ASU Continuing to Trend for Top In-State 2027 Lineman
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While the 2026 college football transfer portal has consumed most of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham’s attention, he and his staff have remained active on the high school recruiting trail, as they continue to make progress with several elite prospects in the 2027 class.
One of those prospects is a four-star in-state offensive lineman recruit who recently explained why Arizona State is one of the schools that has stood out in his recruitment so far.
Four-Star Offensive Lineman Speaks on His Arizona State Recruitment
On Jan. 1, Arizona State on SI reported that Jake Hildebrand, a four-star offensive lineman from Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, had named the Sun Devils as one of his final 10 schools, along with Alabama, Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and Utah.
Dillingham and his staff have been pursuing Hildebrand for over two years, first extending an offer to him in June of 2023 and hosting him on campus in Tempe for several unofficial visits.
While all ten of Hildebrand's finalists are very much in contention for him, the young offensive tackle recently told Rivals' Steve Wiltfong that he currently feels most "connected" to five schools: Arizona State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Oregon.
When discussing the Sun Devils, Hildebrand explained that his relationships with Dillingham and Arizona State's offensive line coach, Saga Tuitele, are key reasons the program is near the top of his list.
- "Some of my favorite things about ASU are the relationships that I’ve built with Coach Dillingham and Coach Tuitele," Hildebrand told Wiltfong. "They are two really great coaches. Coach Tuitele I have been able to make a deeper relationship with him."
- He continued, "Also I’ve been able to become friends with some of the commits in the 2026 class. And even some of the players on the team as well.”
Although it’s clear that Hildebrand thinks highly of Arizona State, Dillingham and company will have to compete with some of the nation’s top programs to land him. As the hometown school, the Sun Devils have a strong chance to win his recruitment, but it will undoubtedly be a battle to do so.
If ASU lands Hildebrand, the 6’5”, 285-pound offensive lineman would be a significant addition to the Sun Devils' 2027 class. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 114 overall prospect in the country, the No. 11 offensive tackle, and the No. 2 prospect from Arizona.
Hildebrand hasn’t set a commitment date, but with his list narrowed to 10, he should make a decision in the coming months.
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Max Doresy serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.
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