In-state prospects stick with Wolves

When Chuks Ota committed to Arkansas State last June, he knew playing for a coach different than the one he had just committed to was a possibility.

Given ASU’s recent history with football coaches, it was easy to understand why the defensive lineman from Jonesboro High School might think that way. After all, Bryan Harsin was ASU’s fourth coach in four years.

So when Harsin left ASU for Boise State in December, Ota wasn’t fazed. He wasn’t deterred by the situation, and said Tuesday that he didn’t even think about wavering on the commitment to his hometown school.

“It’s more a testament to the school,” Ota said. “I’ve gotten so attached to the other recruits and the guys that are already there. Him leaving didn’t really make a difference to me.”

Ota, 6-1, 288 pounds, will sign a national letter of intent today with ASU, along with three other in-state prospects who originally pledged to ASU and then had to wade off suitors from other schools who called in December hoping they had cooled on the Red Wolves after Harsin’s departure.

Blake Mack, a wide receiver from Lonoke, Jhamahl Bell, an offensive lineman from Warren, and Jarrod Chandler, a linebacker from Barton, never did.

ASU is expected to announce a signing class of about 23 today, capping a seven-week sprint by Coach Blake Anderson and his staff to keep together a class of previous commitments while snagging some of their own after Anderson was announced as the Red Wolves coach Dec. 19.

If Anderson was nervous about keeping pledges from players he had not yet met, the handful of commitments from within the state left him nothing to worry about. The only in-state commit who flipped was Josh Liddell, a quarterback/safety from Pine Bluff Dollarway who didn’t change his mind until Arkansas offered last month.

Ota, Bell, Mack and Chandler stayed the course.

Most of the in-state recruits said that ASU’s success - a 28-11 record since 2011 and at least a share of the past three Sun Belt Conference titles - despite having three different coaches makes them believe it doesn’t matter who is occupying the offices at the ASU Football Facility.

“You lose three people in a row and still win championships, I had a great feeling about it,” Bell said. “They’re on the rise.”

Bell has been committed longer than any of ASU’s expected signees. He said he was offered last March by former defensive line coach Steve Caldwell, then committed in June. He said he was a bit disappointed when Caldwell followed Harsin to Boise State, and that’s when the phone calls from other schools started.

“I listened a little bit,” said Bell, who said he had no other offers. “But, in the back of my head, I’m like, ‘I’m still going to be committed.’”

Mack received the phone calls, too. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas member had offers from Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe. Mack took unofficial visits to both, but he never changed his mind.

“If anybody’s coach leaves, everybody is going to look around,” He said. “[But] they won all these conference championships with different coaches.”

That helped keep Mack interested, as did conversations with Anderson and wide receivers coach Luke Paschall.The fact that Anthony Tucker, who helped recruit him to ASU when he was Harsin’s wide receivers coach, was sticking around as running backs coach helped seal it.

“He helped me keep my head clear when all of it was going on,” Mack said.

Ota had other choices, too. He had offers from Harvard, Yale and Alabama-Birmingham, but he never backed off ASU.

“I know no matter who is there, we’re going to have a good team and a good program,” he said.

Currently, ASU’s class is ranked anywhere from first to fourth by major recruiting services Rivals.com, 247sports.com and Scout.com.

Bell, who said he could play either guard or tackle in college, said he isn’t worried about losing another coach. Anderson helped ease those concerns when Bell took his official visit Jan. 25 and the new coach mentioned his buyout. If Anderson leaves ASU after either of the next two seasons, he owes the school $3 million.

“Three million dollars is a lot of money,” Bell said. “Coach Anderson made that point. He’s not trying to leave.”

Arkansas State commitment list

POS. NAME HT. WT. SCHOOL

DT Charles Alexander 6-4 300 Los Medanos CC

DB D.J. Armstead 5-11 185 Florence, Ala.

OL Christian Beard 6-4 260 Waco (Texas) Midway

OL Jhamahl Bell 6-4 295 Warren

DE Caleb Caston 6-1 190 Pasagoula, Miss.

LB Jarrod Chandler 6-2 205 Barton

LB Carderious Dean 6-3 245 Itawamba CC

DB Charles Gaskin 6-0 180 Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby

DB Charles Grant 5-10 180 Mesquite, Texas

OL Kyle Harris 6-3 285 Itawamba CC

RB Terrance Hollingsworth 5-8 175 Berry, Ala.

DT Marcus Hudson 6-4 265 Manor, Texas

OL Daniel Keith 6-5 260 Florence, Ala.

K Dallas Kepler NA NA Marietta, Ga.

DB Khari Lain 5-10 188 Sandy Creek, Ga.

WR Blake Mack 6-3 193 Lonoke

DB Draequon Murphy 6-1 190 Montgomery (Ala.) Carver

DT Chuks Ota 6-2 285 Jonesboro

DE Kyle Strickland 6-4 245 Brandon, Miss.

DT Eugene Sutton 6-2 270 Samuel (Texas) Clemens

QB James Tabary 6-2 190 New Orleans

WR Blaise Taylor 5-9 160 Auburn Ala.

DB Nehemiah Wagner 6-0 170 Mesquite (Texas) Horn

SOURCE Scout.com

Sports, Pages 19 on 02/05/2014

Upcoming Events