Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils safety Adrian Wilson (6) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona State Trending For Physical 2027 Safety

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Max Dorsey | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 11:00 AM ET

Throughout the 2027 recruiting cycle, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham and his staff have not shied away from pursuing the top prospects in the class. The Sun Devils have already secured commitments from two four-star recruits and have made significant progress with several other elite players.

One of those players is a four-star safety and a top-200 overall prospect in the country, who recently named Arizona State as one of the schools standing out in his recruitment.

Arizona Standing Out to Four-Star 2027 Safety

For the past few months, Arizona State has been targeting Isala Wily-Ava, a four-star safety from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. The Sun Devils first offered him in March and have actively pursued him since.

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Wily-Ava is one of the top defensive back prospects in the country and has earned offers from some of the nation’s top programs, including Ohio State, Texas, USC, and others.

Although several schools are pursuing the four-star safety, Wily-Ava recently told Rivals’ Adam Gorney that a few schools are standing out most in his recruitment: Arizona State, Michigan, and Washington.

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When talking about the Sun Devils, Wily-Ava told Gorney that he visited Tempe a few weeks ago and hit it off with Arizona State’s Executive Director of Football Recruiting and Player Personnel, Josh Omura.

“I was out there a couple weekends ago,” Wily-Ava told Gorney. “Coach Omura, the GM, we chopped it up for a little bit. He’s from Hawaii, I’m from Hawaii so that connection right there is strong already. We had a great conversation and he opened my mind to ASU.”

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While Arizona State appears to be in a strong position with Wily-Ava, Michigan and Washington remain very much in the mix for the young defensive back. Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine currently lists the Huskies as the clear favorite to land him, with a 91.3% chance.

The good news for the Sun Devils is that Wily-Ava still hasn’t officially narrowed his list, and there’s currently no timeline for his decision, so Dillingham and company should have plenty of time to continue progressing in his recruitment.

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Wily-Ava would be a massive addition to the Sun Devils’ 2027 class with Rivals’ industry rankings listing him as the No. 179 overall player in the country, the No. 19 safety, and the No. 18 prospect in California.

It remains to be seen how the rest of Wily-Ava’s recruitment will unfold, but based on his recent interview with Gorney, the Sun Devils are in contention to land one of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class.

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

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