Even though four-star prospect Cameron Dyer has rightfully gained a good deal of accolades, the back-to-back New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year knows he still has much to prove on the collegiate level. The 6-4 200-pound incoming freshman quarterback, who as a high school senior passed for 2,897 yards and 29 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 1,492 yards and 26 scores, wants to prove that ASU's decision to recruit him as a signal caller after initially marking him a wide receiver prospect.
And what the Albuquerque La Cueva High School standout, who will be part of Arizona State’s Barrett Honors College when he arrives for the spring semester, wants to demonstrate just as much is that football players from his home state should get just as much recruiting attention and opportunities to play at power conference programs as any other high school player in the country.
Dyer shares with us his recruiting process with the Sun Devils, his impressions of ASU's stellar 2024 campaign, and his relentless drive to have his actions speak louder than his words or the praise he has received.
“The first time I played football was in a flag football league when I was 5 years old. The ruling out here (New Mexico) is that you're not allowed to play until you're 7. I was hoping that I would play earlier because I wanted to be a fan and a helmet as soon as possible. But since I was in the rules, I had to abide by them.
I started playing tag football right when I turned 7. I remember winning some championships and Super Bowls…being on several different teams, switching positions, and playing both sides of the ball. I liked all the camaraderie, the team events, and all that good stuff. Growing up and experiencing all that fun childhood stuff, playing with my teammates, and everything.
“Really, since my freshman year, I felt that I was good enough to get a college scholarship. I played a little bit on varsity my freshman year. In my sophomore year, I started as a receiver and running back, and then a little bit as a quarterback sometimes. I came in at about 6'2", 6'3 my freshman year. I was super skinny, but I was beginning to put on weight and felt like I had the potential (for a college scholarship). It was all about putting it together and getting it in the right situation. Even though I played different positions I was really always focused on playing quarterback. The only reason why I played a number of different positions was so I could get on the field, get some film, and get that varsity experience. But my position was always quarterback. I practiced with the quarterbacks, but in games, I just hopped on the field. I was playing wide receiver and running back just to get on the field and make an impact for my team.
“My first power conference offer was Texas Tech, and then shortly after, Utah called me. After that, Arizona State called me. I'll never forget Coach Dillingham Face Timing me, letting me know that he wants me and that the whole (ASU) coaching staff is behind me. He didn't know at the time what position they wanted to recruit me for. But he just knew from my film that I was special. With all the different schools recruiting, it was a weird recruiting process for me because some teams were more open to me trying out different things. Some were set on me actually transitioning to playing a safety. Others wanted me either at quarterback or receiver, But actually, the majority of schools were set on me playing quarterback. All the non-power conference schools were set on me playing quarterback. So, it was weird for me, but I'm definitely very thankful for all the experiences for sure. It was really never about the size of the school or, what conference or what position they planned for me. It was really just about finding the best place for me.
“Once I got out to ASU, I knew that was the best place for me. I felt like the energy was just different, and the culture was different. It didn’t matter how big the place was or if their facilities were the best. ASU was the best place for me to continue on with my career and setting me up for the next level which is the NFL, because that's ultimately the dream goal. ASU, in the beginning, recruited me as a wide receiver, so I was talking to Hines Ward a lot. That's my guy. He was real cool ever since he started recruiting me, and ever since he got on staff. I remember once they announced that he was on staff, that next week he reached out to me and my family because Arizona State had already offered me. He introduced himself even though he didn't have to. We were a football family, so we definitely knew who Hines Ward was, and I re-watched his highlights.
“Ever since the beginning, he's (Ward) been bought in all on me and kept it real with me. He is someone who made that switch from quarterback to wide receiver when he was in high school, and he was going to Georgia. So, when he sat down with me, I could relate to him, and that's very big, seeing a guy who’s done it (position switch) and played at that (NFL) level and having all the production that he’s had. He's done everything that every football player dreams of, really.
“I went out to visit ASU that next month after he got hired. That's when I sat down and really had a chance to talk to him, Coach Dillingham, and Coach Arroyo. What I really liked the most about my visit was how the coaches and the players interacted. You can see how their relationships translate to the field and also to off the field and. I'll never forget, when me and my mom walked in on a meeting, and Coach Dillingham was just shooting hoops in the meeting room. It was crazy because here’s this young dude who's just shooting hoops, but he's the head coach, and he's having just as much fun as the players. That's a different energy. That's a different feeling to have as a player. Everybody wants to play for a guy like that. He's a players’ coach who definitely cares about his players. He's not just doing it just because, he's having genuine fun with it. And everybody's still working hard. It's not like nobody's slacking off. Nobody's just twiddling their fingers. Everybody's doing their job, but they're having fun while doing it. That's what I want. That's what I need. That's what I'm here for.
“I honestly wasn’t surprised I committed as early as I did. I committed on the spot on my visit and then announced it three days later. Seeing everything up close and seeing where that program was headed in, I'm excited to be on this team. I'm glad that they did what they did this year, and I'm excited to get in there and build on it. Committing early Most definitely helped me have a good senior year. I could just go out there and play as best I could. Everybody ever since they step into high school, they're worried about what's next. Since I had already committed before my senior season, I was able to play freely and have fun with my team, and worry about winning a state championship, which, sadly, we fell short of. I’m very thankful as I look back on those high school seasons, and look back on my career. It's been a great four years and I was thankful enough to end it off that way for sure.
“It was cool when ASU said that they were now gonna recruit me as a quarterback. I remember Coach Dillingham and Coach Ragle calling me, and we're just chopping it up, filling each other in on what's going on, and Coach Dillingham saying how he's been watching my highlights, and he was very complimentary on how I've improved as a passer, and he said that he was going to come out and watch my game, Week 9 (October 25, 2023) when we played Santa Fe High School. That's when he told me that he wanted me to switch and come play quarterback in the spring. It was special. It was a dream come true. It made it all that much better coming to ASU because it's something that I obviously wanted. I definitely wanted to play quarterback, and I made that very known. They were open to it even though I committed as a receiver. Obviously, him coming out to see me play, that meant the world to me, because not a lot of players get that kind of treatment and I was very thankful and very blessed hearing him say that.
“Coach Dillingham says that as a quarterback, I can bring a combination of both throwing and running, opening up the offense, and really allowing me to do both and excel in this offense. It was really about using all of my skill set, not trying to change anything with my game, and helping me build on my skills. I'm a true dual-threat quarterback. I can beat you with my arm, and I've had several 400-yard passing games. But I've had several 200, 300- yard rushing games. I feel like I can make an impact doing whatever the team needs me to do really in just playmaking.
“Watching Sam Leavitt, I can tell he’s a great quarterback. I haven't had the chance to see him up close, but just watching him online, he makes great decisions and runs the scheme well. I like the scheme and the way that Coach Arroyo designs the plays. I'm just excited to see how he uses my skill set and how I'm able to fit in this offense. I feel like Sam and I have some similarities we bring to the table, but we're also different in some ways. The similarities are him extending plays and being a leader out there on the field. And I feel like that's another thing that I bring to the table. This (2024) season showed that we're not a team to sleep on. Everyone kept their head down and just kept working, and they showed everybody what they were about. That's what I'm about, not just talking and telling everybody what you're going to do, but just more so working on it and showing everybody what you can do.
“Albuquerque and New Mexico are not areas that get recruited a lot and I most definitely want to prove to people out there that there is good talent in New Mexico. Coming from there, I wear it as a badge of honor. Coming from this state, you know that not a lot of people think that kids from here deserve the same opportunities as kids from everywhere. Honestly, we have ballers here that just get slept on. People think that guys from here can't play football, and that's just not the truth. I work so hard and have that chip on my shoulder because I know that's the first thing people think when they see me or when they hear my story: This kid from New Mexico, he doesn't really bring anything to the table. I know if I work just as hard, if not harder, than anybody else in the country, I can prove them wrong. I'm excited to get on that national stage and show the world what I can do and what kids from New Mexico can do.
“When I come out there, I know that I’m starting over. I know that I'm starting from the bottom of the totem pole, and I'm fine with that. I've always been a workhorse. I've always been one of the hardest workers in the room. So, I'm just going to have to work my way up and show everybody what I'm capable of to the Arizona State coaches and players, so I earn their respect and show the whole world.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!
