Colorado Springs offensive lineman Alijah Bates saw no reason to wait for an inevitable decision. Whether it was his father, former Arizona State linebacker Solomon Bates, or just his own experience with the recruiting process, Alijah Bates knew that there was only one school for him.

“Honestly, this (ASU) is where I wanted to go in forever,” Bates said. “After talking to (ASU offensive line) coach Christensen last week, I told him that I will be committing today. I liked everything about ASU when I went on the visit, the campus, the team atmosphere. All the stories my dad told me about Arizona State – it seemed like a great place. He was a big part of my decision.

“Watching them play this year I liked how all the players are really hyped on and off the field. It’s very exciting to watch.”

In a previous interview with Bates, the lineman who also plays forward on his high school’s basketball team, said that the ASU coaches were impressed by his highlight film and mentioned how much they liked his motor, how involved he was in each play, as well as his up tempo pace and wanting to always improve his technique.

“They like that I’m a lengthy and athletic tackle,” Bates said.

Previously Bates said that playing defensive line for the Sun Devils was an option as well and that he didn’t have a preference since he enjoys playing both ways.

In that interview, Bates told us that head coach Herm Edwards paid him a lofty compliment when the two met in the summer on his unofficial visit.

“I had a nice talk with coach Herm Edwards,” Bates said, “and he told me that I reminded him with my size of a lineman who plays now in the NFL who just got signed to a big contract (Taylor Lewan), so that was cool.”

Utah State, Northern Colorado and Wyoming are the other schools who offered bates, who mentioned that his decision came down to ASU and Wyoming. In the summer he also stated that UCLA had been showing some interest. While he would like to play both football and basketball in college if possible, he’s content to just concentrate on football at the next level.

Bates plans to take his official visit to Tempe in December but said he was planning to only sign in February of next year.

Alijah Bates is ASU’s 14th known commitment and the fourth offensive lineman pledge in the 2019 class.