A strong sense of home led to a pledge by WR Cullen Charles
By his own admission, Cullen Charles didn’t expect to commit to Arizona State during his official visit. Yet, the 5-11 188-pound Saint Martinsville (La.) wide receiver's initial impression of the Valley of the Sun was so impactful that it took place even before he even left Sky Harbor Airport.
“Being from Louisiana, I just wanted to see what it's like here,” Charles said. “Before I even visited, coach Samples (ASU wide recovers coach Ra’Shaad Samples) told me, ‘Man, you’re gonna love it down here.’ As soon as I touched down, I’m looking at the scenery, and I loved it. On my visit seeing the atmosphere, and then once I started talking to the coaches, I’m saying, ‘Man, this feels like home.’ I felt so comfortable over here. The academics played a major part, too, with my parents. Just the way they explained everything to me and actually sat down and talked to me about my future, I just loved it.”
The wide receiver who committed to ASU exactly one week after he received an offer from the school tallied 12 touchdowns and over 800 yards in his junior year and attracted offers from Memphis, Houston, Central Florida, and Southern Miss, among others.
“Coach Samples told me that I’ll probably be playing inside.” Charles remarked, “but being that I am a good athlete, he said he would play me outside too. He likes how explosive I am because I have a big, lower body. So, he’s going to put me in a bunch of one-on-one situations; He told me that coming in on day one if I do everything that I’m supposed to be doing, I got a chance to play as a freshman and contribute to the team.
“The more chances I have to get on the field, the more chances I have to make plays and get more film, and that gives you a better chance of making it to the next level.”
The combination of a style of play that complements his attributes and the credibility that his future position coach carries were some other formidable factors in the wide receiver’s decision to pledge to the Sun Devils on Saturday.
“I just love the scheme and how detailed everything is,” Charles explained. “I like how they set you up with your specific skill set. Coach Samples is great at just putting the ball in your hands and just letting you be you. That stood out a great deal to me. We were all in the wide receivers’ room, and explained to me and my parents, like, the things I could do in the offense, went over what practice would look like and things like that.
“Him coaching at the NFL was a big factor because he actually knows what you need to do to play at that level. He knows what’s he saying. Some coaches are just telling you what you want to hear, but he will tell you the things that you need to do to get to the next level because he knows what it looks like. He’s been around great athletes and great players, and he knows how to develop you as a better man and a better athlete.”
Another facet that resonated with Charles was how accepting the players were who hosted him, let alone the number of Sun Devils who hailed from the same state he does.
“The quarterback Jaden Rashada and the wide receiver that just came Jordan Tyson…as soon as I came in, they welcomed me with open arms,” Charles described. “They made me feel like I’ve already been here and part of the team. That was definitely played a big role. And they got a lot of Louisiana guys. I didn’t even know they had like six, seven players from Louisiana. And one of them I actually know from Franklin (EDGE Gharin Stansbury), and my uncle actually coached him.
“They told me that if everyday I come in and put in work here, that is going to put you in the best position possible to succeed. Everything is up to you, from the grades you get to performing on the football field. They give you all the tools but it is up to you to make the most of the opportunities.”
Charles is the third wide receiver to commit to the Sun Devils in the 2024 class, joining the dup of Texas wide receivers Zechariah Sample and Elijah Baesa. He is the second player from Louisiana to commit to ASU in this class, following EDGE prospect Albert Smith.
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