Looking Ahead To Arizona State's In-State Recruiting Targets For The Class Of 2014

Although it has been just one day since National Signing Day, it is never too early to look ahead to February 5th, 2014, when the class of 2014 will sign their letters of intent to play college football.

Todd Graham has made a habit of saying that his recruiting focus starts at home, and that you build a team from the inside out. Graham was able to sign two high school players from Arizona in his 2013 class, Grant Martinez and Chans Cox.

On the contrary, Priest Willis, Tyler Bruggman, Coke Luke, Kenny Lacy and Jalen Ortiz all went out of state, three of those five choosing UCLA.

The class of 2014 is historic in Arizona. The top end talent in the state has been compared to that of California. Arizona has eight players in the Rivals 250 class of 2014 watch list. Here are some of the big names from the state of Arizona that should be targets of the Sun Devils this year.

QB Kyle Allen (Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ)

As a junior in 2012, Allen threw for 3,119 yards and 36 touchdowns. As of now he holds offers from over 10 schools, including Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Oklahoma State and Oregon State. Allen is a 4.0 student and plans to graduate early and enroll in the spring of 2014.

Allen might not fit the Arizona State system, but he is a smart football player that can flat out spin the football. Scout.com ranks Allen as the 4th best quarterback in the nation in the initial 2014 rankings. He was a recent attendee at ASU's junior day last month.

WR Mark Andrews WR (Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ)

Andrews is a big (6-6, 225) receiver from Scottsdale that Scout ranks as the No. 10 wide receiver prospect in the country. In 2012, Andrews caught 81 passes for 1,590 yards and 22 touchdowns. As of now, Andrews holds scholarship offers from Arizona State, Michigan, USC, Ohio State, Arizona, Oklahoma, UCLA, Virginia and Nebraska.

Jalen Brown WR (Mountain Pointe HS, Phoenix, AZ)

Brown has contributing to one of the best high school football programs in the state since his freshman year. Brown led Mountain Pointe to the state championship game as a junior and holds over 16 offers, including USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Arkansas, California and UCLA. Brown plays both ways in high school but will likely fit as a wide receiver at the next level.

Here are some highlights of Brown as a sophomore.

Qualen Cunningham DE (Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ)

Cunningham projects as the best pass rusher in the state next season. He stands 6-3 now and weighs around 220 pounds, meaning he will likely add weight in the coming years. He holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UCLA among others. Cunningham ranks as a four-star prospect by Rivals and is ranked by Scout as the No. 12 defensive end in the nation. Here are junior highlights of Cunningham.

Casey Tucker OT (Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ)

The Sun Devils just brought in a former Hamilton lineman in Christian Westerman and are targeting one of the nation's best tackles in Tucker. The 6-5, 280 tackle is verbally committed to USC, but remains open to other schools, including ASU, Stanford, UCLA and Washington.

Getting Westerman may help in recruiting Tucker, who may feel more comfortable at ASU because of its Hamilton connection, as Anthony Jones and Jaxon Hood are both Hamilton products.