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

Revisiting Local 2027 Recruiting Prospects for Arizona State

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 6:36 PM ET

The Arizona State football program has taken major leaps over the last two-plus years since changing leadership in November 2022.

The Sun Devils have experienced some slow growth when it comes to freshman recruiting classes since Kenny Dillingham's first class in 2023 - although the 2026 class appears to be a drastic improvement.

The improvement is largely marked in a massive presence in Texas - which is a positive development, but the program has not made the same traction in Arizona despite Dillingham's insistence to make in-state prospects major priorities.

The newfound success, improving NIL efforts, and budding track record of player development are all clear selling points moving forward - this could come to a head in the 2027 class.

Coach Dillingham and staff previously gifted 'golden tickets' to six unique local 2027 recruits - making it a point to prioritize top talents.

Three of those six 'golden ticket' recipients are currently ranked within the top 300 Rivals rankings on a national scale

Arizona has three prospects ranked in the updated Rivals300 rankings, two of which are Arizona State golden ticket recipients.

No. 48 - RB Noah Roberts
No. 68 - OL Jake Hildebrand
No. 189 - WR Dontay Tysonhttps://t.co/WW0NJCPJZO @AZHSFB pic.twitter.com/YcT04RoMBp
— Adam Beadle (@therealbeadle) July 18, 2025

Roberts - a running back currently attending Basha high school - is ranked 48th nationally. He reportedly already runs a sub 4.4 40 yard dash and is being pursued by numerous power programs including Ohio State.

Hildebrand is an offensive tackle that also currently hails out of Basha - he is ranked 68th nationally per Rivals and is currently projected to select Arizona State.

Tyson is a top 200 recruit nationally - the wide receiver out of Peoria high school is being targeted by Arizona, Kansas State, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and more outside of Arizona State.

One thing is for certain - the position coaches are working tirelessly in unison with coach Dillingham to make efforts to secure commitments from players of all walks.

Recent recruiting losses such as missing out on Devin Fitzgerald sting for the moment, but the outlook moving forward is certainly brighter compared to what it was two years ago.

Read more on projecting the 10 best players on Arizona State's roster going into the new season here, and on Leavitt being selected as the Big-12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year here.

Please let us know your thoughts on the efforts of the coaching staff to keep top-level talent from Arizona in-state and if they will succeed on a large scale when you like our Facebook page when you click right 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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