Perhaps the Arizona State seed was planted in Jaxson Dart’s mind when he was training with former ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly, which is why the Corner canyon (Utah) 2021 quarterback was quite excited when the Sun Devils, after a relatively short recruiting process, extended a scholarship offer.

I’ve probably been in contact with Arizona State and coach (Zak) Hill for I would say, the past two or three weeks,” Dart said, “and it’s gotten more serious as time has gone on and after each game that we’ve played so far. This is a great process, and I’m just super fired up right now.

“Arizona State’s always been a dream school of mine. I trained with former quarterback Taylor Kelly. So I’ve heard nothing but great things from him. I’ve been a Sun Devil fan since I was a kid, so I’m just super amped up. I watched a lot of their games on TV for the last two years, and the biggest game I remember was the Oregon win. The environment was just something that I’ve always dreamed of playing in and in front of the great fans, and it was a great game to watch. They got the upset and played a solid game.

"When I was younger, I was super attracted to the teams that have the cools jerseys at the time. I always felt like it was Arizona State and Oregon. That’s how I first got drawn to them (ASU).”

Dart is also familiar with ASU’s first-year offensive coordinator, Zak Hill, who served in the same capacity with Boise State, and having the chance to play for Hill is certainly an appealing aspect for Dart.

“I’ve been able to attend a couple of Boise State games when he was there,” Dart recalled. “And his offensive scheme is something I feel really fits my skills as a quarterback. I think we can do great things together, so that’s been something that’s stuck out to me when he offered.

“He (Hill) didn’t offer me because I was at a previous high school before I got to Corner Canyon, and the offense that I was in didn’t really showcase my abilities that well. I was stuck in a Wing-T, double-wing offense, but with Corner, we’ve been able to open up the offense a ton, and I’ve been able to showcase my abilities with some great coaching, and I have and a lot of talented players right beside me. I had a great offseason to prepare for this year, and that’s what got me to this point.”

As a junior last season for Roy High School, Dart played in 11 games posting 2,440 passing yards and threw for 22 touchdowns. He was an All-Region selection in each of his three seasons there. This year he has led the state’s no. 1 Corner Canyon squad to a 3-0 mark so far, passing for 965 yards, 13 touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 74.6 completion rate. Dart has also rushed for 286 yards, averaging 11.4 per carry, scoring four times.

“He (Zak Hill) loves my playmaking ability,” Dart described. “He loves my athleticism and my accuracy, and I think that he feels that I’m a great fit for his offense and the things that he’s trying to do in the future. And I couldn’t agree more. I could totally see myself being in the Sun Devil uniform, playing for him. I’m someone who is very poised in the pocket, and I have good accuracy. I’m super competitive, so I’ll do whatever it takes to win. When I’m running, I’ll fight for that extra yard, even if I have to run through somebody if I have to get there.

“The biggest thing I want to work on is just my consistency with throws off-platform because you’re never really going to have a clean pocket the further you get along in this game. So I want to improve the off-platform throws and my decision making. I’m trying to be just a hair-second earlier on some things, and understanding the game more.”

Taylor Kelly who was a three-year starter at ASU between 2012-14 and who finished his career in Tempe with a school-record 10,223 career yards of total offense is someone Dart looks up. The success that Kelly enjoyed is definitely playing a part in Dart’s enthusiasm towards the Sun Devils.

“He got to experience everything ASU had to offer,” Dart said of Kelly. “He loves the city of Tempe, and he just loved his experience there. He feels like I can fit into that system and do similar things that he did. Personally, I don’t know anyone else that’s been on the team, but I’ve been able to watch (quarterback) Jayden Daniels. I watched him a ton when he was in high school at Cajon. I knew he was a stud since I watched his first highlight video.

“Arizona State always has great receivers. I remember watching N’Keal Harry. He was somebody that’s always stuck out to me with his big frame and his playmaking ability. And then I was also able to go to the Arizona State/Utah game last year with that terrible weather. They maybe weren’t able to open up as much as they wanted to. But they had some super young players last year. I think with this recruiting class that they have going that there’s only a bright future, so it’s a place I’d love to be a part of.”

While many prospects in his class are pledging to schools sight unseen, Dart seems intent on not following that path. Thus, even with an extended recruiting dead period, he’s more than willing to come for a non-hosted visit in Tempe.

“I’m planning on going out sometime in the next couple of weeks and just walking around,” Dart remarked. “I’ve been able to watch virtual tours around the campus and the facilities and all of which I’m super impressed with. But I’d love to get out there and even though during these unprecedented times you’re not really able to do the same things as you were before, just me getting out there and getting the feel of the town and the community will be super big for me. So, I want to check it out and see what ASU has to offer. I talked to coach Hill, and he thinks that’s a great idea.

“When I had my virtual visit, I thought the locker room was sweet. The stadium’s legit, and that’s something that popped out to me, for sure. You want to play in an environment that has people who support their football team and support their athletics and the town. Right out of the stadium, I was able to check out that street (Mill Avenue), and it was alive, and it just looked awesome.”

The Utah signal-caller admitted that playing in the NFL is “my ultimate goal,” and what Arizona State had to offer in that regard didn’t go unnoticed.

“That’s been super cool to hear about,” Dart said of ASU’s ‘Pro Model.’ “I was able to talk to coach (Herm) Edwards, and I remember him when I was younger when he was coaching in the NFL for the Chiefs. And then alongside him, he has coach (Marvin) Lewis, who coached for the Bengals, and I think that’s huge. That sells that they’re going to get just as much attention as anybody else in the country, so yeah, that’s super intriguing for me.

“Coach Edwards is a great guy, and you can tell he has the ability to bond with his players very well. I think that for a kid that wants to go to a school he wants to have that coach who will criticize you and help you improve on your mistakes but will also be able to make that bond with you. He mostly talked about the culture that he has at Arizona State and how he feels like it’s trending very uphill, and the future looks very bright.”

Dart who is a two-time All-State Selection as an infielder, said that even though he loves baseball and plans to play in his senior year of high school; he has no intention of trying to play that sport in college. His focus is squarely on football with a decision that should come sooner rather than later and a college career that he does anticipate being interrupted once he leaves high school.

“I’m planning on not going on a mission,” Dart said. “The plan is to graduate in the spring of 21 and go through my high school career. That’s the plan for right now. I want to check out all the schools that offered me. I’ve been to BYU and Utah State and also been to Utah and Colorado (who have not offered). I did take virtual tours to some of the schools that offered me like Louisiana -Lafayette.”

“I would say right now it’s BYU, Utah State, Utah and Arizona State are recruiting me the hardest. I don’t know what other offers I’ll get, and right now, I’m just trying to control what I can control with my high school season, and whatever comes with that.”

Dart anticipated his decision to come by the end of this month and said that distance wouldn’t be a facet that dictates his decision. He reiterated that visiting a school and getting to experience the unique vibe each place has will be much more critical in his ultimate resolution.

“It’s important to me to get the feel of the community and the campus of the school,” Dart explained. “That will be the most important part for me. I don’t know if I will wait until after my Arizona State visit to make a decision. It depends on what I’m able to do. But I’m planning on taking that visit. If things pop up and I can’t, I’ll still be able to keep on watching the virtual tours and that stuff.

“But I could see my decision coming soon actually. I’m looking for a school that will have the best environment and culture, and the program has the most to offer me for my position.”

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(Jesse Morrison contributed to this article)