There’s something about Todd Graham and JUCO players.
From Jaelen Strong to Marion Grice to Damarious Randall, ASU’s head football coach has a track record for turning those players from the junior college ranks into All Pac-12 talents who make the jump to the next level.
He might have outdone himself on Wednesday.
In addition to two early-signee high school commits, the Sun Devils had a record-setting day, adding six junior college prospects. The Sun Devil Source’s publisher Chris Karpman provided this nugget:
ASU’s JUCO signees all ranked in Scout100: Crump (26), Rhodes (30), Christian Hill (38), Maurice Chandler (44), Rising (68), McCollum (96).
— SunDevilSource.com (@SunDevilSource) December 16, 2015
The Source went on to call this class the best junior college class in the nation.
No other school has more than four Scout100 JUCO commits/signees and ASU has seven (Subtyl 7). It’s best junior college class nationally. — SunDevilSource.com (@SunDevilSource) December 16, 2015
JUCO Signees
Maurice Chandler, CB
Chandler is a four-star recruit out of Northeast Oklahoma A&M. He is the #44-rated JUCO player in the country. At one time, he was an Oklahoma commit.
Koron Crump, LB
Crump is a four-star recruit out of Fort Scott Junior College (KS) and is the #26 junior college prospect according to Scout.
Christian Hill, DE
Hill played at Glendale Community College after spending some time in the Air Force. He brings a strong nose for the football in passing situations.
A.J. McCollom, OL
This City College of San Francisco center reminds Coach Graham of current center Nick Kelly (hopefully in terms of hair game as well) and was committed to Cal before flipping to the Sun Devils just a few days ago.
J’Marcus Rhodes, CB
Rhodes is a dynamic defensive back who is the #30 JUCO prospect. The product from Kilgore, TX is a welcome sight for Sun Devil fans as there will be plenty of spots to fill in the secondary for the upcoming season.
Tyson Rising, OL
The 6’4″ 280-pound offensive lineman out of Ventura California also committed to the Sun Devils on Monday. He is a three-star recruit.
High school:
Marshal Nathe, OL
Nathe comes from Centennial High School, where offensive lineman grow on trees (really, really big trees). Nathe was a senior leader on the field for the Coyotes before he had a season-ending knee injury. He continued to be a prominent voice for the Coyotes during their playoff run that eventually led to a Division I state title.
Jared Bubak, TE
Bubak is one of the best players in the state of Nebraska, and the three-star will try to be the next successful tight end under Todd Graham, following in the footsteps of Chris Coyle and Kody Kohl.
Graham has a group at his disposal that may be more talented than any other JUCO or early-enrollee he has ever had to turn into Pac-12 playmakers when the fall rolls around.
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Jordan Hamm
Mixing his passions for sports and storytelling, Jordan comes to Sports360az as a multimedia reporter/producer looking to share the best stories Arizona has to offer. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JordyHamm