Arizona State’s passing leagues every summer serve many purposes for local high schools and their players, but none greater than ample opportunity to be scouted in-person by the Sun Devil staff. That script played out to perfection for Gilbert Higley quarterback Kai Millner whose performance this week at the event netted him an offer from Arizona State yesterday.

“I was a little bit surprised,” Millner admitted, “but I’m very grateful about the offer, and I talked to coach Likens a little bit about it and it was a good conversation and I’m just really excited about it. He talked about how he liked the way I threw the ball and he liked my decision-making process.

“I haven’t been talking to ASU more now than before. When we had our 7’s on 7’s the last couple of years at the school, and I was taking to their coaches a little then. But I knew who they were and they knew who I was.”

It’s not only the familiarity factor with a college in your backyard that intrigues Millner, but it’s also the fact that the Sun Devils place players in the NFL, most notably wide receiver N’Keal Harry who was drafted in the first round this year by New England, as well as the feedback he has been receiving from current players.

“I’ve talked to a couple of players there like (tight end) Curtis Hodges,” Millner commented, “and they all love it up there, so it’s really exciting to hear. They say the school is awesome, they have great relationships with the coaches. They really like the way that they run their program and how they’re treated is second-to-none.”

With the departure of the Knights’ outgoing senior Spencer Brasch who will play for Cal, the 6-2 180-pound Millner is in-line to be Higley’s starter this year. The similarities between his schools’ scheme and the Sun Devils does excite him even more about his offer.

“I would say I’m a pro-style quarterback that can also move in the pocket,” Millner said, “and I can extend plays with my legs when I need to. But I’m definitely more of a pocket-passer and somebody who likes to throw the ball from there.”

“I have been able to watch a couple of ASU’s games which has been great,” Millner said, “and I love the way they run it. I like that they throw the ball but at the same time they do have a running game to help with the passing game, and that’s kind of sometimes what I look for and I like that they do that.”

The local signal caller has offers from Michigan State, Arizona and NAU, and for being this early in the recruiting process Millner is naturally delighted with the attention he has been receiving.

“It’s been really exciting and fun to have this all come to fruition,” Millner stated, “and it’s been something that I’ve been looking forward to and working so hard for a very long time. For everything to all come and catch up and pay off, it’s been really fun and exciting.”

The concept of possibly being a hometown hero hasn’t been lost on Millner, who noted that his family and close friends were extremely happy for him when they heard of the ASU offer.

“I was getting a lot of congratulations,” Millner remarked, “because they knew that this (an ASU offer) was one of my goals for sure. I’ve always grown up around the game. My dad has a sports academy and he did some recruiting when he was younger. He has his academy with Kelvin Fisher, who actually played at Arizona State. So I’ve kind of been around it for a long time, so it’s crazy and exciting that they have offered.

Aside from a weekend camp at Northern Arizona tomorrow, Millner has no other plans for additional camps or summer visits. Yet he didn’t rule out taking trips to other schools in the next few weeks.

The quarterback said that he will commit to the school of his choice when he knows “the time is right” and anticipated this time next year to have already made that decision

“I want to look first at the kind of offense and program that they have there,” Millner explained, “look at the relationship with the coaches, and then obviously, academics, what they can do for me academically and going on into life after football.”

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