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Stay true to ASU.
That's what coach Todd Graham and the rest of the Arizona State staff has been preaching on the recruiting trail. On Tuesday afternoon, their hard work paid off as wide receiver Tyler Whiley of Chaparral High School announced his verbal commitment to play for the Sun Devils.
Whiley is a four-star recruit and a two-way player at Chaparral, but most believe he projects as a wide receiver at the college level.
Whiley is widely considered one of the top 10 players in the state of Arizona for the class of 2014 and he is the first four-star, in-state recruit that Graham has received a commitment from this year. At 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, he has plenty of time to fill out his body before hitting the field in Tempe.
Rivals lists Whiley as the No. 13 athlete for the class of 2014 and he is actually pegged a tad higher as a cornerback (10th by Scout) than he is as a wide receiver (18th by 247). However, the Sun Devils have a dire need at the wide receiver position and his commitment adds validity to the program's 2014 efforts.
When he announced his commitment via Twitter, Whiley became the third different four-star recruit to pledge to the Sun Devils for the class of 2014. However, Arizona State already lost the commitment of defensive back Jaleel Wadood, who has since backed out and offered his verbal to the California Golden Bears.
The most exciting element of Whiley's commitment is his local ties. The Sun Devils have struggled to compete in recruiting battles for the state's top prospects over the last few seasons. Whiley's decision should help get the ball rolling for 2014 and show his fellow Arizonans that success can be achieved at Arizona State. (P.S.--Just ask D.J. Foster and Jaxon Hood)
Whiley reportedly chose Arizona State over Arizona, UCLA, Oklahoma State, and Tennessee.
I made my decision today that I will be playing college football at ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY! Proud to call myself a SUN DEVIL! #ForkEm 🏈🏈😏
— Ty Whiley (@TeeWhiley) July 23, 2013