The Dublin, Ga. linebacker may have visited Tempe all the way back in June of last year, but the Sun Devils have consistently been one of his favorites. This past weekend ASU linebackers coach Antonio Pierce, and defensive line coach Shaun Nua visited Linton, who shared with Devils Digest his thoughts on Arizona State and his recruiting process in general with just a few weeks prior to National Letter of Intent day.

“Things are going real good with Arizona State,” Linton said. “I really like the coaching staff because they care about you as a person, not just a football player. My parents like them a lot too. When they (ASU coaches) came here we just talked about where they stand with me and where I stand with them. They are in my Top-3, definitely. They’ve always been in my Top-3. The (ASU) coaches told me that if I come to ASU and work hard, I’ll most definitely be rotating (in the two-deep) and playing right away.

“I’m going to start out at (outside) linebacker, but once I gain weight, I want to play defensive end. They like me as an athletic guy with length and strength who can get to the quarterback. I try to model my game after Leonard Floyd from the Chicago Bears.”

In a previous interview, Linton expanded on what has attracted ASU in regard to his skill set.

“They really like my get off,” Linton described. “They like my athletic ability. My strength is my quickness, and the coaches told me that if I came there, I would have to drop back in coverage sometimes, but also blitz the quarterback. I feel that with my speed I can beat anybody. I still need to work on using my hands better.”

Linton indicated that ASU head coach Herm Edwards is scheduled to visit him in a couple of weeks. Syracuse and South Florida, the other two schools that Linton had officially visited so far, round out his list of favorites, for now at least.

“That list may change in the next couple of weeks,” Linton commented. “Baylor offered me and I’m visiting them this week. Missouri and UCLA have been calling me.”

Linton added that he has a visit to Western Kentucky scheduled for January 25th, but he was currently unsure if he would take that visit considering the late interest he has been receiving from other schools and having just one more official visit left following this weekend.

“I’m taking my time because I want to make sure I’m choosing the right school,” Linton explained. I’m probably only going to decide on signing day. I want to go to a school where I trust the coaches and can get (early) playing time."