A challenging 3-9 2023 campaign requires patience, and according to Kenny Dillingham, it is a virtue that is naturally applicable to recruiting. Nonetheless, Arizona State’s head coach is pleased with the gains made to the roster via the high school prospects added as well as the transfer portal additions that joined the ranks, even though there are some specific roles on the team that he hopes can be addressed effectively prior to March’s spring practice.
On the December 20th signing day, the Sun Devils welcomed 31 newcomers, which included 17 incoming freshmen who put pen to paper on their National Letter of Intent, as well as 14 transfer players who won’t become officially part of the team until they attend their spring semester classes. ASU’s recruiting class is ranked 54th nationally (10th out of 16 Big 12 teams in 2024), and a transfer class ranked 4th.
“I think being here a year allowed us to recruit better prospects, more talented, more size, more speed. We weren’t finding the diamonds in the rough as much,” Dillingham said. “But like I tell people recruiting, if you’re a good recruiter, it’s not a one-year process. It’s a three-to-two-year process…if you’re not slowly building that relationship today, somebody else is.”
The Sun Devils’ transfer class is headlined by former five-star recruit Raleek Brown, who arrived from USC. Dillingham pointed to the recruitment of this dynamic offensive weapon, being no different than pursuing prospects out of high school, as the foundation of relationships still playing a major role in the process.
“Man, it’s the same, it’s just you got to get to know them faster,” Dillingham explained. “It’s like dating versus speed dating. You have two weeks to get to know these guys, sometimes one (week), they make an early decision, and now it’s dead. So, anybody who goes in the portal, you may not even meet them; you may just meet them on FaceTime. That’s it, and they are going to come play for you.”
In the transfer portal frenzy, some schools will tend to engage in de-recruiting a player if they don’t pledge to your school in short order. It’s a practice that Dillingham does not endorse, even if portal recruitment is a process that changes rapidly.
“Kids get out of their letter of intent all the time,” Dillingham commented. “Kids transfer after year one all the time. So, if you’re not genuine in this process anymore, if you’re still in the mindset that ‘we’re going to recruit and then de-recruit. Oh, yeah, it’s de-recruitment season.’ Yeah, basically, your rosters are just going to continue to dwindle every year.”
When assembling this recruiting class, ASU’s head coach knew that the offensive line struggles throughout the season, ones that hindered any sort of offensive success, were an area that had to be adequately addressed. Thin numbers at linebacker and addressing the defensive line, which lost outgoing senior Dashaun Mallory and BJ Green, who left for the portal, were other position groups that needed the help of roster additions to replenish. Dillingham offered his honest assessment of how well those needs were fulfilled.
“I thought our class we got bigger up front, and we got longer in the back end, linebacker included,” Dillingham described. “I think that was one of our goals was to become a bigger defense, a bigger offense and bigger defensively to become a bigger team. The games that really got out of control for us were when we faced size. So, we tried to attack that and to clean that up. So up front wise, we got a lot of guards, and inside guys, we still have to address the tackle position.”
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Specifically on Raleek Brown, Dillingham detailed his expectations concerning a newcomer who can change the face of the offense and its capabilities every Saturday.
“He’s a running back in my mind,” Dillingham stated. “I love playing basketball on grass and trying to get running backs and tight ends matched up with players who can’t cover them. We really didn’t have that last year to a point all the time, just due to how people were personnelling us…Our running backs were physical, downhill guys who weren’t wideouts.”
Wide receiver Jake Smith and safety Xavion Alford, like many other players across the country, saw their eligibility stricken down by the NCAA before the start of the 2023 season. And just a week ago, through a Federal court order, multi-time transfers such as that tandem have now been deemed eligible for the time being. This may open the door for both to receive that year of eligibility back, but other considerations will come into play.
“If they want to be 25, playing college… it’s really a personal decision is if, if they want to come back, we’ll definitely try to do what we can,” Dillingham remarked. “I think that’s a decision they’re going to have to make, and two years from now, hopefully, they don’t have to make it. Hopefully, they’re both Sunday players by then.”
Offensive lineman Emmit Bohle, who sustained a significant leg injury in the opening drive against Oklahoma State in week two, sat out the rest of the season in what was then thought to be his last year of eligibility. Yet, since Bohle had never redshirted at Northern State prior to arriving in Tempe, Dillingham said that the right tackle is returning in 2024.
And most of the Sun Devils’ new faces on the front five, will showcase the successful efforts of the Sun Devil staff establishing the “Polynesian Pipeline” in this 2024 class. For decades now, ASU fans have seen the team’s conference create that consistent niche, and now they can be content that Arizona State has laid a stout foundation to do the same.
Offensive line coach Saga Tuitele has been a crucial part in the addition of roughly seven players with Polynesian roots, as well as running backs coach Shaun Aguano and Player Personnel Senior Assistant Nick So’oto, who not only found players who fit the mold but created an environment that can continue these efforts n future classes.
“Between coach Saga (Tuitele), coach (Shaun) Aguano, coach Nick (So’oto), and then (linebackers) coach (A.J.) Cooper, and then (special teams) coach (Charlie) Ragle…at the end of the day, they’re good kids,” Dillingham said. “I know they’re Polynesian, and that’s the pipeline. We’re trying, but really, we’re just trying to recruit good kids. And I think the culture we’re creating of, be a good person, work really hard…we don’t practice on Sundays. I think all of that stuff aligns to be really attractive to that community of people.”
“The combination of the culture we’re creating, and those people kind of stamping the culture were creating. I think it’s something we’ll continue to do, and I think it’s a big advantage heading into the Big 12.”
By his own admission, Dillingham noted that the adage of recruiting never stops is hardly a cliché and an activity that can take place even on Christmas, New Year’s Day, and the period in between. And this certainly applies to ASU’s 2024 recruiting class since he wasn’t satisfied with the results.
“We were 3-9, and we still put together a really good class. Well, another year of relationships with guys and a better year on the field, I think the standards are only going to get raised. I was talking to somebody before this call; we should be a top two team, a top three team in recruiting in this league. I don’t think we did a great job with that; we were average. I think we finished in the top half.
“I want to finish one through three, and we’re not there yet.”
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