Sun Devils' Battling On, And Off, the Field
Amid three more commitments, the Sun Devils are battling for two more prospects midway through the recruiting cycle
The Devil's Due Mailbag — Season Preview 
By Diego Alfaro
Published: October 18th, 2026
The Arizona State Sun Devils aren't projecting to have the top ranked class in the 2026 recruiting cycle, not by a long shot. But what they are doing is finding quality players at the right price, and sometimes, that's just as important as grabbing a handful of five-stars and hoping for the best.
With Barry Seitz and Josh Swoope having already put ink to paper, Arizona State received three more commitments over the weekend, headlined by Fredrick McNutt, the versatile athlete out of Windsor, Connecticut.
The 365th-ranked McNutt is the highest rated player the Sun Devils have received a verbal commitment from this cycle, and only Emmett Palczewski ranked higher on their initial preseason big board.
A few weeks ago, ASU recruiting coordinator Zek Williams described McNutt as a 'twitchy' athlete who possesses the speed necessary, but will need to bulk up to withstand the grind of the rise in competition.
"That was one thing we loved," praised Brian Ward, the Arizona State defensive coordinator. "When we sat down with Fred and told him what we liked, then pointed out where we felt like he needed work, and how we planned on helping him, he was all ears."
"You get kids like that who are used to everyone praising the ground they walk on, they don't always respond to that kind of approach. Fred was all ears. He relishes the opportunity to get to work."
"It was one thing that stood out," acknowledged McNutt in an interview with the Windsor High School Student Paper, "Every program that recruited me told me what they liked. And not to sound cocky, but I knew the parts of my game that stood out on tape. But Coach Ward, Coach Williams, and everyone else in Tempe; they made sure to point out where I needed to improve."
"I was a bit taken aback at first, no lie. But then they told me how they would help me get where I needed to be. Then they point out a guy like CJ Fite. Three-star like myself, committed to the team, didn't try and jump in the portal, and now he's one of the top three technique tackles in the Big XII. That's what I want. And I trust they'll get me there."
Joining McNutt in announcing their verbal commitments to the Sun Devils over the weekend was 995th-ranked tackle Juan Yeast, out of Palmdale, CA, and 993rd-ranked QB Alex Hoke, from local Tucson, Arizona.
"Alex has been on radar for two years now," acknowledged Deontrae Cooper, ASU's director of scouting. "You always want to keep local talent local, and Alex checks all the boxes we look for in a quarterback."
Hoke grades out with a plus-arm out of high school with experts lauding his touch on deep passes. "The intermediate and short game, he definitely needs some more," acknowledged Anthony Peerman with On3, "He's got a live arm, but he hasn't learned when to dial it back yet. He rifles some of those short passes in there that he could put some touch on."
Yeast is a bit undersized for a tackle, standing at 6'4", but has the size you love at tackle clocking in at 332 pounds. He brings plus strength at the point of attack and above-average technique for someone of his size.
"He's a pass-blocking tackle, through and through," noted Peerman, "The run game, he struggles to get off his block and get downhill. He's much more comfortable being a wall and holding the pocket. For Arizona State, that's going to be something he has to work on with their run-first scheme."
Other recruiting news out of Tempe indicates that the Sun Devils and Pittsburgh are in a heavyweight bout for Bronx native Darrius Witherspoon. According to those with knowledge of the recruitment process, Pittsburgh attempted to swoop in at the last possible minute with a robust $100K NIL offer, but Arizona State countered right back, upping their previous offer from $90K all the way to $120K.
"They're hot on him, for sure," admitted a source close to Josh Omura, "They want to start playing a more physical style of man-coverage defense, and guys like that are the keys."
The source did admit, however, that the $120K NIL was getting 'close' to the limit the Sun Devils wanted to spend on the 391st-ranked prospect. "If Pittsburgh really want him, they can outbid us. That's just a fact."
The one thing working in the Sun Devils' favor? Witherspoon is putting an emphasis on going to a program where he can play early, and often.
"They didn't make any promises in the meetings, but from what I've been told Brian[Ward, DC] told him he'd be on the field Week One next year if everything went how he expected it."
"You can't get much better than that."
Arizona State is also in the midst of a battle for local WR Maurice Stewart, the 1,148th-ranked prospect out of nearby Phoenix.
"They already lost out on one local WR, they don't want to go 0/2," confirmed the anonymous source.
With two hard commits and three verbals, the Sun Devils class currently ranks 42nd nationally, but with plenty of room to grow in the hopefully near future.
2026 Recruiting Class of 2030
Arizona State Sun Devils Recruiting Board
| Player | Pos | St | ★ | Natl | St Rk | Pos Rk | ASU Rank | Stage |
|---|
| Emmett Palczewski | WR | AZ | 3 | 338 | 4 | 57 | 2nd | Committed (Col) |
| Fredrick McNutt | ATH | CT | 3 | 365 | 2 | 35 | 1st | Verbal Commit |
| Darrius Witherspoon | CB | NY | 3 | 391 | 4 | 38 | 2nd | Battle Vs. Pitt |
| Tahj Cheeseman | DE | FL | 3 | 403 | 46 | 38 | 1st | Top 3 |
| Jose Swoope | MLB | LA | 3 | 412 | 15 | 21 | 1st | Verbal Commit |
| Cornell Conte | CB | NC | 3 | 431 | 16 | 41 | 10th | Committed (Mizz) |
| Leo Merrick | T | WA | 3 | 439 | 7 | 34 | 1st | Top 3 |
| Barry Seitz | LB | AZ | 3 | 449 | 5 | 34 | 1st | Committed |
| Donnie Morris | LB | CA | 3 | 477 | 50 | 40 | 1st | Open |
| Ahmad Malik | CB | AZ | 3 | 514 | 6 | 46 | 2nd | Top 3 |
| Mike Hendricks | DE | OH | 3 | 552 | 21 | 54 | 1st | Top 5 |
| Alexander Lacina | LB | CA | 3 | 588 | 60 | 51 | 3rd | Committed (Cal) |
| Mo Ajayi | CB | IL | 3 | 625 | 22 | 55 | 10th | Top 5 |
| Nick Nava | ATH | NV | 3 | 654 | 8 | 44 | 1st | Top 5 |
| Byron Higdon | ATH | AZ | 3 | 679 | 11 | 91 | 1st | Top 5 |
| Jamerson Bettis | WR | HI | 3 | 769 | 6 | 139 | 1st | Open |
| Dennis Minnis | TE | AZ | 3 | 824 | 17 | 38 | 2nd | Verbal Commit (Zona) |
| Deacon Jones | QB | CA | 3 | 918 | 80 | 53 | 10th | Open |
| Alex Hoke | QB | AAZ | 3 | 993 | 19 | 61 | 1st | Verbal Commit |
| Juan Yeast | T | CA | 3 | 995 | 89 | 66 | 1st | Committed |
| Maurice Stewart | WR | AZ | 3 | 1148 | 23 | 201 | 2nd | Battle Vs. Cal |
| Vernon Toone | TE | AZ | 3 | 1171 | 24 | 70 | 1st | Top 3 |
| Rashard Connors | T | CA | 3 | 1187 | 112 | 74 | 4th | Top 3 |
| Matt STrong | ATH | AZ | 3 | 1310 | 26 | 107 | 4th | Committed (BSU) |
National Top 25 Recruits
| Rk | Player | Pos | St | ★ | Top 3 Schools | Status |
|---|
| 1 | Marquise Burd | HB | CA | 5 | BYU/gc] | Committed |
| 2 | Amare Seigler | DE | TN | 5 | Texas A&M | Committed |
| 3 | Marcus Humber | DE | OR | 5 | Washington | Committed |
| 4 | Al Roth | CB | MD | 5 | Ohio State | Committed |
| 5 | Quincy Kpassagnon | HB | TN | 5 | Georgia | Committed |
| 6 | Davante Harris | ATH | FL | 5 | Georgia | Committed |
| 7 | Steve McQueen | DE | MI | 5 | Michigan | Committed |
| 8 | Sergio Tabor | DT | NJ | 5 | Notre Dame | Committed |
| 9 | Walter Slayer | WR | TN | 5 | UGA vs IND | Battle |
| 10 | Micah Kumah | WR | LA | 5 | Georgia | Committed |
Some secondary concerns with Alejado tossing three on you but, alas.
