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Arizona DL Anthonie Cooper, impressed by ASU's win over Michigan State, commits to in-state Sun Devils

Brian Munoz, Arizona Republic
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After being offered by Arizona State last week, Goodyear Millennium senior defensive lineman Anthonie Cooper checked out the Sun Devils’ game Saturday night against Michigan State.

And he liked what he saw.

“He called me about 11:30, after the game, on his way home, and he said, ‘Coach, I can play there,’ ” Millennium coach Lamar Early said. “He talked about the environment, how crazy the game was. I asked, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘I feel like I belong.’ “

ASU’s walk-off, 16-13 win over Michigan State impacted Cooper so much that on Tuesday he committed to play for the Sun Devils.

“Yeah, the atmosphere of the stadium was amazing and the fan base is so strong,” Cooper said. “I really enjoyed watching the fans get hyped after every play and that’s the environment I wanted to be in.”

In-state recruits are flocking to ASU so far in the Herm Edwards era.

Cooper, 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, becomes the fifth 2019 in-state player to commit to ASU. He joins Chandler Basha offensive lineman Roman DeWys, Tolleson wide receiver Andre Johnson, Tempe Corona del Sol wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr. and Scottsdale Saguaro linebacker/safety Connor Soelle.

Early believes the impact Edwards has made in his first two games is only going to help.

“It’s huge,” Early said of the Michigan State win. “They need that notoriety. ASU just put themselves on the map as a Top 25 team.”

Read the rest of the story in the Arizona Republic

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