Can Kenny Dillingham Get and Keep Arizona's Best High School Football Players at ASU?

Kenny Dillingham turned Arizona State into a Big 12 champion through the transfer portal. Closer to home, the Sun Devils are struggling to keep the state's best high school players.

Arizona State signed just one of Arizona's top 30 prospects in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. As of Oct. 6, the Sun Devils have one commitment from the state's top 30 in the 2027 class, and only two of those 30 players remain uncommitted.

For a Phoenix native who has built his program on roster turnover, the question is growing louder: Is Arizona State leaving its best talent on the table?

How the Transfer Portal Built a Big 12 Champion

The transfer portal has become one of the biggest storylines in college football. Programs use it to find under-the-radar players other schools passed on and to land established stars looking for a fresh start.

The portal also reflects how the sport has changed. Money often wins out over program loyalty, new opportunities over tradition, and a quick path to the next level over staying in the same uniform.

Few coaches have leaned on the portal like Dillingham. Arizona State went from 3-9 in 2023 to the Big 12 title in 2024, powered by first-year Sun Devils such as quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, safety Myles Rowser and defensive back Xavion Alford. Second-year transfers, including running back Cam Skattebo, played major roles as well.

Dillingham brought in 30 transfers for that 2024 season, the fourth-best class in the Big 12, according to 247Sports. More than half of them stayed beyond that season.

That retention, along with Dillingham keeping nearly every starter he could for 2025, was a big win. The trade-off was a thin portal class that year, which ranked 13th in the Big 12. Still, continuity among players and coaches has become one of the most valuable assets in college football, and Dillingham has shown he can build it.

With many of those veterans graduating or moving on, Dillingham went back to the portal for 2026. His class ranked third in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally, according to 247Sports, headlined by four-star transfers in quarterback Cutter Boley and wide receivers Omarion Miller and Reed Harris.

Arizona's Top Recruits Are Leaving the Valley

Despite that portal success, Dillingham faces a fair question: Is he leaving his own backyard untapped?

Arizona State signed just two in-state players in the 2026 class: safety Zeth Thues of Peoria, Arizona, and edge rusher Sinei Tengei of Mesa, Arizona. The Sun Devils signed seven players from Texas, headlined by four-star quarterback Jake Fette of El Paso.

Only one of those 2026 signees ranked among the state's top 30 players, according to 247Sports. In a talent-rich state like Arizona, missing on most of the home crop is hard to explain, especially for a coach who grew up in Phoenix.

The 2027 class has more local flavor. Four of the Sun Devils' 12 current commitments are from Arizona, but only one ranks in the state's top 30.

Jedd Fisch and Washington Are Winning in Arizona

Some top prospects leave home for national powers, and it is hard to beat the pitch an Ohio State or Notre Dame can make. That has not been the story in Arizona lately.

Two of the state's four four-star prospects in the 2026 class signed with Arizona and Minnesota. In the 2027 class, top-10 recruits in the state are committed to Wisconsin, Purdue and California.

Washington has done the most damage. Five of the state's top 15 players in the 2027 class are committed to the Huskies, as former Arizona coach Jedd Fisch keeps making inroads in the desert. That is more than double the number of top-15 in-state recruits Dillingham has landed since arriving in Tempe, with just two through the 2027 class.

Jake Hildebrand Wants to Change ASU's Home-State Pitch

The one top-30 Arizona prospect in Arizona State's 2027 class is a big one. Offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand of Basha High School in Chandler ranks second in the state and 88th nationally in the class, according to 247Sports.

Hildebrand has joined Dillingham in trying to turn the tide in the Valley.

Jake Hildebrand - Arizona State Football — Basha's offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand announces he is signing with Arizona State during his signing ceremony at Basha High School in Chandler, Ariz. on May 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"I'm from Arizona," Hildebrand said. "I really want to show everyone that, hey, I've been around the whole country, I was a top recruit ... and I decided to stay here."

Since committing to the Sun Devils in May, Hildebrand has been vocal on social media. He regularly comments on posts from other Arizona State targets, offering the perspective of someone who just went through the same process.

Hildebrand would be the first top-100 national recruit from Arizona to play for the Sun Devils since 2012.

Inside Kenny Dillingham's Golden Ticket

Dillingham has acknowledged the difficulty of keeping top players in state, a problem that predates his arrival. His answer is the golden ticket.

"Part of the strategy is it's going to be special to come here again," Dillingham said. "It's going to be special, it's going to be loud. 'I'm one of the few people who get the opportunity to stay in state.'"

Dillingham introduced the golden ticket in the summer of 2025 as a way to show top in-state recruits how much they mean to the program. Six players in the 2027 class received one, and Hildebrand is the only one who has accepted.

Arizona State missed on the other five, but Hildebrand still represents an important piece of the puzzle: a highly ranked in-state player who not only wants to stay home but also wants others to join him. That is the kind of recruit Dillingham will need more of if the Sun Devils are going to win back their own backyard.

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