Arizona State Heating up With Top In-State 2027 Prospect

The Sun Devils are making progress with one of the top in-state players in the 2027 class.

Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; A general view of the helmet worn by the Arizona State Sun Devils during the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Arizona State and head coach Kenny Dillingham are dominating the 2027 recruiting cycle. Not only have the Sun Devils already secured two four-star commits, quarterback Weston Nielsen and wide receiver Nico Bland, but they are also on track to land several more top prospects in the class.

One of these prospects is a three-star wide receiver and an elite in-state recruit who recently explained why Arizona State is emerging as one of his top choices.

Arizona State Making Progress With Top In-State Wide Receiver

Throughout his recruitment process, Arizona State has been pursuing Jai Jones, a three-star wide receiver from Chandler High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He was a 2027 golden ticket recipient for the Sun Devils, which is part of Dillingham's campaign to prioritize the top recruits in Arizona.

Much appreciated @KennyDillingham pic.twitter.com/vKn63Wc3dm

— Jai Jones | c/o 2027 (@jaigothands) June 15, 2025

While Jones has received over 20 Division I offers and several top programs are pursuing him, he recently told Rivals' Greg Biggins that six schools have stood out so far in his recruiting process: Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, and Utah. He also mentioned to Biggins that he plans to take official visits with each of those programs this summer.

• “Utah, Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, Minnesota and Kansas State are showing the most interest right now,” Jones told Biggins. “I don’t have any dates yet but I’m going to try and visit all of those schools along with San Diego State this spring and summer."

Nov 23, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona State Sun Devils helmet at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

As an Arizona native and a golden ticket recipient, Jones has already built a strong relationship with the Sun Devils staff and has made several unofficial visits to Tempe so far. He told Biggins that he's a fan of both Dillingham and wide receiver coach Hines Ward, and explained that learning from a coach like Ward is one of the main reasons Arizona State is so high on his list. 

• “With ASU, Dills [Kenny Dillingham] is my guy,” Jones told Biggins. “I’m building a good relationship with Hines [Ward] for sure too. He’s a goat and we talk a few times every week. Learning from a coach like him would be great for my development and long term journey so I’m very high on ASU.”

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receivers coach Hines Ward against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While Jones is also very high on Arizona, it's clear that the Sun Devils have emerged as a frontrunner in his recruitment. He told Biggins that he doesn't exactly know when he'll commit, but it could be as early as this summer. 

Jones would be a fantastic addition to Arizona State's 2027 class as Rivals' industry rankings list him as the No. 473 overall player nationally, the No. 65 wide receiver, and the No. 9 prospect from Arizona. It will be interesting to see how the Sun Devils' recruitment of him progresses, but it currently looks like they have a strong chance to land the in-state star.

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