Quency Wiggins just started playing football this fall. Just a few months later, the 6-foot-7, 270-pound defensive end from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, already has 26 offers, including a recent one from Arizona State.
Wiggins out about the Sun Devils’ interest last week when head coach Herm Edwards texted the 2022 prospect. Later that day, Wiggins called the Sun Devils’ staff and was given the good news, later speaking with Edwards.
“When they gave me the text, that’s when we started getting closer,” Wiggins said.
The main ASU recruiter for Wiggins has been defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez. Wiggins said the second-year D-line coach, “recruits hard and tells me everything, like how the defensive scheme works and how it would fit me.”
But it’s been the talks with a current player that has stuck out most to Wiggins. Soon after the offer, ASU senior defensive lineman Shannon Forman -- also a Baton Rouge native -- spoke with Wiggins and gave him the low-down on the Sun Devils from a Louisiana perspective.
Wiggins knew Forman’s name growing up, even playing basketball with his little brother, but had had never spoken with him.
“He told me everything I needed to know,” Wiggins said. “Told me about the coaching staff, how everybody is family out there. How you’ll get treated right and feel good … He told me a lot about over there. About the atmosphere, how they eat, practice, go to school, he told me everything.”
Forman didn’t need to talk much to Wiggins about the culture change from going to Louisiana to Arizona because “I don’t really get homesick. I don’t mind leaving Louisiana,” Wiggins said
That certainly isn’t bad news for the Sun Devils, who are competing against some heavy-hitters to land Wiggins. The big D-lineman said, as of now, USC, Baylor, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and LSU, which sits only about 15 minutes away from Wiggins’ home.
The interest is warranted. Defensive lineman as big and explosive as Wiggins don’t grow on trees.
“For my size, I’m fast and strong. I’m real aggressive,” Wiggins said of his game. “It helps a lot having like a 7-1 wingspan. Nobody can really touch me. And I can cover a lot. It’s hard for a QB to get a pass over me. I make a ton of plays just off my size alone.”
That notion is even crazier when you understand that Wiggins has been playing football for less than a year. His basketball coach at Madison Prep Academy told him there would likely be more opportunities for scholarships if he suited up on the gridiron. Wiggins gave it a try and started to enjoy it.
And for all those kids who want the ball in their hands, Wiggins had the choice of playing at tight end or defensive end and thought that he could create most mismatches on defense, that he’d be able to use his size and speed to get around the edge.
It didn’t take long for people to notice his skill. Memphis offered Wiggins right after his first game, starting a chain reaction.
“I didn’t expect for it to take off so fast,” Wiggins said. “It’s been a great blessing. I didn’t really know what to expect. All of these schools, I’m still learning about them … Arizona State, USC, I never thought I’d have the chance to play at these schools.”
Wiggins isn’t yet sure when he wants to commit. He started speculating maybe at the end of the next school year, maybe at the start of the next football season. Then he stopped himself.
“Whenever I feel like, ‘This school is it,’ that’s when I’ll make the move,” Wiggins said. “(I’m looking for) a school that shouts home. I want to be somewhere where I’m wanted, where I’m needed, and where I can make an impact.”
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