Arizona State Football Recruiting: Starters and Redshirts for the Class of 2012

Through national signing day, new Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham got the job done by signing 23 recruits to join his team for the 2012 college football season.

The Sun Devils needed to make things happen considering that the USC Trojans are now once again bowl-eligible, and their instate rivals, the Arizona Wildcats, have Rich Rodriguez doing their recruiting.

Graham managed to land 23 recruits, five of whom are rated as 4-stars. It will remain to be seen where and how he decides to use them, including some being redshirted.  

Here is a breakdown of how things could go with some of the top recruits the Sun Devils have this season.

Evan Goodman, Offensive Tackle

With six underclass offensive linemen returning for the 2012 season, the Arizona State Sun Devils may have a hard time getting offensive tackle Evan Goodman on the field his freshman year.

The likely scenario is that he will be redshirted, but will be ready to take a much more prominent role as those other players proceed to their post-college football careers.

The Sun Devils certainly need a fresh group on the offensive line, so they perhaps look to have Goodman be that leader under Graham's new system.

Richard Smith, Wide Receiver

Todd Graham made a huge splash by getting 4-star wide receiver Richard Smith.

The Sun Devils were in dire need of adding some depth to their receiving corps, and they did just that by adding the 39th-ranked wideout in this class.

The team will be losing guys like Gerell Robinson, Aaron Pflugrad and Mike Willie. Not to mention guys like Jamal Miles, A.J. Pickens and Rashad Ross are all going to be seniors.

Smith likely won't get much time this season since their is quite some depth, but he may get a shot if he can stand out from the rest of the pack.

This team will need a big consistent playmaker, which could come from juniors like Kevin Ozier and Jarrid Bryant. 

Salamo Fiso, Outside Linebacker

With junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict heading to the NFL draft, outside linebacker recruit Salamo Fiso may actually get a shot on the field this season.

The 4-star recruit out of Long Beach, Calif., is an athletic linebacker who could come in right away and replace the ability Burfict had.

The team is losing many of their star linebackers from previous years, as players like Colin Parker and Shelly Lyons have graduated. Fiso will get a chance to make an immediate impact and possibly become a force under Graham's new program.

They may decide to take the safe route considering the team has a few linebackers already set to go. Depending on how things look going into camp, the team may have a hard time keeping him out.

D.J. Foster, Athlete

Considering he is Todd Graham's best recruit this season, it will be hard to keep D.J. Foster off the field this season.

The issue is, running back Cameron Marshall will be returning, as will Deantre Lewis, who missed the previous season due to a gunshot injury.

With Marshall being a senior, Foster should get his chance during his sophomore year. The problem is, it really depends on how Lewis does. He is going to only be a sophomore, and while the two could be compliments to one another, one is going to get the majority of carries in the end.

Foster likely won't get lost, but he may have a hard time getting touches this year. He could find himself doing return duties with Jamal Miles now focusing more on the receiving end of the game.

Stephon McCray, Offensive Guard

As was said about Evan Goodman, the same could go for offensive guard Stephon McCray.

With so many players on the line returning, it will be hard to get McCray involved in the offense during his freshman year.

He will likely get his shot after this season, especially as Graham grooms his recruits to his liking. All of these linemen are returning from the Dennis Erickson era, which was dominated by penalties on the offense for things like holding and false starts.

Graham is starting to build his future offensive line, and it will start with McCray and Goodman.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.