ASU's Unicorn TE Ready to Finally Take Flight

It’s been a long road for tight end Jayden Fortier, and this will finally be the season where he can see the gridiron.

Fortier was a highly touted recruit when he signed with the Sun Devils during his junior year of high school as a four-star recruit, and was a dual athlete who also played basketball in high school.

But ultimately, his career trajectory was thrown for a loop after he tore his ACL in his state championship game in his senior year.

All of a sudden, Fortier’s status for his freshman season was up in the air. And it seemed like he was pushing to make it by the start of the season (ACL injuries usually take nine months to fully heal), but in the end, he was shut down for the season.

And yet, all bad news comes with a silver lining.

He got to witness firsthand the greatest season in Arizona State history in 50 years, and now he has the chance to grow with a program that has championship aspirations.

He’s a unique talent who has the speed of a wide receiver but a body built like a tight end.

Most of the time, he lined up as a wide receiver, but based on how he performed back in fall camp, the staff may want to use him as a tight end. It makes sense, though. There isn’t a whole lot of game tape or information about him, but when you watch his high school tape, he was virtually impossible to tackle.

He was a man amongst boys in high school, and it wasn’t even close.

There were times that Fortier took snaps in the wildcat position, and one in particular where he ran through a crowd of defenders and still came out unscathed all the way to the endzone.

The fit on this roster is as tantalizing as it gets, but there’s no way to predict how this season goes for Fortier until we see him take the field for fall camp. Especially now that freshman AJ Ia is with the team.

If there’s a way for Marcus Arroyo and Kenny Dillingham to use him, they absolutely should. He’s a unicorn on the gridiron, but his playing time reflects on how he approaches the season.

Currently on 247Sports, his profile lists him at 220 pounds, and in order for him to get meaningful reps at tight end, Fortier is going to need to bulk up and gain some weight.

The possibilities are endless, but the approach is limited. Take your training seriously, and watch your dreams come true.

If he does that, this won’t be the last time you hear the name Jayden Fortier.

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