Arizona State hasn't had a legitimate power forward since Jeff Pendergraph graduated in 2008-09. They survived in 2009-10 with center Eric Boateng, but 2010-11 was a disaster for coach Herb Sendek in terms of big men on campus.
Perhaps that is why the commitment of Eric Jacobsen is such a pleasant surprise for Sun Devils fans. A product of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Jacobsen is 6'8" and 215 pounds. His frame is good for Division I basketball, and ESPN thinks this is a good find for the Sun Devils and Sendek:
"Eric is a good looking prospect," said ESPN Recruiting Coordinator Joel Francisco. "He's got a great frame and a high basketball I.Q. His length and shooting touch should warrant early playing time for the Sun Devils."
There are also several recruits considering the Sun Devils in 2012. Depending on where you look, there's a lot of different information. According to 247 Sports, Mater Dei (CA) shooting guard Katin Reinhardt has the Sun Devils very high on his list. At 6'5" and 190 pounds, he's a tall, lanky guard that played with ASU sophomore Keala King in high school.
Should King be able to convince the highly rated Reinhardt to attend school in Tempe, the guard position for Sendek would be in great hands with both King and Reinhardt complementing Jahii Carson for the next few years.
Other high-end recruits:
Shabazz Muhammad, SF: Muhammad is based out of Las Vegas and is considering ASU alongside schools like Duke, Kansas, UK and Arizona. Basically, he's a reach but he'd be a dream come true in Tempe. He's a lefty (like James Harden). Here's a video showing his mad skills.
Xavier Johnson, SF: Another product of Mater Dei, he is being hotly pursued by USC and UCLA. While both of those schools have already offered, Johnson has the link with King on his resume.
Ben Carter, PF: Carter visited in April and appeared to like what he saw (probably the dearth of big men, and the likelihood of immediate playtime upon arrival to campus). He's ranked 91 by ESPN.
Calaen Robinson, PG: Out of Corona Del Sol down the street in Tempe, Robinson is also left-handed. The Devils might look to add this PG to back up Carson and push him to be the best he can be. Adding quality prospects to vie for playing time is never a bad thing.
Other possible Devils in 2012 include: Javonte Hawkins, Demarquise Johnson, Demetris Morant, Demetrius Balark.
Expect to see a lot more commitments occur during November, with the next round coming up in March 2012.