Red Wolves ink 28 in Malzahn’s first recruiting class

When all was said and done, the 2012 National Signing Day was one for many firsts at Arkansas State.

The dust has settled on the 2012 recruiting season and Arkansas State finished higher than ever among the nation's recruiting classes at No. 78, the first time ASU has finished with the best class in the Sun Belt conference (Florida International finished No. 82).

"A great signing class, about three and a half weeks of hard work to be able to bring this type of caliber athlete to Arkansas State," head coach Gus Malzahn said during his press conference Wednesday afternoon. "I really felt like we filled our needs. There were a couple of glaring areas we felt we had to address."

After losing 24 seniors, ASU brings in 27 new players, including 22 high school signees, six junior college transfers and two FBS transfers in running back Michael Dyer (Auburn) and offensive lineman Travis Bodenstein (Kansas).

The biggest priority for Malzahn and his staff was recruiting the talent available at hand here in Arkansas, where the Red Wolves received 12 commitments, including the signing of Dyer.

This was the first fact he noted Wednesday at the ASU football complex, flanked by a large board listing the 27 signees.

"We tried to start with the state of Arkansas. Then we tried to go with the connections our coaches already had," Malzahn said. "We tried to individually carry on those relationships."

Those relationships helped ASU sign just the second Parade All-American in school history, quarter back Fredi Knighten out of Pulaski Academy, a JUCO All-American in defensive end John Gandy (Blinn College) and flipped recruits from other schools, like offensive lineman Bryce Giddens from Southern Mississippi and three-star cornerback Chris Humes from Arkansas.

Giddens, who attends Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Ga., was described by Malzahn as, "the best center I've seen on film since I've been coaching college."

On defense, the "top guy signed," for Malzahn is three-star linebacker Eddie Porter, one of three defensive players that are coming from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.

"You're talking about one of the best linebackers in the whole country," Malzahn said. "This guy could have gone anywhere he wanted, and he's here."

Porter will be joined at ASU by Gandy and defensive end Ishmail Hayes. All three played at Blinn when former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton played there in between his time at Florida and Auburn.

"Those three are very close. They're outstanding football players," Malzahn said. "All three of those guys can help immediately. That kind of gave us a shot in the arm and gave us some momentum to finish our class."

More signees for the Red Wolves on offense in addition to Knighten include running backs Kendrick Daniels (Sulphur Springs, Texas) and Michael "Flash" Gordon.

"Kendrick Daniels, he's got that McCalebb speed. Onterio McCalebb, who we had at Auburn and kind of the way we used Felix Jones at Arkansas," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "Then you got Michael Gordon, from down in Mississippi, he's as talented as any back in the country."

With these running backs, in addition to DeKeathen Williams and Dyer, Lashlee feels the Red Wolves have addressed the running back position well.

Daniels, who averaged 7.3 yards per rush and earned 920 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior year at Sulphur Springs, was ASU's first commit last year under Hugh Freeze.

Daniels considered decommitting if running backs coach David Gunn would have also left, but did not think twice once Malzahn was hired and Gunn was retained.

"The whole coaching staff, I‘m just glad to be in their presence," Daniels said in a phone interview. "No way am I going to leave."