Coaches made difference for Perry with ASU pick

Armand Perry said he'd probably pick between Arizona State and Cal early next week but it didn't even take that long.

Perry, a 6-foot-0, 175 pound defensive back at prominent Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, gave the Sun Devils a long awaited commitment Saturday after mulling over his top two options for weeks.

"I think just the coaching staff was the difference honestly," Perry said. "When I visited ASU (last month), from the minute I was there they accepted me like i was already on the team. It was a great vibe when I was down there, (safeties) coach (Chris) Ball is someone I really bonded with and I love coach (Todd) Graham too.

"They told me they want me to come in and play bandit safety, the position that Alden Darby plays and since he's leaving they see me as someone who can come in and compete at that position right away and maybe play early if I come in and do everything asked of me to learn their scheme."

Cal, Nevada, New Mexico and UNLV were Perry's other offers and the No. 8 overall prospect in Nevada said it came down to ASU and Cal and a lot of restlessness this month.

"It was pretty difficult, from times I couldn't even sleep knowing I had to make a decision, talking to family every day," Perry said. "It was sometimes a big challenge and stressful and other times I was alright about it but I just really felt good about ASU and always have so I knew that I'd be comfortable making this decision.

"It's definitely a big relief and I'm ready to focus on my season and a lot of things we've got to take care of to win a championship and do the things we want to, and at same time knowing my hard work has paid off is a great feeling."

ASU's scheme was a great fit for Perry, he said, because he's good in coverage and also able to come up and attack the run and play with discipline, the keys to being successful at the bandit spot.

"They ASU coaches, they were fired up," Perry said. "They were waiting on me to give them the call and I did and talked to the whole staff and they were really excited.

ASU assistant DelVaughn Alexander has been recruiting Perry and others at Bishop Gorman and that relationship was a serous benefit for the Sun Devils as well.

Next Friday, Perry and his teammates will play Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Pointe in a big season opening showdown and Perry may get to match-up against receiver Jalen Brown, one of Arizona's top players.

"We've been putting in work and this coming Friday should be a celebration of all that work," he said. "They're a good team and we'll be ready and have to play our best.

"Most definitely, we've been keying [Brown] a lot but also have to play our assignments and not let anyone beat us."