Saguaro teammates Poplawski, Soelle and Stephens commit to Arizona State
A trio of three-star Saguaro Sabercats gave their verbal commitments to Arizona State University on Friday, in an effort to help encourage other 2017 Arizona high school recruits to do the same.
TE Jared Poplawski, LB Kyle Soelle and OL Corey Stephens all called Todd Graham to give their verbal commitments, bringing Arizona State's 2017 class to five total commits, with four being from the state of Arizona. If that number stands, it would equal the most Arizona high school seniors the program has taken in a single recruiting class under Todd Graham, but Poplawski, Soelle and Stephens hope to see that number increase.
Jared Poplawski is Saguaro's leading returning receiver, hauling in 32 receptions for 438 yards and 6 TDs in 2015. Arizona State was Poplawski's first offer, coming on the night of the Sun Devils' win over University of Arizona in November. Poplawski's second offer came from Mike Norvell and Chip Long after they left ASU for Memphis, and after that, several Mountain West teams offered. Most recently, Poplawski pulled down offers from Louisville, Oregon State and Illinois. His mother is a USC alum, and he knows she would have been pleased if the Trojans came calling, but on his father's side, Poplawski is a fourth generation Sun Devil whose grandfather played TE for Frank Kush.
"I talked it over with my coach and my mom, and came to the conclusion that ASU was good for me," said Poplawski. "I wasn't going to find a better school. I already knew where I wanted to go, so I figured why wait?"
On how the idea came about for the three teammates to commit together, Poplawski said, "It just all came together. Kyle was super hyped up about his offer, and I've always felt the same. Corey's been talking to ASU since sophomore year. Kyle and I were talking about possibly staying and playing together, and when Corey got his offer, we just said 'let's make this a big thing and commit the same day.'"
Kyle Soelle transferred to Saguaro after playing on varsity as a sophomore and junior at Notre Dame Prep. Soelle primarily played TE, but had a Swiss Army Knife-like role for the Saints, leading Notre Dame in receptions last year, and finishing second in both rushing TDs, and sacks. Soelle has received 17 offers since February 9th- a rate of almost one per week. His Pac-12 offers outside of ASU include Cal, Washington State, and Utah, but like Poplawski and Stephens, Soelle is a lifelong ASU fan, and grew up attending games at Sun Devil stadium.
"I've grown up, since I was four, wearing maroon and gold. I've always been a fan," said Soelle, who recently finished unofficial visits to both Boise State and Cal. "Honestly, I'm not really connected to any other school the way I am to ASU, and I want to see the program go to the next level. I know they can do it, it just hasn't been seen yet."
Soelle says Arizona State plans to use him at linebacker, and that part of the appeal of ASU has been his communications with defensive coordinator, and eventual position coach Keith Patterson, "Me and Coach Patterson have a great relationship. I really like the way he coaches the linebackers, and I love the defensive scheme and the way they blitz."
Soelle credits ASU offering Corey Stephens as the catalyst that put the triple-commitment in motion. "He really wanted that ASU offer, and I was kind of holding out to see if he'd get it. We always thought it would be special if we committed on the same day, and Poplawski said 'why wait,' because he likes ASU as well, and sees himself in the program."
Soelle wasn't shy about expressing the overall goal of announcing their commitment in this manner. "We figured why not do it together and get some momentum to get the attention of guys like Austin Jackson, and K.J. (Jarrell), and maybe end up with four kids from Saguaro."
Corey Stephens started at left tackle for Saguaro last season, on a team whose primary running back averaged nearly 8 yards per carry. The offensive line unit as a whole gave up only four recorded sacks to defensive linemen in 14 games, with three of those split between ArizonaVarsity.com D2 defensive player of the year Carson Taylor, and D1 defensive lineman of the year Chris Jules. Stephens was offered by Louisville last spring, but it wasn't until this past January, when Mike Norvell finished hiring his new staff at Memphis, that Stephens received his second offer. Since then, Stephens' offers have come from mostly Ivy League schools and Military Academies- but a good camp showing in front of ASU coaches led the Sun Devils to finally pull the trigger.
"I was at ASU's big man challenge and had a good showing in front of Coach Graham, and I think that elevated my stock," said Stephens. "I was always told that if I had a good performance in front of the coaches that an offer might be in the picture, and that's what happened."
Stephens has been patient with ASU, developing relationships with the coaching staff over the course of multiple visits. "I have a real good relationship with Coach Thomsen, Coach Lindsey and Coach Graham, and I like the direction they're going and everything they stand for." Despite the coaching turnover after last season, the additions have only fortified Stephens' interest in staying true, "Obviously Coach Lindsey hasn't been there as long, but from the time he's been here he's one of the favorite coaches I've met."
Stephens had the attention of other Pac-12 programs, but said he had his mind set on his ultimate destination. "I grew up the biggest ASU fan. Since I was nine years old I've been thinking about how cool it would be to run out on the field with the Sun Devils, plus it's a great opportunity to play in front of people who care about me. I've been committed since the moment they offered me. I don't care about how many offers I get, or the attention that comes along with it. I just want to end up in the right place."
Stephens, as well as Soelle and Poplawski, believe that Arizona State isn't just the right place for them, but would be the best choice for several of the other state's best prospects.
"We've been talking to a bunch of the other in-state recruits," said Poplawski. "We talk to them (in person), and we message them on Twitter. They all really like ASU. I think there could be a lot of in-state recruits this year coming to Arizona State."
Stephens is confident this announcement will have an impact on those who have yet to make up their minds."It will start a lot of recruiting momentum in the state. It shows that staying home is the cool thing to do. It's not better to go to USC or UCLA. You can make things happen right here."
"I'm excited to start recruiting," added Stephens. "I have a couple of prospects in mind."