Following an outstanding with jaw-dropping stats, the University of Oregon decided to finally offer Tualatin (Ore.) tight end Jayden Fortier, who had been committed to ASU since June. There was genuine concern that Fortier might flip to the hometown school, but any such apprehension was put to rest following his official visit to the Sun Devils last weekend.
“It was an amazing visit,” said Fortier. “Every time I get back down to Tempe, it’s a great atmosphere. One thing I really wasn’t expecting was the weather. I got back to Oregon on Sunday, and it’s 25 degrees and raining. And I just got back from Arizona State, where it was 75 degrees and sunny. So, when people say it’s really beautiful weather in December, I didn’t really believe them, but they proved me wrong.
“It was a great experience; everyone was super happy, and the recruits were getting along well with each other, so it was a great weekend. I’ve been there (at ASU) before, and aside from the wining and dining and staying at a hotel, this visit was more in-depth, and you’re with your position coach (Jason Mohns) the entire trip. Obviously, getting to know the players and what their life is outside of football was great.
“It was great getting to know Coach Dillingham more and more and seeing his personality. He’s just vibrant, and the energy just flows off of him. Seeing him interacting with the players, I can tell that they want to play for him. Every person that he’s recruited is a good person. And that’s one of the main things that they talk about, that you got to be a good person to play here. And he really holds that standard. He cares for every single one of his players and coaches. He wants to win and doesn’t want to leave ASU. This is his dream job and every job he had before this was to get to this point. So I think that’s a good thing is that I know that I’m going to great staff that really cares about their players. I know the coaches will fight for me, and I’m gonna fight for them.”
Fortier has enjoyed the relationship he developed with ASU’s tight ends coach Jason Mohns, which naturally not only led to his summer commitment to the program but also helped reassure him that Arizona State was indeed the right college destination for him.
“Coach Mohns is a great dude,” Fortier described. “Out of all tight end coaches and just coaches that I met that general, he’s the easiest to talk to. And that went a lot into my decision when I decided to commit. I think we have one of the best player-coach relationships out of anyone on the team. He understands the game. He was coaching high school football before he came to Arizona State, so he understands the recruiting process and how everything goes down.
“I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me was just how much they (ASU) wanted me. My official visit ended Sunday, and I came back Monday; I had school, and he (Mohns) was at my school with Coach Dillingham. I was the first stop that he (Dillingham) made. So, just that, just that relationship that we have is great, and I feel that I can come to him with anything.”
Fortier was named the Oregonian/OregonLive Football Player of the Year after a senior season where he had 60 receptions for 1,140 Yards and 13 touchdowns, to go along with 48 rushes for 271 yards and 11 rushing scores. He showcased his versatility as Co-Defensive Player of the Year, as he earned first-team unanimous choice at both wide receiver and linebacker.
An incredible senior season did end on a sour note, as Fortier tore his ACL in the state championship game. The tight end is still working towards a goal of arriving in Tempe in the spring, although that may be only in March, so he can step up his rehabbing process once in Tempe.
“I had a great first game, with three touchdowns and 125 yards,” Fortier remarked, “and we were only trending upwards from there. Our quarterback got hurt and ended up breaking his collarbone. So I was thinking, ‘It’ll slow down a little bit.’ But that’s the thing: it never stopped. My stats just kept getting better and better. And I think the biggest thing is just how serious I started playing defense. It was a great way to show my versatility and show that I’m physical, too. I can catch passes and run. But with my body and the way I use it, I think it’s different from other players. And I have that top-end speed, where I don’t think people realize that I’m pretty fast. I think my senior year was expected, but not to this magnitude.
“Playing defense can absolutely help me as a tight end in college. Obviously, not playing a lot of tight end in high school and having to come into a a major college, especially in the Big 12, where I’m blocking dudes on Texas Tech and Oklahoma State…I think it’ll really help me because I’ve shown that I can be physical and that I want to hit people. That’s a big part of being a tight end. You want to hit people, block people, and open the hole for your running back.”
“I know that I will be the first tight end that Coach Mohns is really going to get to develop out of high school,” Fortier stated. “All the tight ends he inherited from the old staff, I think he turned them into even better players than they were before. Having been a wide receiver my whole life, I know the biggest thing I have to focus on is the core work, blocking on D-ends, learning the blocking schemes, and pass protection.
“My film speaks for itself; I’m a dynamic athlete. So the biggest thing is that you’re going to do is try and give me the ball in the right situations. And they really just want me to be that guy in the tight end room.”
The tight end was on campus during a very busy recruiting week, where non-committed prospects such as offensive lineman Filiva’a Saluni and running back Jason Brown publicly committed to Arizona State following that trip, and recruits such as offensive lineman Rustin Young and defensive Salesi Manu are seriously considering the Sun Devils. Fortier said that he was extremely enjoyable being part of that energetic atmosphere last weekend.
“It was fun getting to talk to those dudes, seeing where their head is at,” Fortier commented, “It’s a real blessing. You're obviously not trying to force Arizona State on them, but you’re telling them that this is a great staff, a great place, and a great program with great players. And in the near future, we’re going to start winning. If you buy into that, that’s what you got to do. We got some guys to commit, but we’re not done.”
Thanks to social media, The tight end knew how nervous ASU fans were following that scholarship offer from Oregon. But due to the great relationship that he had built with the Sun Devils and their staff even prior to his official visit, along with the fact that the departures of Jalin Conyers and Ryan Morgan will only increase his playing opportunities, truly had Fortier not think too long or hard about perhaps exploring other opportunities.
“The thing with Coach Mohns is that he never wavered,” Fortier explained. “He comes in, and we’ve started building that relationship in January, all the way through now. Everything I do is based off relationships. If I don’t like the person I’m talking to, and I can’t build a solid foundation with them and build that relationship, then I’m crossing them off the list. But the staff at Arizona State is phenomenal. Everyone is easy to talk to and answer all your questions. People want to be here and activate the valley, and that’s a big thing that’s going to stick out to a lot of recruits, especially the ones that we just got to commit to, because nothing’s changing here. As soon as you decide that you want to commit to the Sun Devils, you’re committed to them, and they’re committed to you.
“So all these blessings I received, I’m so thankful for them. Over the weekend, I texted all the coaches that have been recruiting me that I’m shutting down my recruitment.
“I’m all Sun Devils, baby!”
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