The good news for Sun Devils on the recruiting front began early on this 4th, as this morning on a live broadcast on San Diego's KUSI channel, Madiosn High School linebacker prospect, and Top-100 California prospect Martell Hughes announced his pledge to ASU.

“I like the vision for what they are rebuilding at ASU,” Hughes told Devils Digest prior to his commitment, “the relationships the head coach and coaching staff have with the players, the closeness of the campus to family, and the honors/business program they offer would be a great fit for me.”

Hughes built a strong relationship with ASU’s linebackers coach AJ Cooper, who explained why even though he played safety for his high school team, he would benefit from being a linebacker at the next level.

“Coach Cooper talked about how the game is changing now,” Hughes described in a previous interview, “so linebackers are now covering receivers more. He said that my length and the way I play and can develop is going to help out their defense. He could see me being able to play early and showed me that he really wanted me there.

“He (Cooper) is a very honest person. What you see is what you’re going to get. He’s very easy to talk to, and he will make jokes. But once it comes to being serious, he will flip that switch, talk about being disciplined and coach you the hard way. Playing for him, you’ll always have to work hard and be disciplined. Coach Cooper is a great coach, and he knows what he’s doing with the linebackers. I was impressed meeting the new coaching staff and the players.

“I got to meet some of older linebackers too (on his official visit), and they talked to me about the new coaching staff that came in, their differences (from the previous staff), and how that’s going to really change the team around. My host was (ASU linebacker) Will Shaffer, and he told me how likes it there. I asked him if he had to do the whole recruiting process over again, would he still choose Arizona State, and he said ‘yes,’ and said that the new coaching staff has made it even better for him because it feels more like family.”

As a junior, Hughes posted 39 tackles, six passes defended, and an interception in seven games; in the previous year, he played in ten games, tallying 71 tackles, five passes defended, and three interceptions.

Hughes previously visited Arizona, Cal, and Washington State, the three schools along with Arizona State that he was considering committing to.

“I’m definitely going look at how a college has created a bond with me,” Hughes said previously in regards to what he was looking for in the school of his choice, “and being able to understand the way that the coaches coach and their staff interacts with the players. You don’t want to go to a school that doesn’t have great interaction between the coaches and the players. You want your school to be family orientated school. That’s what I’m looking for.”

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