Recruiting and ASU

Being a resident of the great Phoenix area for almost 15 years one would think this would be an easy area to recruit to for Arizona State University. However, it is not and I think the alumni and fans of ASU have a bit of reflection to do in the mirror if they want to take the program to the next level.


By next level I mean winning Pac-12 championships, winning Rose Bowls or Fiesta Bowls, and being in the hunt for the playoff consistently. That isn't happening down here and I don't think the fan base is being demanding enough of the school to try and do that. The Sun Devils have a pretty high potent offense to contend and they have the players to do that, but when the pressure is on they can't perform to the level that they talk about ALL the time. The way they talk about the program one would think that they are a perennial top 10 program. They are anything but that people.


There are many things working in their favor to recruit here. They have plenty of nice, sunny days, a great stadium, facilities that are being updated, plenty of nice "scenery" around campus, and the school is in the middle of a major city with plenty of things to do. Should be easy you say? Nope.


We live in a culture of "what have you done for me lately?" The Sun Devils haven't done anything of note since I've been living here. I hear about the tradition a lot. Truth is, if we are talking tradition outside of south, there is no tradition. If there was, Sun Devil stadium would be sold out continuously and not just for the Territorial Cup game every other year. There has not been any Rose Bowls, Fiesta Bowls, and even a sniff of a Pac-12 championship for a while. College football is about recruiting and ASU hasn't done a great job with that part of the equation. Sure, they get the occasional 4 or even 5 star athlete, but not consistently enough to make a profound difference in wins. If you don't have the horses in the stable, you won't be the first horse to cross the finish line.


Big time players don't come here or even stay here. They want to go places where they can make a name for themselves, i.e. Brett Hundley of UCLA. These recruits want to see flashy new facilities and uniforms. They have the uniforms though. The alumni need to start putting more money into the program. They say do, but they don't. It's time to dime up ASU fans and stop hoping for a good season, go out and start making ASU relevant.  Granted recruiting, is not an exact science and a roll of the dice, but it is better to have a stacked deck of quality players than to know you are about to crap out with something of bad quality. The Sun Devils have to make a better sell job in the living rooms of players and most of all, they have to start winning and winning big! No seven win seasons anymore, they have to start getting into the 9-10 win arena. Getting into that 9-10 win season is going to be tough, but for me to take the program seriously, they have to. I tend to think that most reasonable fans/alumni of this huge university would agree. Updating the facilities is a very good start, that'll help attract kids to the desert. Most importantly starting winning consistently! Win more important games, and take the challenge of spending money on your program a lot more seriously.