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TEMPE, Ariz. -- It will be quite some time before he can even take the field at Sun Devil Stadium, but Brady White gave Arizona State reason to be excited Friday.
The highly touted quarterback recruit picked the Sun Devils over Cal and Oregon on Friday, giving ASU it's highest profile quarterback commitment in a decade.
White, who will be a senior at Hart High in Newhall, Calif., is just the third top-10 high school quarterback to pick ASU in the era of recruiting services. White is unanimously ranked a four-star prospect by the major recruiting services -- Scout, Rivals, ESPN.com and 247 Sports -- and ranks with all of them as a top 10 quarterback.
Rivals rates White highest, pegging him as the No. 3 pro-style signal caller in the 2015 class. Scout ranks White as the ninth best overall quarterback in the class, and 247 Sports lists him as the fourth bet pro-style quarterback in the class. The other pro-style quarterbacks typically listed ahead of White have committed to USC, UCLA and Notre Dame.
Last season, White threw for 4,535 yards and 41 touchdowns. In addition to ASU, Cal and Oregon, White had reported offers from every Pac-12 school and the likes of Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Penn State and Tennessee.
ASU coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Mike Norvell have in short order made a strength of what seemed a desperate situation at quarterback not long ago. They did not sign a quarterback in either of their first two recruiting classes, but in the 2014 class inked four-star dual threat Manny Wilkins and three-star passer Coltin Gerhart.
Now, ASU has two quarterbacks verbally committed to the 2015 class (verbal commitments are non-binding until prospects sign a National Letter of Intent). Along with White, ASU has the commitment of Bryce Perkins, a three-star prospect out of Chandler High.
The last time ASU landed a top 10 quarterback was in 2005, when Derek Shaw committed. Before that was Sam Keller in 2003.
"It's an awesome feeling to be a Sun Devil," White said in announcing his decision on Friday. "I'm excited and relieved at the same time and can't wait to start recruiting and build this class. ASU had everything I was looking for in a school and was the best overall fit for me, both from a football standpoint and academically.
"It's where I felt most comfortable with the coaches, the campus and the overall football program. When I first visited ASU back in early April, I was blown away. I came home from that visit and told my dad that ASU was No. 1 on my list and that's where I saw myself. That trip really opened my eyes to what a great school ASU was.
"I already had a good idea of how good the football program was, but academically, that trip really opened my eyes. I visited with Mark Jacobs, the Dean of the Barrett Honors College, which is almost like it's own school on campus. That school provies ASU the ability to compete at a higher level academically and the tutoring support and accountability they provide is incredible."
White also spoke of a connection with offensive coordinator Mike Norvell.
"I have a great relationship with Coach Norvell, the OC there, and I love the offense," White said. "They're in the shotgun most of the time but itâs still a pro-style offense and the quarterback has a lot of freedom. Every play call has three different options for the quarterback, and it's definitely a very dynamic that Iâm looking forward to playing in."
White said he expects to graduate high school and enroll early at ASU to get a head-start on competing for the starting quarterback job in 2015 after Taylor Kelly graduates.
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