Arizona and Arizona State have traded punches in the Territorial Cup the last three seasons, with the Sun Devils grabbing wins in 2012 and 2013, and the Wildcats returning the favor last season. But on the local recruiting trail, things aren’t quite so close.

Both Todd Graham and Rich Rodriguez looked to build a wall around Arizona when it came to keeping Grand Canyon State prospects from leaving home. Results have been less than impressive, as the two programs signed just nine of the 40 top-10 in-state prospects from the 2011-2015 recruiting classes. Neither program has signed Arizona’s top prospect since the 2008 class, but that could all change with Arizona State and the 2016 group.

While Arizona hasn’t yet found extended success in keeping prospects home, Arizona State seems to have finally found its footing. The Sun Devils hold commitments from three of the top six in-state prospects, including the state’s No. 1 recruit N’Keal Harry and fellow ESPN 300 prospect Chase Lucas.

Not only would signing that duo be big on the field for the Sun Devils, as Harry is a potential instant-impact receiver and Lucas could step in at cornerback or in the slot, it would make a symbolic statement as well.

Few players over the past several years have served as a better example of Arizona State missing out on local prospects than former UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and Bruins running back Paul Perkins. The Bruins beat the Sun Devils two out of three times with Hundley at the helm and it was no surprise to see Graham go all in when it came to landing future Chandler (Ariz.) stars. It started with a trickle in the 2015 class, as the Sun Devils signed quarterback Bryce Perkins -- the younger brother of the UCLA standout. But the floodgates opened in 2016, with the formidable Chandler duo of Harry and Lucas.

“It’s been three or four years of a work in progress,” Chandler head coach Shaun Aguano said of Arizona State recruiting the area. “They’ve been working with kids, building relationships across Arizona. That’s the biggest thing -- the longevity of the coaches, seeing them at games, inviting families and meeting everyone. The trust has been built.”

Harry said he was well-aware of the success former Arizona prep standouts such as Casey Tucker and Christian Kirk are having at the next level outside the state.

“They’re doing big things where they are, but I wanted to create my own path,” Harry said. “I’ve built a relationship with the coaches. They were the first school to recruit me and they’ve seen me grow as a person and a player.”

Harry and Lucas are from single-parent homes, and Aguano said that played a role in their decision, as both wanted to continue their careers in front of family and friends.

“When I was talking with my grandma about deciding, we were talking about how we can really make a name for the state of Arizona,” Harry said.

What’s interesting about the Sun Devils finding success this season is that after back-to-back 10-win seasons, it’s a sloppy 5-5 season that has the local prospects interested. Harry said the struggles have shined a spotlight on exactly why Arizona State needs him in the lineup.

“With them struggling this year, my mindset is that I’m thinking they need a receiver like when Jaelen Strong was there,” Harry said.

There is still a bit of two steps forward, one step back for Arizona State, and the Sun Devils coaches watched top 2017 quarterback Ryan Kelley commit to Oregon last week. But Aguano said he expects momentum to keep moving the way of the Sun Devils.

“The attitude has changed,” Aguano said. “I can’t talk about what’s happening at other schools, but after seeing Hundley, Markus Wheaton, Dion Jordan and Perkins all leaving the state, now in the locker room a lot of them are talking about staying in state and building a power. I couldn’t say that five or six years ago. Everyone wanted to leave and go to other schools.”

Aguano sees an opportunity for both programs to be successful in state, and that both Harry and Lucas had the Wildcats in their final group of schools. Arizona and Arizona State will have an opportunity this weekend to impress a large group of prospects, as there are still several in-state targets in the 2016 class and the 2017 group is again loaded, though two ESPN Junior 300 prospects have already committed out of state. Offensive tackle Austin Jackson, athletes Tyler Johnson and Isaiah Pola-Mao and safety K.J. Jarrell will be high priority recruits for both programs and if the 2016 class is any indication, more than a few could be staying home.

“I think the tide has turned,” Aguano said.