Lonyatta (Junior) Alexander Jr. wasn’t just committing during a pandemic. He was making his college decision during a period of social change, the most significant decision of his life coinciding as the country acknowledged injustices against Black people.
His father, Lonyatta Alexander Sr., had told him stories of growing up in South Central Los Angeles about the racial fear and violence that seemed to happen as frequently at planes landing at LAX.
“Seeing it now, today in this world, it’s scary honestly,” Alexander said. “My dad keeps us close at home. Keeps us safe.”
Alexander Sr. transferred to Green River Community College after a short stint playing basketball at The University of Washington, finishing out his collegiate career at Saint Martin’s University in Washington.
He had always told his son that his “golden ticket” was finding a program with a Black coaching staff, explaining what he thought were the benefits of being around those with the best intentions for other African Americans. And so, as Alexander made his own college decision, he thought about his father’s wisdom.
He committed to Arizona State on Friday because he wanted to experience something different from Washington, because of the relationships he already formed with those at the school, but also because the Sun Devils’ African American leadership. They have a Black Athletic Director – Ray Anderson – Black administrators -- namely Jean Boyd -- and seven of their 11 coaches -- including head coach Herm Edwards -- are Black.
“It’s a bonus to have an African American coaching staff. At this time today, there’s a lot of racial stuff going on, and I feel like I would be more comfortable at ASU because of the coaching staff and players they have,” Alexander said. “I put a lot of stock into that … I definitely want to be a part of that.”
Alexander became ASU’s 11th 2021 commit and its first wide receiver pledge (Tommi Hill is listed as a receiver but is expected to play cornerback).
“He’s unbelievable. He probably has some of the best ball skills of any wide receiver in the country,” Sheldon Cross, Alexander’s coach at Kennedy Catholic High, said. “He can track it, contort, jump and make catches in traffic.”
During his sophomore season, Alexander set a school record with 71 receptions. Last year, in 10 games, he hauled in 71 passes for 1,320 yards and 24 touchdowns. But Cross can’t stop thinking about one catch in particular.
It was Alexander’s second high school game. Kennedy Catholic and Juanita were playing a locally televised contest, and the contest was tied with seven seconds remaining. Cross called a deep post, which was basically a Hail Mary play intended for Alexander. As the ball spiraled down, Alexander jumped up in the end zone with a defender on his back. He tipped the pass to himself and snatched it as it came down the second time for a walk-off win.
“That was his freshman year, and he’s been making those catches ever since,” Cross said.
“Alexander is one of the most complete wide receivers in this 2021 class,” Recruiting Analyst Cody Cameron said. “His 6’3 frame and long wing-span allow him to be a match-up disaster for cornerbacks, especially on the outside on 50/50 balls. He does a great job of tracking the football and snagging passes at their highest point. The first play of his film shows off his tremendous hands as he reaches out with his out-stretched arms to make an incredible basket catch for a long touchdown.
“His routes are crisp and quick too. Alexander is phenomenal at getting defensive backs to lean inside to protect a post-pattern, exploding out of a cut on his inside foot to fade away and create separation from the defensive back. This is evident on the plays at the:34 second mark and again on the play at the 1:30 mark. Alexander is consistently showcasing his break-away speed on tape too. His dual-threat ability to be both an intermediate pass-catcher and a deep-threat wide receiver makes him the perfect fit for this Arizona State offense. Even with a deep and talented wide receiver group in 2021, he has the skill-set to make an immediate impact the moment he steps onto campus in Tempe.”
Though Alexander is the lone wide receiver currently in the Sun Devils’ ’21 class, upon his arrival to Tempe he’ll join a receiver corps that recently added a quartet of four-star receivers – Chad Johnson Jr., Johnny Wilson, L.V. Bunkley-Shelton, and Elijhah Badger – in last year’s class.
Questioned on his mindset with competition on the horizon, Alexander chuckled.
“Oh my gosh, those are all my guys,” he said, noting that he met them through seven-on-seven tournaments. “The main guy I was talking to was Chad Johnson Jr. -- we’re pretty cool. He was just telling me what it’s like out there … He gave me a Facetime tour of the dorms they’re in.”
“I tell coaches all the time, ‘You don’t have to worry about me competing. Wherever I would have gone, I would have been competing.”
And, if nothing else, Arizona State’s coaching staff always preaches competition, often pointing to the more than a dozen freshman that have started during Edwards’ two-year tenure.
Through the recruiting process, ASU’s coaches were honest about that aspect and much more. It’s why Alexander felt comfortable enough to commit to a school he’s never visited.
“The coaches are very cool and laid back. Their recruiting style is a lot different than a lot of schools. They don’t just blow your phone up 24/7 or ask you what you’re up to every five seconds,” Alexander said, before speaking about his primary recruiter, wide receivers coach Prentice Gill.
“We have a very genuine and great relationship together. He doesn’t always talk about football. The ASU coaches, when it comes to football, it’s not always about football. They want to get to know me on a different level.”
On top of their connection, Alexander admitted, the Sun Devils have the ‘Pro Model’ in their program with figures like Edwards and co-defensive coordinators Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis who have heavy NFL ties.
Alexander called it “another bonus” to take wisdom from NFL voices. And he is already no stranger to that.
After meeting him at a local training facility, Ford Sports Performance, Alexander has been getting mentored by Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalfe. They’ve trained together, consistently communicated and Metcalfe even invited Alexander to an NFL-heavy training session, where the high-schooler faced off against San Francisco 49ers’ corner Richard Sherman.
“We were both going back and forth, but he came out on top at the end of the day,” Alexander said, via text, of his battles against Sherman.
Added Cross: “I can’t even imagine a kid in high school lining up with this Hall of Fame corner and even thinking that he could run a route, let alone catch a ball. That says a lot about Junior.
“I think one of the things these guys aspire to do is play in the NFL. One thing coach Edwards can speak with a lot of validity is what it’s like to play in the NFL, and I think that’s appealing to kids. That really appealed to Junior.”
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