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football Edit

ASU legacy lineman offered by the Sun Devils

(PrepSports.com Photo)
(PrepSports.com Photo)

As the son of former Arizona State linebacker Solomon Bates, Colorado Springs lineman Alijah Bates already knew quite a bit about his father’s alma mater. Yet, his affinity to the program has been based more on his own experiences with the coaches in Tempe and a recent unofficial visit to the school that preceded a scholarship offer.

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“Arizona State has been recruiting me for a couple of months,” Bates said. “Coach Christensen and coach Nua are recruiting me. They are really cool, honest coaches that always look out for their players. I took my unofficial visit last week and what stood to me is them saying that I had a good opportunity to play there because of my size. They talked about my highlight film and said that they liked my motor and how involved I am in each play. I play fast and up-tempo, and I always work on my technique.

“They see me playing offensive tackle and that’s where they would start me out, but said it was possible for me to play defensive line. I honestly don’t have a preference and enjoy playing both ways. The other schools recruiting me mostly see me on offense.”

Bates, who plays for Doherty High School, said that his father has been pushing him “a little bit” to follow in his footsteps, but ultimately wants his son to follow the path he sees best for him.

“He told me that Arizona State has a great college atmosphere,” Bates commented. “He came with me on the visit and I really liked the weight room and the stadium. They treated me very well like they knew me for a long time. I really liked their academics. I want to major in Biology and they showed me the research buildings there and that was cool.

“I had a nice talk with coach Herm Edwards 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 and Northern Colorado have also offered, and those schools along with ASU and Wyoming are likely to receive official visits later in the year. The lineman added that UCLA recently has been showing some interest. He added that Denver University offered him a basketball scholarship, and while he would like to play both sports in college if possible, he’s content to just concentrate on football at the next level.

“I’m probably going to wait with my decision,” Bates stated, “and take all five of my visits first. When I choose a school, I will definitely look at the academics, the city atmosphere, and the team atmosphere.”

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