Brooklyn offensive lineman Armon Bethea says ASU is leading his recruitment
It’s been about two and a half months since Sun Devils’ co-defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, Antonio Pierce, extended a scholarship offer to Armon Bethea ASU. Since then, the 2021 offensive lineman has spent countless hours texting, calling, and forming a relationship with Arizona State’s coaches, namely Pierce and graduate assistant Adam Breneman. Two and a half months Bethea has been continuing his impressive weight loss, which is now around 50 pounds since the pandemic stuck.
It seemed like it was time to move along with the recruiting process. Obviously, that’s a task complicated by COVID-19 and inability to take any official visits. Yet, Bethea and his family were determined to try and learn as much as they could in-person about the lineman’s various suitors. So, a few weekends ago, they flew from New York to Arizona to check out the Tempe campus on a non-hosted visit.
“My mom and dad set it up, and we went there on our own. It was a real good experience,” Bethea said. “We just walked and drove around the campus and looked at all the buildings and facilities … It was really nice, a beautiful campus.”
Arizona State naturally hopes that initiative leads to a commitment.
Bethea is a three-star offensive guard out of Brooklyn. The 6-foot-6, 308-pounder is ranked as the third-best player in the state and has racked up an offer list that now includes 14 programs.
Bethea noted that the four schools recruiting him the hardest are ASU, Louisville, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. In saying that, though, he made sure to mention that the Sun Devils are no. 1 among that list, his top school at the moment.
“Yeah, I’d say that,” he said. “They think I can come in right away and be an impact player as a freshman.”
Danny Landberg, Bethea’s coach at Erasmus Hall High doesn’t think that statement is a stretch. He always knew Bethea had the potential to be great. Heck, guys with a 6-foot-6 frame and plenty of pounds have quite an advantage over many of their counterparts heading into college.
“Obviously, he’s got NFL size. If he takes care of his weight, and he’s a real student of the game,” Landberg remarked, “and really embraces the teachings from the coaches, and those coaches are really good in what they do with him; I mean, I don’t see why he couldn’t make the league.”
Yet, Landberg knew colleges weren’t looking for just massive bodies. They want lean guys who can move extremely well, he told Bethea.
He reminded Bethea of what happened with Erasmus’ center from the year prior. Tunde Fatukasi, who’s now playing at Rutgers was hovering around 340 pounds. He was skilled, but his weight scared off collegiate interest. Around his senior season, he dropped nearly 40 pounds, and coaches began calling.
Bethea tried to duplicate that. His dad built a gym in their garage so that he could work out during the pandemic. He worked with a trainer. He ran up hills constantly. A few months in, he shed nearly 50 pounds.
“I’ve been working out twice a week, six days a week. It’s a lot of speed and agility drills, offensive sets, lifting, running up hills, stuff like that,” Bethea noted. “It made me a lot faster. I feel way lighter on my feet.”
The lineman attended the FBU Top Gun Showcase in Naples, Fla., showcasing the new, lighter Armon Bethea. The results came quickly. He earned an invitation to the 2021 All-American Bowl and picked up 10 Power 5 offers.
ASU, of course, was among that group of schools, and even with an elevated level of attention for several different programs was able to stand above the pack. The Sun Devils have certainly pursuing him in earnest, and it seems he wouldn’t mind having the chance to learn from ASU’s coaching staff and their pedigree, either.
“Almost all their coaches came from the NFL or coached in the NFL, and that really opened my eyes,” Bethea said of. “That’s a really big factor … To learn from people who have been in the NFL, they’ve been through the experience.”
Bethea said he plans on committing in early January, which will allow him ample time to explore all his options and maybe get another road trip or two in before he makes his decision.
“What I’m looking for in a school is a family-oriented program,” Bethea said. “I really want to feel like I belong there. And I want a place that is going to help me on and off the field.”
And what can the school of his choice expect in return?
“They’re getting a massive mauler. That’s how I always describe him, a mauler-type,” Landberg described. “If he gets his hands on you, he’s going to drive you out. He’s not going to lose that battle.”
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