Houston tight end enjoys ASU visit
Cypress Ranch (Tex.) tight end Drake Dabney has double-digit offers nationwide and following an unofficial visit to Tempe earlier in the month, Arizona State could join that group of suitors.
“I’ve been talking to coach Donnie (Yantis) over text for a couple of months now,” Dabney said. “I also talked to him a few times over the phones, so it was good to visit the school for the first time and see what Arizona State was all about. I like how coach Donnie is a down to earth guy and is very knowledgeable. He’s a really good coach.
“I was never in Arizona so me and my parents were blown away by the campus and the city. The facilities were top of the line. I got to talk to coach Edwards and he’s definitely a legend with a lot of NFL experience. He told me that Arizona State would be a great program to be a part of and that they really care about their players. He knows how to help his players get to the next level. I just had a chance to see the whole culture at Arizona State and see where they want to take it to.”
The similarities between how ASU would use its tight end to how NFL teams utilize that position is an aspect that attracted Dabney and was that he said has made the Sun Devils unique in their recruiting approach.
“They (ASU) really want versatile tight ends,” Dabney commented. “They want their tight end to run all the different routes in the passing game, and the blocking is a huge thing too. It’s really like being a true pro-style tight end.
“Arizona State likes my versatility and also my size and length. They like how I can do a little bit of both in the blocking and passing game. I do a lot of blocking with my high school team and I’m quick of the ball, and I feel that my game is balanced with my receiving skills.
Dabney has 19 offers to date with South Carolina, Oklahoma State, TCU, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Cal, Kansas State, Iowa State, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota among some of his more notable offers. The tight end prospect feels that an offer from Arizona State could certainly be forthcoming.
“Coach Donnie said that he wants to see me practice in-person before they offer,” Dabney stated. “He said that he will check out my spring practice in May. But I’m in touch regularly with him so I would say that they are recruiting me pretty hard. If they offered me, I would definitely be interested in taking an official visit.
“Vanderbilt, Cal, Arizona, and SMU are all recruiting me pretty hard.”
With his multitude of offers, Dabney would naturally like to take more unofficial trips so he can narrow down his list of schools ahead of his official visits later his year. The tight end, however, has no firm timetable for this aspect of his recruiting process.
“I do know that I want to commit before the season starts,” Dabney noted. “I haven’t made the decision yet if I will graduate in December or next year. When I choose a school to commit to education will come first. I’m also going to look at the location of the city and a school that can prepare you for life after football. The way the offense uses its tight ends is also something that I will look at.”
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