When ASU alumnus Kenny Dillingham, who grew up in the Valley of the Sun, talked about his desire to "Activate the Valley" as Arizona State's head coach, he envisioned days like today.
Scottsdale Saguaro ATH Dajon Hinton ranked the No. 3 in-state prospect and the highest local uncommitted recruit in the 2025 class, announced Sunday afternoon, on Dillingham's birthday no less, that he will pledge to the hometown school. Hinton is the highest in-state recruit to commit to ASU since Gilbert Highland defensive lineman Tyler Johnson, the No. 3 prospect in the 2017 class.
“The relationships that I have with the coaches were like no other,” Hinton explained. “My former head coach, Jason Mohns (ASU's tight ends coach), is there, the DB’s coach that recruited me at U of A, Coach (DeWayne) Walker, Coach Ward (defensive coordinator Brian Ward), and Coach Dillingham…ever since they offered me they treated me as if I was one of their own. So that was kind of a no-brainer at that.
“They all valued me and showed me that I was an important factor to them. That's all you can ask for in a school. Coach Mohns is someone who coaches you to the best of your ability. He doesn't tell you what you want to hear, he tells you what you need to hear. That's all you can ask for: coaches to be brutally honest with you.
"They didn’t just offer me as a player; they offered me as a person too, more than anything. They know I can ball. They know I'm gonna keep my head down and grind. But the reason I feel they were on me the most than other schools was because, as a program, they know me individually the most."
The 5-10 175-pound Hinton, who missed his entire junior season due to a knee injury, has nearly a dozen Power Four offers. His recent short list of schools included Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, and Arizona. While he doesn't have a clear designated role yet that he will play in Tempe, he's appreciative that the Sun Devil staff is open to playing him on either side of the ball.
“I'm a baller,” Hinton said. “I’m a fast, physical, and very detailed player. I think the game through on the defensive side. And on offense, I’m just out there having fun. I never doubt myself because that's what you have to have as a receiver. You have to be confident in your hands and willing to make plays.
“We were talking about (playing at) corner, but Coach Dillingham said it’s not like he wouldn't let me play receiver because I could do everything. In the return game, he said, I'm gonna have to compete for because it's competing from two different spots, DB and receiver, and there are a lot of dynamic players at ASU, so I'm looking forward to competing for a spot at that given time.”
Hinton admitted that he didn’t expect to commit this early in the 2025 recruiting cycle but that the ACL tear he suffered last year has undoubtedly put a lot of matters in perspective, including, of course, his recruitment process.
“After having that injury, and now I'm back to 100%,” Hinton commented, “you got to figure out where you fit in? ASU, from the beginning, always treated me as if it were home. Not playing last year makes you a student of the game, and to see if you really want this to be your future. An injury could push a lot of athletes away from the sport or not know if they want to make it on the field again.
“But all the support staff I have in my school, my friends…my teammates were the main ones who lifted me. They saw that I was down, but they still looked at me as a leader. They kept asking me for advice and told me to keep my head up and just be a coach for them so they can win the game.”
The Sabercat standout, who is ASU's tenth known commit, is also the second in-state pledge in this Arizona State 2025 class. It's no coincidence that he followed in the footsteps of his good friend Phoenix Mountain Pointe defensive back Rylon Dillard-Allen, who committed to the Sun Devils nearly a week ago. Now, that tandem is on a mission to have other in-state prospects join them in Arizona State's 2025 class.
“Rylon in my homeboy,” Hinton remarked. “When he made that decision, and he hit that was putting a fire under me at that point. It speaks volumes to Coach Dillingham’s coaching, trying to have this be a winning program and do it with the best kids in the valley. When you get the kids from the valley, and you’re winning, that’s something special.
“So, I’m gonna try and get Logan Powell, Garrett Martin, Gio Richardson, and other guys because they can make a real great impact in ASU's future and flip it to a winning program.”
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