean DeLeone and DB LeQuan Lewis and high schoolers QB Brock Osweiler and S Matthew Tucker signed last week and will enroll for the spring semester. (We took a stab at placing them on the depth chart last week.)
- Walk-ons RB James Morrison, DB Pierre Singfield and SN Thomas Ohmart are expected to earn scholarships.
- And 2008 signees WR Kemonte Bateman, who was academically ineligible, and WR Allante Battle, who’s in school on a track scholarship, will count against the final tally.
That leaves about 14 scholarships for Erickson and the staff to play with between now and signing day in February. Holliday’s pledge pushed the number of unsigned Class of 2009 commitments to 12, including nine from Arizona.
The biggest in-state fish remaining are DE Devon Kennard of Phoenix Desert Vista and DT Corey Adams of Scottsdale Saguaro. The Arizona Republic reported last week that Kennard is leaning away from ASU and toward California, Texas or USC. Adams is considering ASU, Ohio State and USC.
Adding either (or both) would tie a beautiful bow onto ASU’s class in a couple months. In the meantime, here’s a list of the 12 guys expected to sign with ASU in February.
Class of 2009
Holliday’s addition put the number of unsigned Class of 2009 commitments at 12. Here’s the list:
| Name | Position | Hometown |
| Chris Coyle | TE | Westlake Village, CA |
| J.J. Holliday | WR | Tucson, AZ |
| Osahon Irabor | DB | Upland, CA |
| Anthony Jones | LB | Chandler, AZ |
| Kody Koebensky | OL | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Shane McCullen | ATH | Apache Junction, AZ |
| Jamal Miles | RB | Peoria, AZ |
| Anthony Rose | LB | Tempe, AZ |
| Max Smith | TE | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Will Sutton | DT | Corona, CA |
| Fred Thornton | OG | Phoenix, AZ |
| Marcus Washington | RB | Phoenix, AZ |
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Bursting the bubble a bit … UA backed off on Holliday once it signed a couple of receivers who UA perceives as being better. Holliday was never offered by UA.
@David, Arizona may very well have backed off Holliday, but it’s still fun to pull a kid out of Tucson — as long as he can play. Either way, I’m guessing Holliday is not going to make the class.
I’d really like to see the staff close hard and pluck one more top recruit like Corey Adams before February. Any chance we land one more big name?
Corey Adams is a huge Buckeye fan. I’d say the chances are slim at best for him. Kennard’s cousin says he is a SC lock
Hurray! Corey Adams is a Sun Devil. According to the Republic, Corey Adams will indeed come to Arizona State.
We’ll update the recruiting picture tomorrow, but in the meantime we’ll celebrate!
Now we are talking!!
If we can sign Kennard this will be a very good class.
I hope Kennard stays at home and is part of what Erickson is building………..can’t wait for all of the Erickson recruits to take shape.