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When Todd Graham was named the head football coach at Arizona State University, he promised a commitment to keeping local high school football stars at home.
Graham got his first high profile in-state commitment yesterday, as Chans Cox, a linebacker from Lakeside, Arizona, committed to Graham and his staff. Rivals, the recruiting service used by Yahoo, ranks Cox as the best player in the state of Arizona, and the 58th best player in the country.
Cox is the highest player ranked by Rivals to commit to ASU since Zach Miller.
Cox (6'2, 225-pounds) held offers from USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Washington, among several others. Cox holds a 4.0 GPA and will enroll at ASU in the spring of 2013 so he can participate in spring practice.
Cox is expected to play "mike" linebacker at ASU and could compete for playing time as a freshman. Cox already as excellent size, at 6'2 and 225-pounds, for the position, and enrolling in school early will give him a chance to learn ASU's defensive scheme before training camp.
Cox finished 2011 with 61 tackles, and even ran for over 600 yards. Scout ranks Cox as the No. 1 fullback in the country, although most expect Cox to be used primarily on defense.
Here are some highlights of the future Sun Devil
Footage courtesy of Youtube
The day did not start on a great note for the Sun Devils, as ASU lost out on the top ranked ignal-caller in the state, Tyler Bruggman. Bruggman (Phoenix, AZ, Brophy Prep) committed to Mike Leach and the Washington State Cougars. According to Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic, Bruggman had been back and fourth between WSU and ASU all week.
However, Todd Graham and his staff rebounded nicely, as ASU secured a committment from Georgia quarterback Joshua Dobbs. ESPN recruiting ranks Dobbs as the No. 19 duel threat QB in the nation, and Dobbs had offers from TCU, Mississippi State, Maryland, Boston College and Arkansas among others.
As a junior in 2011, Dobbs threw for 3,113 yards and 31 touchdowns for Alpharetta High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Dobbs has good height (6'3), but will need to put on some muscle to his 190-pound frame.
Here are some highlights of Dobbs as a junior
Footage courtesy of Youtube
Just as a disclaimer, nothing in recruiting is binding until the first Wednesday in February when players can sign their letters of intent. Both of these commitments are verbal and a recruit can change his mind and switch schools whenever he wants to.
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