Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham looks on during the first half of the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

2026 LB Recruit Commits to Arizona State

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated May 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Arizona State recruiting train is full steam ahead after securing another key commitment from a 2026 prospect.

Mason Marden - a three-star recruit out of Saint Louis, Missouri - chose the Sun Devils to be his collegiate home on Wednesday afternoon.

Marden chose the Sun Devils over fellow finalists in Wisconsin, Michigan State, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

More importantly, Kenny Dillingham's program is continuing momentum that has the Sun Devils in top-15 territory as far as next year's recruiting class is concerned.

Marden lamented on the relationship that he has built with linebackers coach AJ Cooper - even citing it as a key reason as to why he ultimately chose to play in Tempe.

Via Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource:

"The main thing that made me choose the Sun Devils was that since January, this relationship with coach Cooper really showed me that family aspect of the relationship of football."

"He's shown me how they treat you like family, treat you like one of their own and that really stuck out to me. My visits showed the overall culture and the people really made me feel at home. It's people that you can bond with and get close to outside of football."

Arizona State adds another piece to its 2026 recruiting class.

Mason Marden is a machine at linebacker. He racked up 170 total tackles, 20 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles last season. https://t.co/Rhcesw8upl
— Anthony Totri (@Anthony_Totri) May 21, 2025

Marden joins a symphony of recruits that have nothing but positive things to say about the various assistant coaches across the board - Arizona State is not only a current power in the Big 12 conference, but are quickly becoming a program that can consistently build high-level recruiting classes in the long run.

The linebacker seems enthusiastic about his future with the Sun Devil program, and doesn't see any change of heart happening in the future - as far as his commitment is concerned.

"I'm a committed person."

"I plan to stay committed. That's how I am with everything. Loyalty is the biggest thing. ASU came in early and wanted to build a strong relationship so I feel like, 'Why would I not stay with them?'"

The culture of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice has been illuminated in Tempe since day one of the Dillingham era, and it will only continue to pay-off in the future.

Read more about the lasting impression that Sun Devil coaches are making in the recruiting game here and the mindset that coach Dillingham has pertaining to the program here.

Please let us know your thoughts on this new commit when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

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

More must-reads: