Charles Armstrong has always been big. Going into high school, he said he was already a towering 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds. And back then, he played wide receiver, safety, quarterback and every other position that is usually designated for the niftier and agile kids of Pop Warner.

Now, Armstrong is 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 300 pounds. He’s added a menacing frame and combined it with the shiftiness and quick-feet from his elementary school days, making him the perfect prototype on the offensive line.

And less than a week ago, Arizona State noticed. Offensive analyst Kevin Mawae phoned the three-star prospect from just outside of Tampa, Fla. and offered him a scholarship after just one interaction.

“We were talking and getting to know each other and then they gave me the offer,” Armstrong said. “He said they loved what they saw and they loved what I can do … I was like, ‘Dang, this is crazy.’ I didn’t expect it to come so fast.”

It’s tough to get a clear read of Armstrong’s impressions of the Sun Devils given his offer came over the weekend. The Sun Devils join South Carolina, Pitt and Iowa State amongst those vying the hardest for Armstrong’s services, he said.

And what would the victor receive?

“I play with a passion. I love the game of football so when I get on the field, I want to go out there and enjoy what I do and take it seriously,” Armstrong said. “I can move. (Opponents) usually think I can’t move, but I have good footwork and I have explosive hips, so I just drive.”

While he played both guard and tackle in high school, Armstrong said the Sun Devils are looking at him as a tackle, someone to potentially take over after graduate transfers Henry Hattis and Kellen Deisch leave Tempe at the end of the season.

And, in year three of the Herm Edwards’ era in Tempe, the Sun Devils have put a high price on finding height in the trenches. They haven’t hidden their desire to prefer and land linemen who are at least 6-foot-4 to ensure they can match up physically with any team in the country and improve their ability to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage.

Players such as the 6-foot-5 Robinson are exactly what the doctor had ordered for ASU in their recruiting efforts of their front five.

And, as co-defensive coordinator has pointed out in the past, the majority of the country’s tall lineman live on the east coast, those like Armstrong out of Florida. Lucky for the Sun Devils, the teenager doesn’t seem too concerned with staying close to the Atlantic.

“I’m willing to go anywhere,” he admitted.

The COVID-19 pandemic has slightly derailed Armstrong’s recruitment, pushing back numerous official visits he was planning for the spring and summer. Regardless, when the time comes, he’ll choose a program that can knock out some of the major points on his wish list.

“The academics, the football program, and the environment,” Armstrong said of his wish list. “What they have and what have they been doing? And if what they have can benefit me for the future.”

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