Kaden Helms speaks highly of ASU and his recruiting process with the school

2022 Bellevue (Neb.) West tight end Kaden Helms is off a strong start with over a dozen of Power 5 offers. Even though Arizona State is the latest such program to offer him, he tells Devils Digest that the Sun Devils have already been making an early and strong impression.

“Recruiting with Arizona State is going pretty good,” Helms said. “Me and coach (Adam) Breneman, the tight ends coach, are in contact almost every single day, usually on FaceTime. They've been doing a really good job of keeping in contact and keeping me in the loop of things. We had a Zoom call where he showed me all the different ways they use their tight ends in their offensive system. They do a good job of getting me involved talking with all the offensive coaches and all the guys that are behind the offense, and also coach Edwards. So that's something I like too.”

It’s no secret that Zak Hill, ASU’s offensive coordinator, who was hired prior to the 2020 season, has not only expressed his desire for stronger involvement of the tight ends in the passing game, but even in a shortened season last year, he was able to demonstrate that philosophy that was prevalent in Hill’s previous stop.

“I know their (ASU’s) offensive coordinator came from Boise State,” Helms stated, “and I got to see all the different ways that he used the tight ends there, and all the diversity they had at the tight end position. That’s the thing that has impressed me the most so far about the school, seeing how they would use the tight end.

“He (Hill) had them running the ball, doing trick plays and all sorts of things. So that was pretty cool to see the different ways that they use the tight ends. I didn't know they're planning on using tight ends in that form.”

While the Nebraska tight end doesn't have any football or family ties to ASU or the Phoenix Metropolitan area, he did admit that the Sun Devils are a team he used to check on from time to time much before they offered him earlier this month.

“I always had Arizona State kind of on mind. It's Arizona State, and everyone talks highly of it. It's a pretty prestigious school. I know they only got to play only four games last year, but before that year, they went 8-5. What made them stand out to me was the (2019) Oregon game. That was a really good game, and I kind of watched that every weekish.

“On my Zoom calls coach Breneman showed me the weight room; then he sent me a couple of videos here and there of what the campus and a day in the life looks like. So that also helped me learn more about Arizona State.”

Helms said that his versatility goes hand in hand with what ASU wants to implement at the tight end position, which is why he sees a potential pledge to the school as a good fit.

“Coach Breneman sees me as the type of tight end that they're looking for now,” Helms commented. “That means something when a school appreciates what I do on the field. He likes that I can go out for passes, and I can also block as well. When he talked to my mom about how well-spoken I am and the demeanor I brought to the table, showing that I'm a hard worker. So I know those are other things that caught his eye.

“I really like coach Breneman because obviously, as a young coach, he's 25 just out of college. And he also played the position, and he didn't only play but was really good at being that he was an All-American twice at UMass. He’s just a really easy guy to talk to, and every time we FaceTime, it's always something new. It's not like the basic, how are you doing? How's your weekend, and this and that. He does a good job of changing our conversations up and keeping it interesting.”

While Helms and his Thunderbird teammates were not able to play a full season due to the pandemic, the tight end feels blessed that his high school Bellevue West did play in seven games, posting a 6-1 mark.

“I think I really got better with my physicality and my run blocking as opposed to my sophomore year,” Helms commented. “I gained about 35, 40 pounds since the end of my sophomore year. So that really helped me as well with my blocking, and then the good thing was I actually got faster, actually, while gaining weight. So that was also a blessing in disguise because I didn't think was gonna happen.

“With all this COVID-19 stuff happening, our team did a really good job of coming together as a group of guys and as brothers lifting each other up and fighting through adversity. We ended up coming up short in the quarterfinals, but we had some injuries that happened late down the stretch. I'm proud of our guys for what we accomplished.”

Aside from ASU, Helms mentioned Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Florida State, TCU, and Kansas State has the main schools that have been pursuing him in earnest as of late. The tight end was only able to visit Nebraska before the pandemic extended the recruiting dead period. If and when that limitation is lifted, Helms would like to visit as many schools as possible from the group that has already extended scholarship offers.

“My mom and I are trying to make a schedule and map visits out right now,” Helms explained. “I’m definitely going to visit Arizona State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, TCU…I’ll try to get down to Florida State and Maryland. Those are probably the main schools I’m going to visit. It just all depends on whether I get any more offers or where I see myself fitting in.

“We'll probably do the non-hosted visits (during the recruiting dead period) in the states closer to Nebraska and then do that the actual (hosted) visits to schools like Arizona States, Maryland, and Florida State which are further away.”

Helms, who will graduate high school in December noted that a school’s location wouldn’t ultimately dictate his decision and that other factors will be significant in guiding his commitment to the school of his choice.

“I’m looking for a school that that knows how to use a tight end as well as knows how to get people to the next level,” Helms remarked, “and I think Arizona State obviously does a good job of that. They use the tight end position in different ways and uses them more as an athletic hybrid than just a right end that puts his hand in the dirt and blocks all the time.

“I want to go to a school that brings you in as a freshman, and you can feel at home like you're in a family right away. I'm a big relationships guy, and I feed off people's energy, and I feed off the crowd, which would kind of suck this year being restricted. I find that people at Arizona State do a really good job of integrating that relationship piece into the recruiting side of things as well as the informational side of it as well. They're doing a pretty good job.”

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