By James Romo for DieHardDevil.com

Coach Todd Graham and the ASU Football staff just received two very solid commitments for the 2013 class.  Big time in state recruit Chans Cox and nationally ranked quarterback recruit Joshua Dobbs both pledged to be Arizona State Sun Devils.  Both players are very high character individuals and they have plenty of talent on the field.

Top in State Recruit, Chans Cox

Chans Cox

Chans Cox, the top-rated 2013 football recruit in Arizona pulled the trigger on his college commitment by selecting to stay relatively close to home.  The 6-3, 230 pound LB/RB out of Blue Ridge High School in Lakeside, AZ contacted the ASU coaching staff to inform them that he will be a Sun Devil.  Cox is the highest rated prospect (overall #58 nationally in the 2013 class by Rivals.com) to commit to ASU since TE Zach Miller in 2004.

Cox is an imposing player on both sides of the ball, however, he is projected to play linebacker (overall #10 rated LB in the 2013 class by Rivals.com) for the Devils.  He brings a combination of toughness, size, speed, and work ethic to the roster.  Being the first player in the 2013 class to receive a scholarship offer from ASU, he embodies the high character trait that Head Coach Todd Graham covets in his players.  Sun Devil Nation is collectively hoping that having secured a pledge from Cox in this recruiting cycle will have a “Pied Piper” effect on other highly-rated Arizona recruits in a very deep 2013 class.

ASU was able to beat out a who’s who list of national powerhouse football programs including Arkansas, Boise State, Cal, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, Utah, and Washington.  The close proximity of Tempe to Lakeside allowed for Cox to spend a lot of time at ASU this spring getting to know the coaching staff and witness the program-wide change in culture that Coach Graham and company have installed.  The new coaching staff demands the strong sense of discipline, accountability, and team unity that Cox desired, thus leading to an earlier than expected college decision.

Cox pushed up his original timetable for a commitment as part of the plan for an early high school graduation in December in order to participate in spring camp in Tempe.  He has stated that he will only take an official recruiting trip to ASU this fall, thus making his announcement a solid pledge.  His early commitment will allow him to concentrate on his senior football season after dealing with a nagging shoulder injury in his junior season that required off-season surgery.

Future Sun Devil Quarterback, Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs, a pro-style quarterback from Alpharetta, GA contacted the ASU coaching staff to inform them of his intentions to be a Sun Devil.  The 6-3, 190 pounder had been out to the ASU campus last month with his family for an unofficial visit, and was impressed enough to end his college recruiting process after only a few weeks of deliberation.

The 2013 high school graduate is ready to focus on his upcoming senior season after throwing for (a Georgia state best) 3,113 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior.  He possesses a strong and accurate arm and is surprisingly mobile for a pass-first pro-style QB.  He reads defenses well, is mechanically sound, and takes good advantage of his height with a high release point.

Coach Graham has promised to fill his roster with only high character players, and Joshua certainly fits that bill.  Apart from being a stand-out on the playing field, Dobbs sports a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom.  He has a very impressive list of scholarship offers that include Arkansas, Boston College, Duke, Harvard, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi State, Princeton, South Florida, Southern Miss, Syracuse, TCU, UCF, Wake Forest, and Yale.

Dobbs stated that he felt very comfortable with the ASU football coaching staff and how similar the ASU offense is to the spread option that he operates for his high school team.   Ironically, it was Dobbs’ meeting with the Dean of The Barrett Honors College, the Dean of the College of Engineering, and President Michael Crow that ultimately helped seal the deal for ASU.  ASU is one of only a handful of universities that offer an undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering providing a complete student-athlete experience for this impressive young man.

The Dobbs’ family vacation over the past month has included unofficial visits to many of the schools that had extended offers, but none compared with athletic and academic opportunities he found in Tempe.  He is currently exploring the viability of graduating high school in December in order to participate in spring camp.