Coming into an official visit with already high expectations may sometimes not fulfill those prospects. Then again, that was anything but the case with Manvel (Tex.) defensive lineman Mason Fleming who didn’t have to wait until the end of his Tempe official visit to deliver the good news to the Arizona State coaches.

“It was definitely a conversation between me and my family,” Fleming said about whether he expected to commit to ASU during his trip there. “I knew it was gonna be a great visit. And it was so I’m really happy about it. We came up here and loved everything we saw, so I did what I felt was best and committed on my visit. They showed love ever since they started to recruit me. A lot of different (ASU) coaches contacted me once I got that ASU offer. Other schools were showing love, too, but it was just different with them (ASU). It really was a gut feeling that made me commit.

“(Defensive line) Coach Amey was recruiting me, and before that, the linebackers coach, Coach Cooper, was in contact with me. I was talking to him when he was still at Washington State. I met him at a camp when and we kept conversation all the way up until now. He came up to my school, liked my film, and Coach Amey offered me after that. He is someone that isn’t fake, and I can relate to that. My parents and I had great conversations with him.”

As a junior for Manvel (Tex.) High School Fleming recorded 32 tackles, nine sacks, and 12 quarterback hurries. His athleticism and technique were traits that appealed to the Arizona State coaches.

“Coach Amey loves my get off and quickness” Fleming described, “and how I’m utilizing my hands in the right way using. He feels like if I work hard, I’d be an asset to the team playing 3-technique, and I believe I will be too.”

Fellow Texas defensive lineman and current ASU player CJ Fite was Fleming’s host during the visit, and it was just another aspect that enhanced his experience in Tempe that much more.

“CJ showed me around, showed me the city, and I loved it,” Fleming commented. “He’s a very good dude that just got there in January and had a great spring practice. I know it’s going to be great playing alongside him. He told me that this team is a family, and I already saw it during my visit. He told me that this is the type of place you won’t want to leave. He said I would love here, and I know I would too.”

Tulsa and Arkansas State are two schools that heavily recruited Fleming in recent weeks, and one of ASU’s newest additions said that he was aiming for a December graduation track from high school so he can report to ASU in the Spring semester.

Fleming is the first defensive lineman to pledge in this class for the Sun Devils and the fourth player out of the Lone Star State to commit to to the Sun Devils wide receivers Zechariah Sample and Elijah Baesa and defensive back Tony-Louis Nkuba.

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