As it currently stands, the Sun Devils’ roster for this season is practically set in stone, as Dillingham and his staff added over a dozen post-spring transfers and are still in the market seeking a defensive tackle to round out the 2025 roster.
Looking to the future, June 15 marks the first day college coaches can initiate contact with prospects from the 2027 class. The Sun Devils are taking a unique and new approach to in-state prospects from that group and introducing the ‘Golden Ticket’ campaign, one that will prioritize a select group of local prospects from the 2027 class as the highest priority for ASU.
“You’re going to see some special things going out to a select few guys in the state,” Dillingham described. "I’m born and raised here, and a lot of our staff is from here. We’re trying to figure out this code to recruit the state. We’re trying to do everything we can because what we’re doing isn’t working to attract the highest-level player. So, we are going to change our strategy. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
“So, we’re gonna change it up and recruit the state a little different. People may like it, they may not like it, but it doesn't matter because what we’re doing isn’t working to attract the highest-level player. I think we’re trending in that direction, but we’re going to be a little bit different in how we recruit the state to try to keep the best players in the state home. And part of the strategy to do that is making it special to come here again. It’s gonna be, ‘Wow, I’m one of the few people who get the opportunity to stay in-state.’ I think that is what we’re trying to create, is the demand that ASU is a special place for the in-state guys.”
Another way to achieve a higher rate of in-state recruiting success is starting with even much younger players than the 2027 class. Dillingham spoke after the Sun Devils’ annual Youth Camp that attracted over 100 kids of elementary and junior high school age. ASU and many of its players and staff have hosted, attended, or coached additional various summer camps around the state.
“Our winning isn’t only recruiting this year’s class or next year’s class,” Dillingham explained. “It’s recruiting the eighth grader here in camp (pointing to the campers behind him). Because they are going to grow up hopefully being part of a winning team. That’s how you keep kids in-state. In the interim, we can be fun, and it’s trendy, but we still have to be a little different and unique to really get those guys to feel like staying home is special. The reality is that when you’re born and raised here, you don’t know how good you have it.
“The future of the program is, what do parents think when they interact with our players (in camp)? When these kids interact with our players, do those kids go home and say, ‘Joey Sua was so awesome!’ If they look up to our players and we can make that connection, those kids and those parents know that they need to get more engaged with Arizona State. Those kids are going in their backyard working on a drill they saw in camp instead of playing a video game.
“I think it all works together. When you’re building something for the long haul, all of this stuff matters. When you’re building something to flip it and then get out, it’s really just for show. I think these are the roots of the future, and how we keep kids home is doing stuff like this where they’ve been coming here, and they have eight T-shirts from Arizona State football youth camps.”
***
Following the House v. NCAA settlement, which allocates a fixed amount per school in annual revenue sharing from universities to players, a new college sports landscape has instantly been created. This landscape will introduce new compensation rules and regulations for collegiate athletes, especially regarding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) revenue.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said that the football program, the athletic department, and the Sun Angel NIL Collective will react accordingly to these new guidelines. That’s not to say that plenty of preparation hasn’t already taken place several months in advance, dating back to the fall ahead of the June 6 House v. NCAA settlement announcement.
“I think for us, it’s really just staying the exact same course there,” Dillingham said on the Sun Angel NIL Collective. “We’ve already had a plan for this day … we had a plan, but we were in a constant state of reacting. And we already knew this was happening. So, there’s a plan that was put in place. Our staff put in a plan in November or December of last year, and that plan has been in place for the last six months, and that will be the exact same plan moving forward.”
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!
