ASU Football: Top 2022 kicker Carter Brown commits to Sun Devils

After Thursday’s practice, Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards stressed the importance of recruiting amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. That vigilance paid off early Friday when ASU received its first commitment of the 2022 class out of Pearland, TX.

Dawson High School kicker Carter Brown announced his decision in a video posted on social media.

The Sun Devils offered the 6-foot-1, 185-pound marksman in September, a little under two months after Brown was selected as a MaxPreps 2020 Preseason Junior First-Team All-American. He was recruited by ASU special teams coach Shawn Slocum.

Kicking expert and coach Chris Sailer ranked Brown as the No. 4 placekicker in the country. Per 247sports.com, Brown made 15 out of 16 field goal attempts and connected on 48 out of 51 extra point tries during his junior season. His longest boot went for 49 yards.

In a video conference following his announcement, Brown said that the program’s previous success in producing NFL talent at the position, such as Arizona Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez and Miami Dolphins punter Matt Haack, had a major influence on his decision.

“I had a call with coach Slocum on Sept. 1 and he offered me (a scholarship) that night,” Brown told 247sports.com. “We’ve been talking since then, I had a virtual visit about a month after that, saw all the facilities, loved everything that I saw there, love the environment and the culture they have in the program. Not only have they had great special teams play but they’ve been able to have their guys successfully move on to the NFL and do it there also, which is big.”

Brown expressed his desire and excitement about starting for the Sun Devils as a freshman in two years. For now, he aims to continue improving his accuracy and reliability from range.