Texas OL Ezra Dotson-Oyetade commits to Arizona State

The Sun Devils have been picking up steam in parts of the Lone Star State, and on Monday, Herm Edwards' team landed its biggest commitment from Texas to date.

Rivals250 center Ezra Dotson-Oyetade committed to Arizona State on Monday. Missouri, Virginia, Vanderbilt and UCF were other finalists for Oyetade, who was among the nation's top rising prospects expected to see a bump in the Rivals rankings, which will be released throughout the week.

Dotson-Oyetade joins fellow Dallas-area standout Jaydon Williams in the Sun Devils' 2021 recruiting class, which entered the week ranked No. 26 nationally in the Rivals team rankings. With the addition of Dotson-Oyetade, Arizona State's class is now up to 20 total pledges for the class.

"Both Coach Herm (Edwards) and Coach (Kevin) Mawae both have made it clear that when it came to recruitment they didn’t want me; they needed a center and they wanted me to be that guy."

"We rarely talk about football when I talk with the Arizona State coaching staff; it’s always about growth and getting to the next level."

"It simply came down to the relationships I had built -- not only with Coach Herm and Mawae, but the WHOLE coaching staff, including the defensive line coach (Robert Rodriguez) and current athletes there."

"it was very tough due to the fact that I have built good relationships with all of my top schools, but at the end of the day, the opportunity to be a Day 1 player and be around people and players that I already have built a relationship with was hard to turn down."

"The opportunity to start right away has me pumped up. I know I have lots of work to do, but it will get done, and I will be ready!"

Dotson-Oyetade was an All-District 10-6A selection after a breakout junior season at Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial. He anchored an offensive line that piled up more than 1,100 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns in 2019 and has had 1,000-yard rushers each of the past two seasons.

Dotson-Oyetade, who found a home at center last season, measures up at 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds with a broad frame, long arms and quick feet. He's an athletic interior lineman that's helped Lakeview Centennial average better than 6.0 yards per carry last year.

In addition to football, Dotson-Oyetade throws discus for the track and field program. He is also an Adidas All-American.

On film, Dotson-Oyetade has a fantastic jump off the ball. He possesses natural power to make effective blocks even when he's off-balanced or not in the correct stance. He's instinctive and aggressive and plays with a fierce tenacity.

The coaches at Lakeview Centennial ask Dotson-Oyetade to pull often and he's especially mobile, can get out in space and muster knockdowns and has the potential to reach multiple levels of the defense on a given play. He's not consistent in that category yet, but flashes in certain instances.

Dotson-Oyetade is a sharp run-blocker and that is the forte of his game at this stage. He has seen spot duty at defensive tackle and even tight end, so offensive line remains a relatively new position for him. He has enormous power and will only continue to ascend in that area in a college weight program. He's a finisher at the point of attack and consistently sticks with his blocks until the play is over. You can count on Dotson-Oyetade to eliminate at least one defender from a given play and at times, get to multiple defenders. He's able to effectively kick-out and plow defenders, while also able to reach the second level of the defense.

Dotson-Oyetade is developing as a pass-blocker, and the absence of prospect camps this offseason has not allowed us to take closer looks at where is in that area. However, he approaches pass protection with the same aggressive approach. Hand placement and quickness out of his stance are two areas to work on, but he fares well at maintaining a pocket and is effective in any 1-on-1 situation.

On a final note, Dotson-Oyetade has excellent feet and is a tone-setter for any offense in the middle of the offensive line. He's guilty of over-pursuing on occasion, but for the most part he's an effective blocker with major upside and is developing at a rapid pace. He's naturally strong and agile and willing.