Arizona State Impact Freshman Spotlight: Junior Alexander
The Arizona State Sun Devils head into the 2021 season with a room of familiar faces. No longer are they the team with a handful of exciting but inexperienced players, as the Sun Devils welcome back 15 of their 22 starters from last season.
The veterans on the roster are going to be held to a high standard if Arizona State wants to be a powerhouse in the Pac-12. Players such as quarterback Jayden Daniels and defensive lineman Jermayne Lole are two of a handful of prominent players who many expect to handle business for Arizona State this season.
However, there's always a freshman or two that are able to make an immediate prescience on the football. And ASU's incoming class should be no different.
The staff of AllSunDevils came together to discuss their picks for which freshmen could have the largest impact for the upcoming season.
This article is the third in our ASU Impact Freshman series, with Ezra Dotson-Oyetade and Eric Gentry already named. Millard Thomas has AllSunDevils' third selection:
Junior Alexander
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Sun Devils nation is waiting for a breakout season from third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. But according to the rankers at Pro Football Focus, Daniels is the 72nd-best quarterback in the country out of 130 FBS starters. If he wants to get out of the “average" tier, as PFF described it, Daniels will need one of his young wide receivers to emerge.
And that difference-maker could be incoming freshman Junior Alexander.
At 6-foot-3, 189 pounds, Alexander is a long and lanky receiver that understands where the open holes are in the defense. He’s not a burner, but neither was N’Keal Harry or Brandon Aiyuk; as both players could take the top off of the defense. Last year, running back Rachaad White led Arizona State in receiving with 151 yards. So the opportunity is there for the taking.
SI All-American's John Garcia was telling AllSunDevils last September that Alexander was someone to keep our eyes out for as soon as he steps on the field:
"I love the pick up of Junior Alexander out of the Pacific Northwest. (He's) 6-3, 200 pounds, uber productive at the high-school level which is an indicator of instant impact ability at that wide receiver position."
If Alexander continues to work on his route-running, while building a rapport with Daniels in the offseason, there is no reason he can’t be one of the go-to receiving options despite being a freshman.
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