These days the college recruiting landscape will see the last of the elite 2024 quarterbacks commit to their respective schools. But today, it was actually the top California signal caller in the 2025 class, J Serra Catholic’s Michael Tollefson, who made his announcement pledging to the Sun Devils, marking the first ASU commit in this class.
In 2021 Tollefson had a sensational freshman campaign for San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) San Juan Hills starting in six games (played in nine total), recording 1,307 passing yards for 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also showed his prowess on the ground rushing for 449 yards and six scores for the Stallions. A year later, despite nagging injuries, the quarterback was still able to post 1,567 passing yards and eight touchdowns, as well as rushing for 644 yards and nine more scores.
The 2023 season will be the first one where he will play across town at JSerra Catholic. Earlier this year, in an Elite 11 Regional event, he showed impressive athleticism recording an electronic 40-yard dash time of 4.65 and displaying a 38-inch vewrtical.
The quarterback’s father, Michael Tollefson Sr., said that his son saw no reason to delay the inevitable even though he won’t sign with ASU for 18 months. Ultimately, it was a long and fruitful recruiting relationship with the Sun Devils’ head coach, who made himself and the program extremely appealing with his actions and words.
“He just wants to focus on football. So, he said, ‘If they (ASU) are checking all four boxes that we’re looking for, what are we waiting for?’ He wanted to commit early, get this out of the way and focus on his team. His mom and I sat down with him, and we all agreed that this would be the best route not to let all the distractions affect him moving forward. He just loves everything that Arizona State and Dillingham have to offer, and he knows that he has a chance to compete.
“We had four main boxes we wanted to get checked off,” Tollefson said, “ASU, Dillingham, and (Offensive Coordinator) Coach Baldwin checked all four of them. One is the relationship. Are these guys you want to play for? What kind of relationship do you have with them? Are you number one on their board? According to Dillingham and Baldwin, everything they did and said while we were there (on a visit) made us feel like he was their top prospect at that position.
“Second was seeing Dillingham’s history of who he’s worked with. My son has been talking to him since he was in eighth grade when Dillingham was at Florida State. He got offered by him there and then got offered again when he was at Oregon. When he became head coach at Arizona State, that relationship just grew stronger. The third thing was, does Dillingham play quarterbacks that looks like Michael? He’s 6-1, weighs 195 lbs., and Dillingham said that he reminds him a lot of Box Nix, who he coached at Oregon. And Michael is just going into his junior year. I saw the reports that he runs a 4.65, and he ran that coming off a hamstring injury. He actually ran a 4.55 laser-timed.
“The fourth thing is that we liked a lot what Dillingham does offensively. We’ve been on the (drawing) board with him, we’ve watched film with him and the way he develops his quarterbacks. His system is super, super quarterback friendly. And if you pay attention, it’s a very simplistic way, but very effective way to read defenses and coverages and his checks. All four boxes got checked.”
Tollefson said that Texas A&M was the only school his son was seriously considering down the stretch. Both programs were visited unofficially earlier this month, so today’s pledge was ultimately arrived at with fresh in-person experiences that shaped the aspects going into the commitment. Washington, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Miami were some of the other Power Five schools that extended offers.
“You had a lot of coaches from different schools, who came up to his high school during spring ball,” Tollefson commented, ‘and everybody wants the kids to come up and camp or visit their school. And I asked him, ‘What schools do you feel are really, really coming at you hard?’ He said, ‘Texas A&M and ASU.’ So, I told him not to waste his time and just visit those two schools. Why are we going to bother with all these other schools who have like 30 other 2025 quarterbacks that they’re looking at and really haven’t given you the time of day?
“These are conversations that we had as a family, and he should go somewhere where they’re showing him the most love and the most interest. I asked him which school was excited the most about what he brings to the table? And he said: ASU. It’s one thing to have a strong relationship with the QB coach, and it’s another to have one with the OC. But it’s even more different to have a really good one with the head coach. That played a huge factor in his decision.”
And where does the nickname ‘Butter’ originate from?
“His mom tells a story of when he was a baby,” Tollefson recalled; .he was colicky. So, she would sing him lullabies when he was like two months old, and she put the word butter hoots in one of those lullabies. And from that point on, she just kept calling him ‘Butter.’”
Tollefson said that he and his family moved from Las Vegas so Michael, his youngest child, could play at a higher level of high school football and gain more recruiting attention.
“We knew we had to give him an opportunity to pursue his dream,” Tollefson explained, “and give him the best chance of achieving that dream in Southern California, the Mecca of high school quarterbacks.”
ASU's depth chart at quarterback wasn't conducive as all of its four scholarship signal callers do have at least two years of eligibility remaining. Trenton Bourguet will be a junior this season and is the presumed starter. Sophomore and Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne is battling for those starting duties. True freshman Jaden Rashada ann sophomore and BYU transfer Jacob Conover round out the depth chart. Currently, ASU is not expected to take more than one quarterback in the 2025 class.
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