2022 four-star tight end Micah Riley enjoying ASU’s communication

Before he got to high school, Micah Riley was a wide receiver. He was also just 6-feet tall and a hefty 185 pounds. “I was kind of chunky,” Riley joked.

His head coach at Nebraska’s Bellevue West High, Michael Huffman inherited an athletic freshman who was starting to thin out. His speed was picking up and he still had above-average strength from his “chunky” days playing tackle and defensive end as a kid.

Joiner spoke to Riley after his freshman year about possibly creating a few packages for him at tight end the next season, a drastic change considering Joiner’s spread scheme hadn’t used tight ends in the past.

But Riley kept growing.

He shot up to 6-foot-5 before his sophomore season, a five-inch growth spurt in about a year. He was now a tight end.

Currently, schools from all across the country are recruiting him heavily as such. Riley, a four-star prospect at that role in the class of 2022, has already racked up 10 offers, including, most notably, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Arizona State.

At the moment, Riley said the quartet of D-I programs recruiting him the most are Missouri, Kansas State, the Sun Devils and his hometown Huskers. But while Nebraska boasts clear advantages in terms of a storied history, incredible resources and proximity from home, Riley wouldn’t mind spreading his wings.

“I’m perfectly fine leaving the state,” he claimed. “I can go south, north, whatever.”

Riley is all about the right fit. About relationships. And trust.

So far, ASU assistant coach Derek Hagan who will be guiding the Sun Devil tight ends has provided that.

“That’s my guy,” Riley said of Hagan. “I like that we can just talk and it’s not awkward. He can text me. He can text my parents whenever they talk. It’s just a smooth relationship. I can call whenever and he’ll answer. That’s just someone I can count on whether I go there or not.

“We just have the most random conversations. Like the other day, I asked him what his first tattoo was and he told me a football or something with his number on it.”

The Sun Devils have used reinforcements in their recruitment of Riley. Heck, in recruiting in general. The floor that houses the offices of ASU’s coaches is often buzzing. It’s not uncommon to see one coach speaking with a recruit on Facetime then pass the phone off to another coach, or walk into head coach Herm Edwards’ office and hand the phone off to the conductor.

Riley said ASU is the only program that does that with him.

“I like that,” he said. “I talk with coach Hagan once a week at least but when I talk with coach Hagan, typically, I get on the phone with everybody … They’re just a great staff on and off the field. They’re straight-forward. They’re going to give it to you straight.

“I can’t really be face-to-face with anyone right now or go on any visits, but I think the people who are in contact with me the most, that’s kind of like -- not making a better case for them but it’s like a better first image. I think that’ll help me, in the long run, figuring out where I want to go.”

In an offseason where it seems all ASU’s coaches have spoken about is reeling in taller prospects -- the ones big enough to stack up with college football’s blue-bloods, the guys you want leading the team off the bus -- Riley fits that bill. He also would walk into an offense that is expected to be tight-end heavy under newly-hired offensive coordinator Zak Hill.

“They like that I’m 6-5 and I’m aggressive,” Riley said of assessments from intrigued coaches. “They think that when I get down there I’m already going to be ready, I’m already going to be strong. So I’ll be able to play early.

“When I’m most effective, my blocking is the biggest thing I take into account. Like that’s my favorite thing on the field. I can also catch the ball. I can run well. I can play slot, I can play tight end, I can play wideout. I can do a lot of stuff.”

Riley said he hopes to commit sometime late next summer, a month or so before he begins his senior season. While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused speculation and uncertainty in recruiting, Riley thinks it has helped him. Instead of having to rely on camps for offers, he said, coaches had more time to watch his sophomore film and start communication early.

For now, he has another two years inside the always-churning recruiting engine, hoping to find a place that knocks off everything on his wish list.

“The main thing is (finding) people who are honest. I have to find out who has the best interest for me,” Riley said. “Obviously someone that’s winning. The goal is to win so I want to go somewhere that’s going to win or is winning right now.

“So, coaching staff, winning, honesty, somewhere I see myself performing well and being like, not necessarily a star but having a good role on the team.”

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