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In My Own Words: LV Bunkley-Shelton

WR LV Bunkley-Shelton ASU’s highest rated prospect in its 2020 class
WR LV Bunkley-Shelton ASU’s highest rated prospect in its 2020 class

It certainly wasn’t an easy recruiting process ASU engaged in while trying to land LV Bunkley-Shelton, but being that he is a Top-100 prospect in the 2020 class with a plenty impressive offer sheet, that’s merely par for the course. Nonetheless, the Serra (Calif.) High School standout wide receiver’s mindset is that he will still have to earn every opportunity he will get on the field.

In our conversation, Bunkley-Shelton details what attracted him to ASU, why a change concerning his future position coach did not affect his affinity to the Sun Devils, and what are his expectations as a true freshman in Tempe.

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“The first time I played football, I would say I was around five or six years old. I remember playing quarterback and running back and working out with my dad every day as a kid. I remember practicing, running laps around Gardena High School on Sunday morning. It was like a religious practice. I was a quarterback, running back, and then I was a defensive back until I got to the eighth-grade year I played receiver. And then I just end up falling in love with that position.

“I played all four years at Junipero Serra. I first played varsity in my sophomore year. They only had three varsity returning starters, and I was the up-and-coming sophomore. It wasn’t a hard transition to make that jump to varsity. I’ve always been working out with high school players and college players. It was just getting used to the game speed and the competition; It wasn’t that hard. I probably was overthinking most of it because it was varsity, and I’m young. But It was just going out there and playing ball.

“I knew that in eighth grade, I was good enough to play Division I, where I got my first offer (BYU). It made me think that I need to buckle down and actually take football seriously and take it to whole another level.

Bunkley-Shelton enjoyed a breakout junior season in which he posted 81 catches that broke Robert Woods' school record for most receptions in a single season
Bunkley-Shelton enjoyed a breakout junior season in which he posted 81 catches that broke Robert Woods' school record for most receptions in a single season

“The first ASU coach I talked to was AP (Antonio Pierce). AP got me on the map at ASU. And then I started talking to coach Fish (former ASU wide receiver’s coach Charlie Fisher) mostly every day. I would talk to him as much as I could. I would call him and just talk to him about football and stuff like that. And then once he left, I was like ‘damn…that’s my guy.’ But then coach P (Prentice Gill) comes in, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I have a bond with him, so I have no complaints.’ I’ve been talking with coach P ever since he was at USC before he was a coach at ASU.

“My first conversation ever with AP was my eighth-grade year. He was trying to recruit me at Long Beach Poly. He had offered me before the Poly game I played. I think it was my junior year. When we had that first actual conversation face to face, he told me, ‘I liked what I saw (at the Poly game),’ and he’s going to put in a good word at ASU. The first time I talked to Herm Edwards, I was starstruck. I knew him from ESPN, and I knew all of his NFL accolades. ASU’s is the NFL pathway. They have so many NFL legends. So many great coaches on that team. I don’t know who passes up on ASU.

“I knew (ASU quarterback) Jayden Daniels back in high school, and he was a really good player. But I wanted to see what he can do in college because that can help me become a better player. And then I see how he grew, and he got a lot better (at ASU), and I knew this was going to be the right spot for me. Jayden can extend the play. You need a quarterback that can run. And he can play the big role too.

“When I was first visited ASU, I knew that it was probably going to be a great fit for me. But I had to still explore my other options. AP is my guy, but I still needed a bond with the receivers’ coach because if he doesn’t like me, then what are the chances of me playing? That’s how I think. So, I really needed a bond with the receivers’ coach. So, after coach Fish left, I was kind of stressed about it, like I don’t know if I really want to consider ASU, Coach P came, and then I said, ‘wait, never mind.’ I like that he’s open to new things because I bring a lot of new ideas. Some good, some bad, and he’s open to it. And he tells you ‘okay, I see what you’re doing, but if you add this and that, this will really help out’ or’ just don’t do that ever again.’ I like to try new things, but in practice, not in the game. So, I can ask him, ‘what did you think? How did you feel about this?’ And he gives me his input, and I can improve on that.

“Coach P wants me to come in and take a position. He wants me to be the starter he knows I could be. He said I might be playing in the slot, but I might not. I don’t consider myself a slot guy. I consider myself a receiver, but you can move me anywhere. But the slot is where it’s going to be at this upcoming year. I had a nice little workout with (current ASU senior wide receiver) Frank Darby, and he’s full of energy. No doubt he can be a good leader for the whole wide receiver group

“It’s been a challenge working out during the Coronavirus. I could be out here doing more work. I could be in school. A lot of things that I could be doing but when you called me, I was on my way home from a workout and I have another one at 4:30 (pm). So, I still have trainers who I’m working with, but I’m just being quiet with it. I just get it in whenever I can. And it’s only four people while we’re working out too, so it’s not that bad. And we’re practicing our six feet (of distancing) too. In these workouts, I feel I got quicker and faster when I went against some college players, but I didn’t show them enough to know what I’m doing because some of them are in the Pac-12.

“I want to see how I look when I get on campus because none of this means anything if I can’t do it on campus. I don’t feel pressure to perform in my freshman year. I’ve seen this quote that says ‘Pressure comes from a lack of preparation.’ If you’re properly prepared, then there’s no real pressure, it’s just about execution. I need to be aware of my surroundings and just get after it.

“I’ve been itching to get to campus. I’m not expecting anything because I don’t want to get let down. I just want to get there and start working hard and earn what I deserve.”

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Jesse Morrison contributed to this article.

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