These days we are seeing an unusual recruiting cycle that has undoubtedly presented unexpected twists and turns for the 2021 prospects, and Tuesday was just another example. When Oak Ridge (Tex.) high school running back Alton McCaskill talked for the first time with ASU, he quickly realized how serious Arizona State is in trying to secure his services.
"They hadn't talked to me until today (Tuesday) when they offered me," McCaskill said. "First time ever they called me and 'Boom' they offered. Coach Shaun Aguano was on FaceTime with me, and he was passing the phone around to head coach Herm Edwards, the offensive coordinator (Zak Hill), the wide receivers coach (Prentice Gill), and some other coaches, so I got to talk to all of them.
"Coach Aguano said that I would fit the offense really well. He feels like I'm a pretty diverse running back who can go ahead and match up with the linebackers in their pro-style offense. He wants to swing me out and use me in their offense in different ways. He likes my quickness and how they can run me on some jet sweep plays."
As a junior, McCaskill posted 845 rushing yards scoring 10 touchdowns on 121 carries good for an average of 6.98 yards per attempt.
"I'm a very, very fast player (reportedly clocked a 4.4 40-time)," McCaskill commented. "I'm a big and long running back who can run hard in the middle but also cut angles. I'm not one-dimensional at all, and I can catch the ball out of the backfield. They (ASU) said they're looking to take only one running back and this recruiting class, so they were taking a look at me."
Academics is one aspect that McCaskill admitted would guide him in his decision, and even though the recruiting process with the Sun Devils has literally just begun, ASU is grabbing his attention early on.
"I want to major in broadcasting, and I know that Arizona State has the top school in the country," McCaskill remarked. "It was funny talking to coach Herm Edwards because he said he never had any experience in broadcasting and he was on ESPN for ten years. But because Arizona state has a great broadcasting school, I'm definitely going to look more into that. That's something I already like about them.
"Coach Edwards was also talking about all the NFL experience they have on their coaching staff he said they have 250 years of experience, so that's impressive to me. It definitely stood out."
The running back's offer sheet is impressive, to say the least, with more than a dozen Power 5 offers from coast to coast. McCaskill stated that some of those schools are standing out more than the others, and he expects to officially visit some of those programs when the recruiting dead period ends.
"Oklahoma State was the first school offered me a while back," McCaskill described, "and I definitely was planning to visit them before the season started. They were one of the schools recruiting me the hardest, so I'm definitely going to visit them when I can. I'm also going to visit other schools that are recruiting me hard like Vanderbilt and USC.
"It's been difficult doing all the recruiting process through a phone. I wish things were different, but I have adjusted to it by now. I can still get a feel for the schools that are contacting me."
McCaskill is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2021 but did indicate that he does plan to sign his Letter of Intent in December of this year.
"I'm definitely going to look for the program that has the best educational program," McCaskill said. "I'm going to go to the school where I can build the best relationships with the coaches. I also want to go to a school that has a good alumni base that can help me after football."
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