The #Texas2Tempe connection doesn't rest for too long. Seven days after Plano, Tex. wide receiver Chance Ables pledged to the Sun Devils, fellow wide receiver and Coppell, Tex. standout Harry Hassmann followed suit.
“Arizona State offered me a week ago when I unofficially visited them last week for the UCF game,” Hassmann said. “Coach Hines Ward, Coach Kenny Dillingham, Coach Marcus Arroyo, and the assistant receivers coach, Coach Brady White, have all been talking to me for about a month. On that visit, you could tell that it's clearly a different program than anywhere in the nation. The coaching staff at ASU care about relationships, and they care about the stuff that matters. They don't care about if you have (recruiting ranking) stars or if you have relatives who are good football players.
“They just want dawgs, and to be honest, that's what stood out to me.”
The pedigree of his future position coach was an aspect that resonated quite a bit with Hassmann during the recruiting process and naturally played a significant role in today’s decision.
“I have a really good relationship with Hines Ward,” Hassmann described. “He is one of the best receivers to ever do it, and I'm going to be able to learn a lot from him, which is pretty cool, and I can't wait. On top of that, he's a good mentor, he's been through life, and he's been to where I want to be in the NFL. He has a lot of knowledge, football-wise and life-wise, and he takes no BS.
“His motto is no block, no rock. I love it. That's definitely a big part of what he's trying to grow in the receivers room, and I'm all for that.”
The 6-1 185-pound Hassmann, whose laser timed 40 yards is 4.39, posted 1,115 receiving yards, averaging 30 yards per reception and 109 yards per game, and scored 16 touchdowns to date during his senior season for the 11-0 Cowboys, who have advanced in the state's 6A playoffs, ranked No. 3.
“Coach Ward recruited me for outside receiver and slot receiver as a speed guy. He likes that I can block, which I feel like I bring to the table. I feel like I'm a deep threat, and I can also route people up underneath.”
The wide receiver admitted that he was planning to wait until the signing period in the first week of December to make his decision, yet ultimately felt that there was no reason to delay the inevitable.
“ASU just stuck out to me over all the schools talking to me,” Hassmann explained. “I think that they're just really genuine people, and there's no fluff about any of the coaches on the ASU staff. I talked it over with my parents, and we really only needed a week (to decide), and it felt like it was my place, so I decided to commit.
“I remember the first interaction I had with Coach Dillingham. He just walked up to me at the walkthrough last week, and you could tell he's very down-to-earth, and he's so young, so energetic. There's no head coach in college football like him.”
Needless to say, a powerful aerial display by the Sun Devils in their upset win over No. 16 Kansas State, highlighted by Sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson’s 12 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns, didn’t cool down the bullish sentiment he had about ASU.
“Tyson went crazy, and that was pretty cool to see,” Hassmann commented. “They threw the ball around, and they really hit Kansas State in the mouth early, which I think helped them win. They dominated a really good Kansas State team, which is impressive, and I think the Valley is activated now for sure.”
Hassmann had offers from UTEP, North Texas, Texas State, UAB, and James Madison, among others, and added that those programs were recruiting him in earnest in recent weeks.
Hassmann is on track to graduate high school next month and enroll at ASU in January 2025. Hassman is the sixth wide receiver committed to ASU in the 2025 class and the sixth Sun Devil pledge in that group from the Lone Star State.
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