It’s no secret that Arizona State has been on a mission to get bigger. If the recruit wouldn’t get confused for a basketball player, the Sun Devils may not be looking at them -- especially on the defensive line.
In the class of 2021, ASU signed 6-foot-6 pass rusher Eric Gentry, 6-5 linebacker Gharin Stansbury and inked three offensive linemen over 6-foot-5.
The position ASU has yet to fill with a heap of trees is a defensive tackle.
Deone Walker has the chance to change that. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound four-star defensive lineman from Detroit picked up an offer from Arizona State on March 4. Since then, the Sun Devils have made Walker feel like a priority.
“(ASU) is a great school. They have a great program. I learned that their team is really player-based,” Walker said. of the virtual visit he has with the Sun Devils on Saturday “I went on a virtual visit with them, and they let their players pick their jerseys and stuff before games.”
In the last few weeks, it has been defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez who has become Walker’s main recruiter. The high school junior said Rodriguez told him he could shine as a 3- or 4-technique in the middle but could, at times, get shifted to end.
“He feels that with my lengthiness, I’ll really shine at that,” Walker said of Rodriguez. “He’s a good guy. He knows the ins and outs of everything, and he really wants the best for me.”
In his junior season at Cass Tech in Detroit, Walker said he collected 40 tackles, four sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles.
“I’m tall, and I’m long. For being my size – I’m 6-7, 320 pounds — I’m quick on my feet, I’m agile, I have great balance,” Walker said. “I feel that I can bend more than the average blocker.”
What separates ASU from other schools, Walker said, is that it’s not just Rodriguez or defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce communicating with him. It’s the entire staff, an all-in recruiting push that has resonated with the big four-star prospect.
“ASU, I just feel the love from everybody,” Walker said. “I feel love from the coaches who want me on the d-line, but I still feel love from their offensive coordinator, their o-line coach, their head coach, their DBs coach, all of them.”
It seems to have paid off.
Though he said he’s still a month or two away from releasing a top-whatever list, Walker noted that the five schools recruiting him the hardest are Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and ASU.
As you might guess from looking at that group of schools, geography won’t be much of a concern. Walker said he’s already spoken with his family and will pick the school that he thinks is best for him -- regardless of where it is. Plus, it needs to have all the academic qualifications.
“I’m just looking at academics for real,” he said. “I want to go into sports management, and I want to look at the academic buildings, player graduation rate.”
It may be a while, however, until fans know where Walker is headed.
“It’s going to be late,” he said of his commitment. “Either late this year or like in January of next year. And I’m not looking to leave high school early. I want to leave on time.”
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