Bishop Fitzgerald bullish on ASU as his decision day approaches
Arizona State is hardly a program that is unfamiliar to Bishop Fitzgerald, which is why the bar of expectations for his visit this past weekend was set fairly high. This was also the last recruiting trip the 6-foot 195-pound Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College defensive back plans to take before he renders a pledge to the school of his choice, and when he reviewed his time in Tempe, it was clear that the Sun Devils had made a formidable impact on him.
“It was a really good visit,” Fitzgerald said. “That was my first time out west, and to be honest, I felt like it was everything I thought it would be. I had high hopes for that visit because I was a little biased. Arizona State was my dream college growing up. It was always a college that I’ve been attracted to and the visit kind of exceeded expectations. Xavien Alford, who's a new safety who transferred from USC was my host. He told me that he really likes it out here and that it's a chill area. He really likes the coaches and said that they are on a mission to flip this program back into being a contender.
“I used to play quarterback in high school, and I saw Jayden Daniels in his freshman year where he had that 80-yard bomb touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk to upset Oregon. I liked that a lot. On my visit, everyone was very welcoming, which was nice. It’s a beautiful city beautiful campus, and hanging out with the students at the basketball game, I felt that I was already a student there. It was nice being able to chill with them.”
Fitzgerald prepped at Dale City (Va.) Gar-Field High School before arriving at Coffeyville. The 6-foot, 190-pounder was an integral part of his team’s 8-3 mark last year, posting 50 tackles and six interceptions. His background as a signal caller is an aspect that he said is serving him very well as a safety.
“They (ASU coaches) think that I’m pretty versatile and I’m a good communicator, and I agree with them obviously,” Fitzgerald noted, “They said they want me to come in and play the strong safety which sometimes plays in the box and sometimes plays up high. He’s a player that calls the shots for the defense.
“Coach Ward the defensive coordinator, and coach Carrington, the DB’s coach, are the ones recruiting me. I like coach Carrington’s approach to recruiting a lot. He’s a younger dude who isn’t too much older than we are. He’s a real hip dude and talks real stuff about how he thinks players can fit there and how this will be the best opportunity for them. Coach Ward is chill, has a laid back personality, and he was glad I was there. That’s somebody I respect because he wasn’t trying to press me. They could have put the pressure on me, but he didn’t. He said the feeling was mutual that we like each other and that he’s waiting for me to get back to them when I decide.”
And the defensive back’s decision is coming down to ASU and North Carolina State, a school he has already visited, and he did expect to announce the next couple of days.
“To be honest, I will pick the college where I feel at home,” Fitzgerald said, “somewhere where I can be part of something big and winning games. One of the people there on my (ASU) visit told me, ‘If you got hurt and you couldn’t play football, where would you want to go just to be a regular student?’ And that’s definitely something to think about.”
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