SAN ANTONIO - Lavon Bunkley-Shelton tried to pull a fast one earlier this week at All-American Bowl Media Day.
He said USC, Oregon, Texas and Michigan were his final four. Asked about Arizona State, which was considered a front-runner for some time, he said the Sun Devils were out.
Well, they’re back in.
The four-star receiver from Gardena (Calif.) Serra committed to Arizona State during Saturday’s broadcast of the All-American Bowl, stopping speculation that a major surprise was coming and calming down Sun Devils fans who thought all the work was for naught.
Bunkley-Shelton has had numerous favorites throughout his recruitment but never committed anywhere, always taking his time and not rushing the recruiting process.
After a November visit to ASU, the Sun Devils emerged as the clear favorite and despite some smokescreens throughout the week, coach Herm Edwards and his staff won out for one of the best receivers in the 2020 class.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
“I liked it a lot,” Bunkley-Shelton told DevilsDigest after his November visit. “Every time I go there it’s the same vibe. This visit didn’t make me look differently at Arizona State because I’ve been there so many times, but it made things clearer. When they told me that I can start as a freshman - I didn’t hear that before.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
Bunkley-Shelton was arguably the top receiver this past summer at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge because he got open against every cornerback and make tough catches look easy. He didn’t put up huge stats in his senior season, though, mainly because of double teams and sub-par quarterback play.
But the Gardena Serra receiver is really talented and he could make a huge difference in Arizona State’s offensive attack.
Johnny Wilson will be the huge outside target and Chad Johnson Jr. can do a little bit of everything. Bunkley-Shelton can sneak into tiny openings in the defense, make all the catches and then he has the speed to turn up the field and gain extra yards.
