Arizona State Football Recruiting: 10 Greatest Recruiting Classes of All Time

The Arizona State Sun Devils have been one of the most notable football programs in college football history.

New head coach Todd Graham will be looking to build upon that, as he will have a long road to making a name of his own.

They have been to 25 bowl games, taking home the trophy 12 times. They have also had a lot of great success throughout the years, winning their conference 17 times. The team has also managed to have three undefeated seasons, as well as five where it only lost one game.

Here's a look at the 10 best recruiting classes of all time.

10. 2008 Class

The 2008 class had many star players who emerged over the last two seasons for the Sun Devils.

Guys like wide receivers Gerell Robinson and A.J. Pickens were a part of this class, as well as highly coveted quarterback Jack Elway—son of NFL legend John Elway.

While their quarterback situation didn't exactly pan out as planned, the Sun Devils saw a lot of success from both wide receivers and from linebacker Shelly Lyons.

Things were looking good for this class in the 2011 season, but they failed to capitalize, as they finished out the year 6-7.

9. 1998 Class

The 1998 recruiting class was highlighted by tight end Todd Heap.

Over his career as a Sun Devil, Heap set the school record for receptions by a tight end with 115.

Other notable players who were a part of this class included defensive end Erik Flowers and defensive tackle Junior Ioane.

Players from this class were also responsible for getting the Sun Devils into two bowl games, including the 1999 and 2000 Aloha Bowl. Some were also around long enough to help the team get to the 2002 Holiday Bowl.

Considering the team lost all three bowl games, this class could have done a lot better.

8. 2009 Class

While the 2009 class never found much success on the field, it was by far one of the most talented classes that ever joined the Sun Devils.

The class was led by 5-star recruit middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Other key pieces included wide receiver Jamal Miles, running back Cameron Marshall, defensive back Osahon Irabor and quarterback Brock Osweiler.

This class had a chance to make a name for itself during the 2011 season but failed to do anything after getting off to a 5-2 start on the season.

The team finished 6-7, and it later led to the demise of head coach Dennis Erickson.

Still, this class was extremely talented.

7. 1994 Class

The 1994 class will always be remembered as the class that had linebacker Pat Tillman in its class.

Tillman has become an important piece of Sun Devils history, as he will always be remembered for being brave and giving his time and life to the Army.

Other players who were a part of this memorable class include running back Marlon Flow, defensive tackle Vincent Amey and linebacker Larry Johnson.

There were many more great players in this class, as all helped the Sun Devils go undefeated during the regular season only to lose the 1997 Rose Bowl to Ohio State University.

6. 1960 Class

The 1960 recruiting class is significant because of wide receiver Charley Taylor, who became one of the best to ever play the game.

He would play for the Sun Devils all four years, eventually moving on to the NFL. There he played 14 seasons and has since been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Taylor never got to go to a bowl game with the Sun Devils, but his play and success in the NFL put the program back on the map.

While he never got to taste that sweet success of bowl victory, his impact on the future of this program is just too much to look over.

5. 1993 Class

Perhaps one of the greatest Pac-10 quarterbacks of all time, Jake "The Snake" Plummer was an essential piece of the Sun Devils' 1993 recruiting class.

Plummer was one of the key pieces of taking the Sun Devils to an overall record of 12-0 during the regular season, only to lose the Rose Bowl 20-17 against Ohio State.

Other key additions to that team from the 1993 class included center Juan Roque, wide receiver Keith Poole and running back Michael Martin.

This class likely could have been above the rest if it had finished the season perfect, but what it accomplished was good enough.

4. 2000 Class

This was by far one of the Arizona State Sun Devils' best classes of all time.

It included NFL stars like defensive end Terrell Suggs and quarterback Andrew Walter.

This class assisted in taking the team to the 2000 Aloha Bowl, 2002 Holiday Bowl and the 2004 Sun Bowl—which it won over Purdue 27-23.

Perhaps the most successful player to come out of this class is Suggs, who has found a lot of success at linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens.

He was the 10th overall pick in the 2003 draft and has been a constant threat for the Ravens.

3. 1984 Class

Players from the 1984 recruiting class played a huge part in the Sun Devils' 1986 season where the team went 10-1-1, which included the team's Rose Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.

Players who headlined this class were people like wide receiver Aaron Cox, offensive guard Randall McDaniel, offensive tackle Jim Warne and quarterback John Walker.

This class was all too important to the Sun Devils, and it propelled them back onto the scene.

2. 1971 Class

The man, the myth, the legend—quarterback Danny White was a part of this 1971 class that assisted in the Arizona State Sun Devils winning four straight Fiesta Bowls.

While White is the most popular of players to come from this class, others that were popular include players like running back Woody Green, fullback Ben Malone, offensive tackle Steve Gunther and defensive end Larry Shorty.

While they were assisted by the classes of 1970, '72 and '73, there is no denying how many great pieces this class had in assisting the team to claim so many bowl titles.

1. 1972 Class

As previously mentioned, the 1971 class was very strong, but this team would only get tougher when it added its class from 1972.

This class included star recruit Mike Haynes, who was a stud cornerback and kick returner for the Sun Devils.

During the 1974 season, he had 11 interceptions on his own. He has since been put into the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame and is by far one of the most successful players to ever put on a Sun Devils jersey.

Other notable players included linebackers Bob Breunig and Larry Gordon.

While the group was small, its additions were good enough to keep this team rolling in the WAC for many years and continually kept the team on the nationwide map.