Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham addresses the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Arizona State Building Recruiting Power in Big 12

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 4:38 PM ET

Kenny Dillingham has quickly risen to be one of the biggest stars in the college football world following an improbable Big 12 championship a season ago.

The 35 year old has rebuilt a program that was seen as being in an extremely undesirable position in seemingly record time - the benefits that are currently being reaped include once again becoming established as a serious threat on the recruiting trail.

Arizona State currently holds a top-two spot in the Big 12 when it comes to recruiting rankings - according to nearly every source.

The efforts have been backed by a staff that is as authentic as they are relentless, the recent on-field success, and Kenny Dillingham's continued work towards building an unbreakable culture.

This has resulted in the Sun Devils securing commitments from two of the top 10 players that are currently pledged to Big 12 programs for next fall - QB Jake Fette and TE Hayden Vercher have both been set to play in Tempe for an extensive period of time.

Top Big 12 commits in the 2026 Rivals300⭐️

Read: https://t.co/dc8wqJrwzG pic.twitter.com/C9NEMDuAiN
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 19, 2025

A brief breakdown of the two prospects that are listed:

Fette

Fette is the crown jewel of Arizona State's 2026 class.

The El Paso, Texas native has thrown for 59 touchdowns over the last two seasons as the starting quarterback at Del Valle high school, and has earned many honors over the last year - including being invited to the 'Elite 11' camp in June.

Fette has the talent to be a natural succession plan as a true freshman - assuming Sam Leavitt departs to the NFL after the 2025 season.

Vercher

Vercher is widely seen as a four star prospect in the '26 class. The incredibly talented tight end out of Thousand Oaks, California is set to join a TE room coached by Jason Mohns that already features four star freshman AJ Ia among others.

As for the 2025 season - the Sun Devils are set to usher in a brand new campaign on August 30 against Northern Arizona.

Read more on Arizona State being in contention to land an elite EDGE recruit in the 2027 class here, and on Arizona State basketball scheduling a home date with Gonzaga in November here.

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This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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