ASU misses on top in-state recruit

TEMPE, Ariz. — ASU football is feeling the departure of former WR coach Ra’Shaad Samples already. Samples left Tempe a few days ago to take a job with the Oregon Ducks as their RB coach. Samples was an elite recruiter and was the primary recruiter for top in-state prospect Cooper Perry.

Perry ranks as the No. 1 overall recruit in Arizona for the 2025 class according to 247 Sports. The wide receiver from Scottsdale clocks in at No. 251 nationally per 247 Sports Composite Rankings. Shortly after Oregon hired away Samples, Perry announced his commitment date. This appeared to be bad news for the Sun Devils, and this afternoon that news came.

Cooper Perry chooses Oregon over ASU and others

Perry had official visits scheduled with Oregon, ASU, Oklahoma, and Washington. However, many in the recruiting world believed it was a two-team race between Oregon and ASU, with the Ducks in the lead. Samples was the primary recruiter for ASU in Perry’s case, so Oregon hiring him sealed the deal.

The local standout announced today that he will officially be attending Oregon for his college career.

BREAKING: Four-Star WR Cooper Perry has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’2 195 WR from Scottsdale, AZ chose the Ducks over Oklahoma & Arizona State

“One step closer to my dream. Sco Ducks!” https://t.co/1rMSbMoDS6 pic.twitter.com/PZeKVYkjpA

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 10, 2024

Perry is the fifth commit to Oregon’s 2025 class and the second WR in the class. The other WR pledge is Dallas Wilson, who ranks as the No. 6 WR in the class. That is over 20 spots higher than Perry at the position, who ranks No. 28.

Samples, now at Oregon as an RB coach, clearly made an impact in Perry’s decision. The new Oregon commit tweeted with Samples shortly after his commitment.

We locked in family 🤞🏼 https://t.co/ElFcYgsBsg

— Cooper Perry (@Cooper_Perry06) April 10, 2024

While it seems the recruiting battle for Perry is over now, there is always the chance that Perry will hit the transfer portal in a year or two. If he does, Kenny Dillingham and ASU would certainly be in a good spot to bring Perry home. But for now, the top prospect in Arizona is an Oregon Duck.

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