Rivals250 defensive lineman Stephon Wright of Cathedral Catholic in Los Angeles has favored the Sun Devils for weeks, if not months now. Today on a Fox Sports West telecast Wright made his sentiments known and pledged to Arizona State.

“I love the people there,” Wright said ahead of his public announcement, “coach Herm, coach Gonzales, coach Pierce, and coach Nua and the rest of the staff are all good people and the program is taking of the right way. The coaches said that I could play any position on the defensive line. I try to play as physical as I can. I play fast and react the right way coming off blocks.

“Coach Nua said that he would use me as an inside guy and also off the edge. I don’t necessarily have a preference where I play. I like Aaron Donald a lot and I try to model my game after him. I’m not a short guy but I like watching him play.

“I like that ASU has stellar academics and a lot of different programs that can help you succeed. I like the 'Championship Life' thing they have going on out there because it helps you handle business on the field and in the classroom."

Wright posted 59 tackles, 32 quarterback hurries and 5.5 sacks for the 8-3 Phantoms who culminated their season after losing in the first round of the playoffs.

As far as his connection with the Arizona State coaching staff as a whole, Wright said he enjoyed that they never went out of their way to try to over-sell him on anything, and instead treat him as just another recruit.

Wright said that his relationship with Arizona State initially started out with a contact from former offensive coordinator Billy Napier and that when the new staff got in place, linebackers coach Antonio Pierce let him know that the Arizona State offer still stood. Wright said that it's the efforts of Pierce and defensive line coach Shane Nua that opened him up to the possibility of Arizona State.

"Coach Pierce came out to my school a couple of times," said Wright in a previous interview. "And he's always stayed in contact, so that's what really led up to my visit."

The lineman said he feels like Antonio Pierce's experience as a high school coach at Long Beach Poly gives him extra credibility in Southern California. "He's been here, and he's seen us all and the way he plays with his own eyes. They (ASU coaches) are just real people. They don't fake anything."

ASU’s newest public pledge said that watching the Sun Devils play, it was hard not to come away impressed with their performance and attitude on the field.

“It was great being there on another game day,” Wright said after the UCLA game, “I got to see how they operate. I really liked the fans and how loud they were during the game. I spent more time with the coaches, and I like how hard-nosed they are. They are a great group of guys. I love coach Nua’s personality and you can tell that he really cares about his players.

“Coach Edwards told me that they are recruiting guys they can see coming in right away and contributing to the team, as long as they put the work in. I saw a lot of freshmen playing yesterday so it seems like they are really developing their guys. You can tell that in the future they will be really good.”

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