When Antonio Pierce resigned as Long Beach Poly’s head coach to work under his friend Herm Edwards as Arizona State’s linebackers coach two years ago, it seemed a foregone conclusion some Jackrabbits were going to follow their former coach to Tempe.

And they did.

But for how long? How long could Pierce keep the proverbial pipeline going, especially when some of the kids he was recruiting had never played a full season under his tutelage. Well, that time has arrived -- and it doesn’t seem to be deterring Pierce’s efforts.

Exhibit A is Keyonta Lanier. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound wide receiver who is about to finish up his junior year at Long Beach Poly. When he was a freshman, Pierce was still the head coach but Lanier was only sparingly bumped up from the freshman team to the varsity squad.

While Lanier’s relationship was limited with Pierce, some of his former teammates make up the half dozen former Jackrabbits turned Sun Devils, including sophomore defensive back Kejuan Markham.

“They always keep in touch,” Lanier said. “Kejuan is the main one I always talk to. He’s like, ‘(ASU) is a good place to be.’”

To understand Pierce’s impact on building ASU’s brand in Southern California, think about this: Lanier admitted he didn’t know about Arizona State until Pierce was hired in Tempe. Now, he keeps up with and watches most of the Sun Devils’ games.

Though Pierce first contacted Lanier during his sophomore season, it’s been newly-hired wide receivers’ coach Prentice Gill -- a touted young coach with formidable Southern California ties -- who has become Lanier’s main recruiter.

Already, Gill has made a significant impression on the speedy receiver.

“He wasn’t coming at me like as a coach. He was coming at me as like a regular person, just having good, regular conversations outside of football,” Lanier said of Gil. “He grew up up the street from where I grew up. He’s from Carson, I’m from Long Beach -- there’s not much difference in that (It’s roughly a 15-minute drive).”

At Poly last season, Lanier caught 27 passes for 433 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s always been a receiver, but the Jackrabbits moved him to other spots on the field, trying to use his play-making ability wherever necessary.

As a junior, he was put at defensive back for the first time in his life, racking up a few tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Before that, though, Lanier was Long Beach Poly’s backup quarterback. He mainly saw time in blowouts during his sophomore season, but still completed 65 percent of his 29 passes for about 150 yards.

It’s that type of versatility and athleticism that the Sun Devils like about Lanier.

“(Coach Gill) likes how I can separate from DBs, and how I get more yards after the catch,” Lanier said.

In late March, Gill spoke with Long Beach Poly coach Stephen Barbee about Lanier. The next day, Gill talked on the phone with the 6-foot-1 receiver and extended him his first collegiate offer. Since then, UNLV and New Mexico have followed suit with offers.

“I was happy. I was shocked,” Lanier admitted. “I didn’t think it was going to come that early.”

While Lanier expects to graduate and sign in December, in time to take part in 2021’s spring practices, he’s unsure of when he wants to commit -- simply given the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that he’s unsure when, or if, he’ll be able to take his first official visit.

The good news for ASU, however, is that Lanier has already checked out Tempe. He was an unofficial visitor for the Sun Devils’ win over UCLA two years ago and their loss to USC last season.

And, in that time, he was able to witness guys he went to high school with starting right away.

“(ASU) always says, ‘If you come in and work hard, you’ll be able to start as a freshman,’” Lanier said. “I truly believe in that because I’ve seen many athletes who have gone to Arizona State and started as freshmen.

“The main, important thing (is choosing a school) that will help me grow as a man and help me get to the next level after college. (Somewhere that will) push me to the limit, that’s what I’m looking for.”

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