Ahh, the ones that got away.
Hell hath no fury like the fiery burn of a recruit that opts to sign with another school – especially at the eleventh-hour of a recruiting cycle.
It has become generally inevitable for a major college football program to suffer not just one but a few changes of heart among the members of its recruiting class year over year and Arizona State has been no exception.
In some cases, the Sun Devil coaches adjust their priority of a prospect due to merit or academics and in some cases, the recruit simply makes a different decision – and therefore draws the lifelong ire and scowls of ASU supporters for having chosen a school not located in Tempe.
In this lesson of Sun Devil Science, we study what has become of the recent recruits who once held a verbal commitment to ASU but did not sign with the Sun Devils from the 2013-16 classes.
Class of 2013
ATH Tre’vell Dixon
Position Rank: 26
Hometown: Baldwin, La.
Commit Date: Feb. 5, 2013
De-Commit Date: Feb. 6, 2013 (National Signing Day)
Dixon went back-and-forth to say the least as he committed to Nebraska in January of 2012, backed off that pledge in July, reportedly committed again to Nebraska in late January of 2013, only to switch to ASU the day before Signing Day but ultimately circled back to sign with the Cornhuskers. All the indecisiveness was for naught, however, as Dixon reportedly went the JUCO route and no information is found online about his college football career.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Since he did not qualify for Nebraska and evidently never made his way to the FBS level, there’s no reason that would have changed had he inked with ASU instead of the Cornhuskers.
Pro-Style QB Joshua Dobbs
Position Rank: 20
Hometown: Alpharetta, Ga.
Commit Date: June 13, 2012
De-Commit Date: Feb. 6, 2013 (National Signing Day)
One of the most notorious Arizona State de-commits of the ‘Internet Era’, Dobbs left ASU at the proverbial altar on Signing Day as his near eight-month commitment to the Sun Devils was rescinded in favor of Tennessee.
Dobbs started parts of his true freshman and sophomore seasons before taking over full-time his third year and finished his career as Tennessee’s all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback (2,160) and ranks fifth all-time in career passing yards (7,138). He also has the fifth-most career wins by a Tennessee quarterback (23), is one of only four quarterbacks in SEC history to have 50 career passing touchdowns and 25 career rushing touchdowns (joining Johnny Manziel, Dak Prescott and Tim Tebow) and one of only three SEC quarterbacks to record 15 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in multiple seasons (joining Prescott and Tebow).
If He Had Signed with ASU: Dobbs likely would have redshirted in 2013, sat behind Taylor Kelly and Mike Bercovici in 2014 and competed to start in 2015 and ’16. Given his versatility, he may have been able to beat out Bercovici for the starting nod in 2015, but at worst would have been the odds-on favorite to start in both 2016 and ‘17 (assuming he redshirts at ASU in 2013 whereas he saw action as a true freshman for Tennessee). As much as the de-commitment has stung Sun Devil fans, Dobbs clearly made the correct decision as it is unlikely he would have started 35 games at ASU as he did with Tennessee. One can’t help but wonder, however, how the Sun Devil offense – and the team as a whole – would have performed the past two seasons (and especially in 2016) with Dobbs at the helm.
S Tre Flowers
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Converse, Texas
Commit Date: Oct. 7, 2012
De-Commit Date: Nov. 26, 2012
Flowers spent just a short bit of time as a verbal commit to ASU’s first full recruiting class under Todd Graham before the Converse, Texas native opted to switch his pledge to Oklahoma State. Flowers redshirted in 2013 and has started at safety for the vast majority of his 38 career appearances, notching 47 tackles as a redshirt freshman, 83 as a sophomore and 61 as a junior. Flowers also was a Second-Team All-Big XII pick in 2016.
If He Had Signed with ASU: If Flowers had signed with ASU, who’s to say if Jordan Simone would have had the opportunity he did with the Sun Devils? Flowers could have conceivably been a solid running mate with Damarious Randall as a redshirt freshman in 2014 and could have added stability to the safety position the past two years and as a senior for 2017.
Strongside DE Dimarya Mixon
Position Rank: 16
Hometown: Mesquite, Texas
Commit Date: May 10, 2012
De-Commit Date: Nov. 4, 2012
A rollercoaster, to say the least, Mixon committed to ASU prior to his senior season, then de-committed in favor of Missouri but then ultimately switched again to Nebraska, but faced academic eligibility issues. Instead of going the junior college route, he sat out the season to clear up his academics and ultimately signed with Tennessee for the 2014 class. Mixon has appeared in 37 games with zero starts from 2014-16, totaling 19 tackles across the three seasons.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Though his contributions have been statistically limited, Mixon could have been a serviceable reserve for a Sun Devil line that over recent years has had limited viable depth.
TE Jason Reese
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Euless, Texas
Commit Date: July 23, 2012
De-Commit Date: Dec. 12, 2012
One of the several players pursued by Todd Graham’s staff from Graham’s home state of Texas, Reese spent about five months as an Arizona State commit before flipping to Missouri.
After redshirting in 2013, through three seasons Reese has appeared in 36 games with 24 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Though he was an intriguingly tall pass-catching option as a recruit, based on the mild productivity it is difficult to believe he would have taken on a greater role in the Sun Devil offense.
OG Josh Tremblay
National JUCO Rank: 28
Community College: American River
Commit Date: Dec. 18, 2012
De-Commit Date: Jan. 16, 2013
Likely a forgotten name, Tremblay was a junior college teammate and potential signing classmate of Nick Kelly at American River Community College. However, the two sides parted ways prior to his enrollment at ASU and Tremblay ended at Fresno State. He appeared in three games for Fresno State in 2013 and six games with one start as a senior in 2014.
If He Had Signed with ASU: With just one start and nine total appearances over two seasons at Fresno State, he may not have even cracked the two-deep for the ASU teams that combined for 20 wins in 2013-14.
Class of 2014
OG Alex Anderson
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: New Orleans, La.
Commit Date: July 28, 2013
De-Commit Date: Jan. 19, 2014
A sought after lineman from SEC country, an assistant coaching addition by Texas allowed the Longhorns to gain the advantage over ASU and Anderson switched his near six-month commitment not long before National Signing Day.
Anderson redshirted in 2014 and did not see game action in 2015, but appeared in six games as a redshirt sophomore in 2016 with one start.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Anderson likely would have followed a similar trail at ASU as he did at Texas his first two seasons with guards Christian Westerman and Vi Teofilo in place as highly capable veteran starters. However, it is plausible that he could have been a viable starting option at guard in 2016 – if not to begin the year, definitely as injuries mounted throughout the season.
DT Kammy Delp
Position Rank: 29
Hometown: Pomona, Calif.
Commit Date: Jan. 5, 2014
De-Commit Date: Jan. 19, 2014
A potential marquee addition to ASU’s 2014 class, Delp verbally committed to the Sun Devils at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl but only lasted two weeks before changing his decision.
Delp arrived at Oregon State as an offensive lineman and redshirted in 2014 and appeared in 11 games with two starts in 2015 but did not start any games as a reserve guard for the Beavers in 2016.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Though he has been a depth player thus far for Oregon State, similar to Anderson he likely would have had a few opportunities to earn game action for ASU’s beleaguered line in 2016.
ATH Michael Farmer
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Edmond, Okla.
Commit Date: Oct. 28, 2012
De-Commit Date: July 3, 2013
A strange story in recent ASU recruiting, Farmer was a rare early verbal commit as he gave his pledge to ASU midway through his junior season. That commitment ended the next summer and he was not a part of ASU’s signing class – or that of any FBS program.
Not much came of Farmer, as he did not sign with an FBS program in 2014 and appeared at the junior college level as a freshman in 2015 on Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College’s online roster but was not listed with the team for 2016.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Since Farmer has basically fallen off the football map, it stands to reason that he never would have even made it to Tempe.
Strongside DE Korey Rush
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Commit Date: May 2, 2013
De-Commit Date: Jan. 22, 2014
An option at defensive end or Devilbacker, Rush was an “under the radar” type of target and ASU cooled its pursuit of Rush as the cycle wore on. Rush ultimately signed with Nevada and remains with the Wolfpack program.
After redshirting in 2014, Rush appeared in 12 games with two starts in 2015 and 12 games with six starts as a sophomore in 2016. Rush totaled 13 tackles with one sack as a redshirt freshman and 23 tackles with one sack as a sophomore.
If He Had Signed with ASU: A part-time starter for Nevada, he would have been a fringe two-deep player for the Sun Devils but could have been a decent rotation player.
CB Jaleel Wadood
Position Rank: 7
National Rank: 80
Hometown: Bellflower, Calif.
Commit Date: Jan. 15, 2013
De-Commit Date: June 25, 2013
At the time of his recruitment, ASU had an “in” with Wadood in his relative, Rashad Wadood, who at the time was a defensive back on the Sun Devil roster. However, that bond did not keep Wadood stuck to the Sun Devils as he reopened his recruitment about five months after his January 2013 commitment. About a week after rescinding his pledge to ASU, Wadood verballed to California but in December would switch his commitment to UCLA.
In all, Wadood has appeared in 37 games with 31 starts from 2014-16, earning Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors in 2015 and Honorable Mention accolades in 2016 and has totaled 207 career tackles. He enters his senior season of 2017 as one of the more experienced and accomplished defensive backs in the Pac-12 Conference.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Wadood could have been the heir apparent to Damarious Randall and perhaps kept Kareem Orr at cornerback as a true freshman. If Wadood and Tre Flowers had both signed with ASU, the Sun Devils would have an upgraded veteran safety tandem entering 2017 compared to its current duo. Wadood is likely the player in this timeframe ASU from which would have benefited most to have signed.
RB Darrel Williams
Position Rank: 11
National Rank: 145
Hometown: Marrero, La.
Commit Date: Aug. 27, 2013
De-Commit Date: Dec. 5, 2013
From the time Williams verbally committed to ASU, the general concern was that if LSU came calling the Louisiana native would turn down the Devils to stay in his home state. In early November, the Tigers extended a scholarship offer to Williams and a month later he backed off his pledge to ASU and less than a week after gave his word to LSU.
Playing behind the likes of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice, Williams has totaled 176 carries for 832 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns and has caught 15 passes for 131 yards in three seasons with LSU. His best season came as a true freshman in 2014 when he rushed for 302 yards on 64 carries and though he has shown flashes of potential his reps have been limited due to high-level talent ahead of him on the depth chart. Though Fournette left LSU early to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, Guice emerged as an incredible talent in 2016 and Williams figures to be no better than number two on the running back depth chart as a senior this fall.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Though it seems irrational to decline the services of a four-star running back, if Williams had stayed committed and signed with ASU it’s likely Kalen Ballage would not be a Sun Devil. Though Williams may have shined with a greater workload, at this point it is a no-brainer to prefer Ballage over Williams, so the Sun Devils should be just fine with things unfolding as they did in this exchange. The sequence of events with ASU’s running backs that class became quite the December flurry as Demario Richard committed to the Sun Devils on Dec. 2, Williams de-committed on Dec. 5 and Ballage pledged to Arizona State on Dec. 11.
Class of 2015
CB Avery Anderson
Position Rank: 24
National Rank: 234
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Commit Date: April 26, 2013
De-Commit Date: Feb. 2, 2014
A very early commit to ASU’s 2013 class, Anderson pledged to the Sun Devils near the end of his sophomore year of high school but de-committed less than a year later. Ultimately, though Anderson was a member of ASU’s commitment class for nearly a year, he rescinded his pledge approximately one full year before National Signing Day 2015.
Anderson redshirted in 2015 and was named the team’s Scout Team Special Teams MVP and as a redshirt freshman in 2016 he appeared in three games with one tackle.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Anderson may have been able to bypass a redshirt season in 2015 and even though he made minimal contributions for the Cornhuskers as a redshirt freshman, it is logical to believe he would have had a chance for more time in ASU’s notoriously poor secondary in 2016.
All-Purpose Back Paul Lucas
Position Rank: 9
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
Commit Date: Dec. 25, 2014
De-Commit Date: Feb. 4, 2015
A rare in-state product to de-commit from ASU in favor of a program outside Arizona, after giving the Devils a verbal pledge on Christmas Day 2014, Lucas flipped to Oregon State on National Signing Day. In two years with the Beavers, Lucas carried 56 times for 285 yards and caught six passes for 83 yards and decided to leave the program following the 2016 season with three years to play two. It appears highly unlikely ASU will be a realistic transfer destination for Lucas.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Unable to find a true identity in Oregon State’s offense, it is reasonable to think he would have had the same conflict at ASU. He would not have gotten running back snaps over Demario Richard or Kalen Ballage, though he may have received some attention at wide receiver in the type of role filled by Kyle Williams and to a greater extent, Frederick Gammage, in 2016. Altogether, however, it is difficult to imagine he would have exceeded the output he compiled at Oregon State as a Sun Devil.
WR Tony Nicholson
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Grand Prairie, Texas
Commit Date: April 19, 2014
De-Commit Date: Sept. 2, 2014
Despite having an offer from in-state Baylor before Arizona State, Nicholson committed to the Sun Devils until the early part of his senior season. A couple weeks after de-committing from ASU, Nicholson gave his pledge to Baylor and remained true to that commitment.
After redshirting in 2015, Nicholson appeared in all 13 games and was the team’s primary kick and punt return specialist, averaging 10.2 yards on 19 punt returns and 18.8 yards on 18 kickoff returns. He did not catch a pass and registered one carry.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Nicholson may have had an opportunity for more snaps at wide receiver, but it’s unlikely he would have unseated Tim White on returns – at least for 2016.
Class of 2016
Strongside DE Hunter Kampmoyer
Position Rank: 28
Hometown: Bishop, Calif.
Commit Date: Feb. 26, 2015
De-Commit Date: April 29, 2015
A recruit who drew increased attention prior to his senior season, Kampmoyer took an early jump on his ASU offer and committed to the Sun Devils nearly a year before the signing day of his class. Only a Sun Devil pledge for about two months, in June he committed to Oregon.
While using a redshirt season in 2016, Kampmoyer was named Oregon’s 2016 Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year.
If He Had Signed with ASU: He may have still redshirted in 2016 but could have been a competitor to earn the starting Devilbacker position in 2017.
TE Darrel Middleton
Position Rank: NR
Hometown: Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Commit Date: July 6, 2015
De-Commit Date: Sept. 2, 2015
After de-committing from Tennessee in January 2015, Middleton pledged to the Sun Devils that July. Boasting tremendous athletic upside as either a tight end or defensive end, Middleton had recruiting attention from several elite programs including Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ole Miss and Missouri. Middleton, however, was forced to go the junior college route and signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College but is not listed on their 2016 roster.
If He Had Signed with ASU: The hype would have been real for the physical standout, but the excitement would have ended in disappointment as he would have had to begin at the junior college level.
S D.J. Morgan
Position Rank: 23
Hometown: Bellflower, Calif.
Commit Date: May 20, 2015
De-Commit Date: July 11, 2015
A four-star prospect, Morgan was the second prospect in three years from St. John Bosco High School to commit and de-commit from ASU, joining Wadood. ASU did, however, secure a signee from the school for 2015 in offensive lineman Zach Robertson.
Less than a week after committing to ASU, Notre Dame offered and ultimately it was the Irish that won the battle for Morgan’s services, as he pledged to Notre Dame in late September. Morgan redshirted with Notre Dame in 2016.
If He Had Signed with ASU: Morgan possibly could have avoided a redshirt season due to his skill set combined with the deficiencies in the Sun Devil secondary.
