The 2018 recruiting class cycle was certainly a unique experience for Arizona State. With all the new parameters and challenges the programs had to face, the Sun Devils’ class placed 36th nationally. We sat down with ASU’s recruiting coordinator, Donnie Yantis, to discuss the team’s recruiting philosophy in this last class and going forward, as well as his new role of tight ends coach.

Devils Digest: All FBS schools had to deal with the first ever early signing period, but not all programs were doing so during a head coaching transition. What was your take on a peculiar recruiting process? Ultimately, did you feel it went as well as you expected it to?

Yantis: “With two signing days, that was unique and more of an experience, no one knew what it really was going to do to your class. It has changed the landscape of recruiting. It actually benefitted us with the transition, because we had all of our guys committed that we signed 10 of the 11 (that were verbally committed) and that allowed us to reevaluate where we are at with the guys on our board. We now had a new staff with some ties in, especially in California that allowed us to go in on some guys that we weren’t really on at that point. Because of their relationships with some of those players, we were able to move forward and get those guys to come on visits on campus. I think that was critical.

“Then, getting coach Edwards in those schools’ ear obviously locally and also in California was a benefit to that recruiting class but I think those home visits that we went to, our staff and coach Edwards, sold families on what he can do for their son.”

Devils Digest: There wasn’t a shortage of national media mocking Herm Edwards’ understanding of the recruiting process, and he obviously silenced the critics in an impressive fashion. Nonetheless, were you surprised by what Edwards was able to accomplish in his first recruiting class in Tempe?

Yantis: “A football coach is a football coach. Whether it was nine years ago he was on the football field, you look at the head coach of the Raiders now (Jon Gruden) he was out for nine years too and they (the media) were applauding the whole deal. You don’t forget football, it’s like riding a bike. Obviously there are changes within the profession, in terms of types of offenses and all – there are zone reads and all that stuff – things change, but that’s why you hire coaches that can support you and I think coach Edwards would be the first to say you want to surround yourself with great men that can help you become the best program and the best head coach and then he can guide us from his experiences as a head coach that is going to help us becoming a great program. I think that he’s done an outstanding job, so, no not surprised.

“Our staff was excited to come work and I think we’ve accomplished a lot in a little amount of time. Obviously, we’re not satisfied. We think we have a lot to do on the field but even from a recruiting standpoint, revamping the recruiting system, the model that we are using currently that is in the works as we speak.”

Devils Digest: What have you learned about Herm Edwards the person that media and fans wouldn’t necessarily know?

Yantis: “He is who he says he is in terms of how he is as a person. He is a great man of integrity and character. We got to spend a lot of time talking about his past and how he grew up and his family and his career, his belief system, his philosophy, all those things.

“Bouncing up and down in those airplanes, throughout the state of California and Texas and even Arizona, it’s one of those things where I got to know him which is good. You hear about him, you saw him on TV and all those things, but he’s truly a good man; cares about people. I think that’s the most important thing. One thing I really like about him is that he wants to know everything that is going on in this program. His hands touched everything. I think that’s important as a head coach that they do that and he is one of those guys who is fully involved. He’s not a guy who closes his door or anything like that. His door is always open and anything we have we run by him. It’s been good.”

Devils Digest: But he’s not a micro-manager…

Yantis: “No. It’s about trust. He just said it in our meeting about trust. You lay the foundation and the groundwork for what he wants to be done in this program and then he trusts that our staff will go out and do what he asked us to do. He also recognizes the experience of many coaches on the staff.”

Devils Digest: How big of an advantage do you get on the recruiting trail having coaches with NFL experience such as Edwards, John Simon, and Antonio Pierce among others?

Yantis: “I think when you are recruiting a player and you have that on your resume that you were an NFL player or an NFL coach, those players (recruits), that’s their goal. Big time players, their goal is to play in the NFL. Coach Edwards is the first to say its slim odds to make it to the NFL but if there is someone who can help them do it, he’s been there for 30 years and done it. I think that experience he’s had with those players and let those parents know that they are going to get an education, they are going to get a degree, and then they are also going to be prepared if they have the ability to play at that level, they’ll be prepared to do so.”

Devils Digest: The struggles of previous years recruiting California are well documented, but this year it was a clear strength. What allowed you to recruit that state so well in this 2018 class?

Yantis: “It’s a combination. The relationships that those guys (our new coaching staff) have in that area, being from that area are critical. I also think, most of our staff that is in California has a concentrated group of schools that they are working with, they are going to recruit and we are able to touch more people. I think that’s the critical part, is developing relationships and trust within those high school coaches to support us and what we are trying to do in recruiting in California.”

Devils Digest: How do you adjust your recruiting strategy based on the members of your staff?

Yantis: “Definitely it was strategic on where every single coach was placed, especially in the state of California. (Also) obviously Nevada and Arizona with me here, I have a pretty good relationship with everybody. We are recruiting the states that surround us, but as coach has said we do have some good players from Texas and we will spot recruit it. We do have some coaches with some ties there so we will recruit them. We will still continue to recruit the junior colleges, the Texas and the Kansas junior colleges and even Arizona depending on what they do on their deal (with junior colleges). We will still recruit the junior colleges ranks as well to try and fill needs.”

Devils Digest: What other recruiting areas will each coach have?

Yantis: “We have all of our coaches in California. We have them all the way from the south of San Diego all the way up to the tip of California. We have all of our coaches spread out in that area. Coach Likens is responsible for Nevada and I’m responsible for Arizona, but all of our positional guys will still recruit their guys from those states. Junior college-wise, I’ll do Texas; coach Fischer will do Kansas and then we will split up the JCs in California if they are in their areas. So that’s how we are doing it. It’s evolving, we are putting this puzzle together and the coaches have been outstanding. Every single one of them in their areas and their support and what they are doing, there’s been no gripe or complaining about anything that we’ve done. They’ve done a really great job of buying into coach Herm’s philosophy and what we are doing in recruiting and obviously on the field.”

Devils Digest: Is John Simon still recruiting in Louisiana?

Yantis: “That’s obviously where he is from, so that’s what we call our secondary-recruiting area. So just like Texas is a secondary-recruiting area, we do that with Colorado and a number of secondary areas. Then we will nationally recruit certain positions that are hard-to-fill positions that you recruit nationally, so our coaches will do that as well.”

Devils Digest: When you look at the in-state recruiting, do you see the 2019 class as one of the most talented groups in recent memory?

Yantis: “Yeah, I think the 2019 and the 2020 classes in this state have a number of players that can be great ones. I think we are doing a really good job of developing relationships with those kids and getting them on our campus, I think that is important, showing them what ASU is about and getting them to junior days, getting them to come visit our practices and stuff, coach Edwards is pretty open about that. Definitely, for both states, there are some great players – in California too – we have a good base, foundation of players we are looking at and that will continue to grow as we continue to evaluate.”

Devils Digest: Are Herm Edwards and the other assistants going to employ extra focus on the in-state prospects this class?

Yantis: “I think we did that on that first day out. We had coaches at 49 schools on that first day that we could go out (to recruit). But no doubt. We are in this state, ASU sits in a city (metropolitan) of 4 million people so there are some great players that come from here and that’s definitely a priority along with California and Nevada.”

Devils Digest: It seems much longer than just five years ago when ASU last had a significant contributor at tight end in Chris Coyle. As the new tight ends coach, do you feel your group can produce a player of that caliber?

Yantis: “I think we have a good group of tight ends that are going to surprise some people. You look at how they evolve and they are young, but the offense that they were in last year didn’t really allow them to be part of the passing game, per say. I think what we are doing and what coach Likens is doing is involving them. I told those tight ends, ‘We have to go out and prove it and you have to have great relationships with our quarterbacks so that they can trust you.’

“So, my goal is to fundamentally get them right with their alignments, and obviously their assignments so they’re confident in what they are doing. I think that’s important when we get out on the practice field together is to be able to coach these guys and teach them from the film room to the practice field, getting them to understand what they are doing so they don’t have to think.

“We’ve taken our offense and (offensive coordinator) coach Likens has done a really good job with our staff and has narrowed more of a fine focus on what we are going to do offensively which is to include those tight ends in our run game and our pass game as well. It’s my job as a coach to help those kids reach their potential. Every single day that we get an opportunity to meet and get a chance to go on the field and coach them, that’s what I’m going to do is teach them and demand them to give us their best every day. When they walk on the field, I told them they will not be confused, they will understand exactly what they are doing and from every aspect of what we are going to see defensively, from every concept we are going to do offensively is for them to understand. When they can do things without thinking, it allows them to play freely, allows them to play with confidence and I think that will show once we get these kids going.”

Devils Digest: Is it hard to recruit tight ends given that ASU hasn’t had many dominant players at that position in recent years?

Yantis: “I think being in a new system with a new staff, we can show them what the vision is going forward. We can show them the number of tight ends who have played here in the past, this has been a good tight end university, and what we want to do offensively through film clips of what coach Likens brought over from his other schools that show the tight ends catching the ball, shows them doing all the different things we are going to ask them to do. I think that’s going to help us.

“Then we have to get on the field and do it and show the 2019 kids this is what we are going to be offensively. If we just say it and we don’t do it, it won’t mean anything. So I think what we are doing offensively is going to showcase to these kids, they are big bodied guys that should be able to catch the ball with guys draped over them. We should be able to catch balls with guys all over you. I use (Rob) Gronkowski as an example. That guy has defenders hanging on him each play. It’s about how you position your body to be able to make those plays. I don’t think it will be difficult at all once they see what we are doing.”

Devils Digest: Does it help to have (offensive line coach) Dave Christensen on staff last year to keep a similar offensive line blocking scheme?

Yantis: “I think coach Christensen was an awesome hire with his wealth of knowledge and experience. It helps me out as a tight end coach but also our entire offensive staff and our players. What we do with the tight end and how it ties in with the offensive line, it’s been a blessing to have him on the staff. We are developing that run game and I’m part of that with him and it’s been good, with him and (running backs) coach Simon.”

Devils Digest: How is your role changing this year balancing recruiting duties with tight end coaching?

Yantis: “I know that I’m coaching tight ends, but I’m in charge of recruiting in Arizona and anything that happens off-campus will be me, I’d be in charge of that. Where our coaches are going to visit, when it’s evaluation period and contact period, I’ll still be in charge of recruiting – I’ll have my hands in the evaluation process like all of our coaches will, which is important and as this new model is evolving, that’s how I see it working. When we are in our season, I’ll be one of those guys that gets out and goes to some games in different areas. I’ll leave before the team and see some games and players and schools and then meet the team where we are going to play at.”

Devils Digest: In the New Leadership Model being implemented, how important is the collaboration between the support staff and the coaching staff when evaluating recruits?

Yantis: “Coach Edwards makes the final decision on anybody. But as a staff, we watch, we evaluate as a staff. We have an evaluation department that sorts through all the prospects and weeds out the guys they don’t think can play here. We evaluate the all the rest of the guys they bring to the table. So, in the last month, the staff has evaluated over 300 guys. It’s an ongoing Monday through Friday process, every single day. Recruiting is a priority. Our roster is a priority for our staff. Our goal was to improve the roster every single year. That’s our goal and to be able to do that, it takes everybody to be all in and they are.”

Devils Digest: Some of the assistant coaches said the New Leadership Model allows them to focus more on the ‘meat and potatoes’ of their coaching responsibilities. Is that what it is designed to do?

Yantis: “Our assistant coaches are such an integral part of what we are doing recruiting-wise and evaluation. Right now we are focused on getting to spring ball. Those coaches are really involved in that so they’re evaluating but they are also recruiting too. They have to be very organized and they are. Being able to prioritize their day with our meetings they have: your player meetings, your staff meetings, your install meetings, your evaluation meetings and then setting aside time to recruit.

“So, it’s being very structured and organized and I think our staff has done a really good job of that and will continue to. You have this big base of 2019 guys and you are narrowing it down. Then you have the new period where they can visit. Which players are we going to have visit during that period? Are we going to wait until the season or after the season? There are so many factors, that are still evolving. When it’s done and created and we are still tweaking things as we move forward, it’s one of those things where our coaches have been great in adapting to it.”

Devils Digest: As a reminder to the fans out there, what is the date range for the new early official visit period?

Yantis: “Basically it’s April to mid-June. You only still get your limited number of visits that count for a calendar year. We have got to make decisions here in the next week of how exactly we are going to strategically plan that. Typically quarterbacks commit earlier so you want to make sure you put your best foot forward with your guys. There are certain kids it will happen earlier for than others. Again, it’s new territory so we are trying to figure it out.”

Devils Digest: There are always changes with in-season visits, compare to off-season ones…

Yantis: “That’s the hardest one, in-season visits. It’s good for the game atmosphere – it was really good last year, we had some big wins at home – but they don’t get as much time with the coaches, they don’t get as much time with the head coach because those guys are at the hotel with their team preparing. So they get a little bit of time on Sunday, they get a little bit of time on Saturday when the coaches show up. It’s just a double-edged sword.

“You got the game atmosphere and you can’t beat that but it’s also, what are you really coming on your visit for? Are you coming because you want to learn the university, the academics, you want to meet and spend time with your position coach? Who are you going to be really spending all your time with when you are here? Spending time with the coordinator, the head coach, those are limited in the season. So sometimes it is best to bring them in after the season is over and get some quality time.”

Devils Digest: Coming in for a visit during the season is naturally good for the California guys to make the short trip over…

Yantis: “Unofficially it is good (to come in-season). That is what we really try to do is get them to come over here on a Saturday and our recruiting staff and grad assistants are able to help with that. That’s been a good thing when those kids come over from California. I think we will have a bunch of those who will come over on unofficial visits (in-season) which is great.”

Devils Digest: And there is also a new rule where you can have an expanded on-campus recruiting staff…

Yantis: “Only certain staff members are able to host and communicate with recruits once they’re on campus. You have a certain group of people on our staff that are able to do that. But we have expanded our evaluation staff. Our social media, graphics, those kinds of things are expanding as we speak. It’s really just evolving, in terms of how many people we’re going to have.

“We have a number of great student-assistants that assist us in recruiting. There is a new rule that non-coaching members can evaluate now. That’s big from our standpoint; now the coaches don’t have to sit there and do all the film of every single kid. The evaluation staff can do that for them and then bring the main guys to the table. That’s been big.”

Devils Digest: Can you tell me about your new recruiting staff member Al Luginbill who has been in the recruiting business for decades upon decades…

Yantis: “Wealth of knowledge. He is heading up our evaluation program as we speak. He’s been a consultant for coach and has done a really great job of giving us great ideas and techniques and all that kind of stuff. Being a Devil’s advocate, (when we ask) ‘We like this guy. What do you think about this?’ With his experience in evaluation, it’s been big for us.”

Devils Digest: I’m getting a sense that these days when ASU offers somebody you are truly serious about that player. If that prospect wants to come on board, he can and there are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts…’

Yantis: “Yeah. Especially in this state where I have a number of friends (asking), ‘Why haven’t you offered this guy or this guy?’ To explain, in this state we are not going to offer someone we are not going to take. That’s important to note.

“We’re in our own backyard and coach Edwards is about his word. When you offer someone based off their film, you really need to meet them, get them on campus and they need to be the right fit for you as a person and a student and an athlete, and vice versa for the staff. The staff has the fit the kid on offense or defense and all that kind of stuff. It’s really important that we get those kids on campus and get to see the whites of their eyes and see what they are all about. You only get to sign 25 of them. You start off with (evaluating) 1800 kids and get down to signing 25 kids, you can’t miss. You miss on a couple kids in key positions it could hurt your football program for years.”

Devils Digest: Are there new recruiting selling points under Herm Edwards beside just the NFL aspect we discussed?

Yantis: “I think with this class, it was this (Student-Athlete Facility) building. That’s important. I also think one of the main draws to Arizona State is the academic success we are having, not only in football but the entire athletic program. I think our championship-life program sets us apart from many schools in our same conference. I think that draws us. I think the new stadium, I think the new building, obviously the new staff…I think when you are recruiting into this new offense and defense that is big.

“I think our Barrett Honors College is great. I think that the successes the other programs have had, like taking kids to watch our basketball team play and that electric atmosphere, that was big for our guys to go see. There’s a number of things. Tempe, Arizona is a great place to live. A lot of kids who came here this past weekend (for junior day) had never been to Arizona and they were shocked. (They said) ‘We thought it was going to be desert.’ That’s the really good thing that we get, is ‘we thought it was all desert,’ and I say, ‘No, there’s a lot of palm trees and a lot of grass and some great places here. A lot of things to do in this city.’ Obviously, we are one of the largest universities in the country so there are a lot of people that feel the same.”

Devils Digest: How big do you anticipate the 2019 class is going to be?

Yantis: “Our roster is evolving, but I think we are going to be right around 25 kids like we were, though we blue-shirted some kids, last year. I’ll think we’ll be right at 25. There might be a kid you don’t account for, that could happen in terms of guys in the future you find, those things happen. But, I think it’s going to be a great class.”

Note: Jack Harris contributed to this article

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