Oftentimes, recruiting processes do come full circle, especially in the age of the transfer portal. And the addition of 6-5 245-pound Purdue sophomore defensive lineman Roman Pitre is one example of that. Even though he did not pledge to Arizona State out of high school, his recruitment experience and the perspective of an old-time friend shaped his decision to join the Sun Devils while on his official visit.

Oftentimes, recruiting processes do come full circle, especially in the age of the transfer portal. And the addition of 6-5 245-pound Purdue sophomore defensive lineman Roman Pitre is one example of that. Even though he did not pledge to Arizona State out of high school, his recruitment experience and the perspective of an old-time friend shaped his decision to join the Sun Devils while on his official visit.

“It is kind of a full circle moment, I’m not gonna lie,” Pitre said. “I was gonna consider them when I entered the portal even if they didn’t recruit me then. But just the fact that I did have a past with them made it different and opened my eyes like this is what it was meant to be in a way.

“My visit this time felt a lot more organized, and the coaches showed me a lot of love. I was with Coach Dillingham a lot throughout the visit, and he, along with all the other coaches, interacted with me a lot. Another different thing was that on this visit was that it did really feel like a family, and it didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with the team.”

Pitre prepped at Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab High School, where former ASU defensive back Jordan Clark played, too. Since the two know each other well, there was another aspect that helped in Pitre’s pledge decision.

“Jordans is my big brother,” Pitre stated. “When I told him I was going to visit Arizona State and told him before anyone else that I was committing, he was giving Coach Dillingham and the staff praise. That’s what really helped me with making my decision.”

While he didn’t play in his two years with the Boilermakers, his frame, as well as the 82-inch wingspan, were very appealing to ASU, who see Pitre as a natural replacement to BJ Green, who transferred after the 2023 season to Washington. Pitre comes into a position room that has returning junior starters Clayton Smith and Prince Dorbah, with upperclassmen such as senior Elijah O’Neal and junior Gharin Stansbury, who saw significant time last year. Houston and Mississippi State were some of his more notable offers since he entered the portal.

“Coach (Brian) Ward and Coach Dillingham said that they really liked my length,” Pitre commented. “In their EDGE room, they really don’t have guys who are 6-5 and who are like twitched up like me. That’s what they really liked about my skill set. I know this scheme is a good fit because in high school and at Purdue, I was dropping into coverage. In high school, I was a safety (and in Purdue, he was an outside linebacker), so I never had a problem with that.

“But now that I’m bigger and longer and growing into my body, I feel as if I’m trying to go to the NFL that pass rushing and getting to the quarterback is a lot more important. In their (ASU) defense, they like just to let guys go in and rush, and I’d really like that.”

The fact that he didn’t have a chance to display his skills or play in a scheme that would complement his skills has naturally added extra motivation for Pitre upon his spring arrival at Arizona State.

“I have a huge chip on my shoulder,” Pitre admitted. “I feel like I have something to prove, and that’s the mentality I’m coming in with. I don’t know if there’s a lesson I learned from my time at Purdue, but what I did enjoy there is that I got way better than what I was coming in. That’s why I think the Arizona State staff saw me as such a good pickup.

“When I was on the visit talking football, I would know the terminology, and that’s what the coaches like. They would ask questions, I would rattle off the answer, and they’d be impressed. It’s not like high school when coaches ask you those questions, and you tell them, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ This time, I’m talking football, and my parents are there, and they’re the ones who don’t know what I’m talking about.”

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