Arizona State Hosting Former Pro Basketball Player on Official Visit
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Arizona State's game against West Virginia on Saturday will be its second-to-last home game of the 2025 season. Head coach Kenny Dillingham is using the game as an opportunity to host numerous prospects on campus for gameday visits and official visits (OVs).
One recruit who will be on campus for an official visit is a 2026 tight end prospect who, a little over a year ago, was playing professional basketball overseas.
Sun Devils Set to Host Former Pro Basketball Player for OV
2026 tight end Nathaniel Salmon will be on campus in Tempe this weekend for his first-ever college OV. On November 2, Arizona State on SI reported that the Sun Devils had extended him an offer, and explained why he's the most unique prospect of the 2026 class.
Salmon was born and raised in New Zealand and immediately joined the country's professional basketball league after finishing high school. He eventually moved to Australia to continue his basketball career, and it was there that he was noticed by the NFL's International Player Pathway program.
He joined the program and moved to Clearwater, Florida, to begin training as a football player at the IMG Academy. He was invited to the Los Angeles Chargers rookie mini-camp this summer, but didn't receive a contract from the team. Salmon then turned his attention towards college football and was granted eligibility on October 9.
GRATEFUL.🙏❤️
— Nathaniel Salmon (@natesalmon__) October 9, 2025
I am grateful and humble to announce that I have been granted full eligibility to compete in the NCAA Division 1 level🙏🏁 #blessed #hisplan pic.twitter.com/zxoJVKSa3u
The Sun Devils were one of the first programs to offer him, and they worked quickly to schedule him for an OV. Salmon doesn't hold a star rating on Rivals or 247Sports, but he has the attention of numerous Power Four programs.
After visiting Arizona State, Salmon will travel to Provo, Utah, for an OV with BYU on Monday. Next weekend, he'll take OV with North Carolina and Utah.
Salmon has never been to a college football game, so Dillingham and his staff have a chance to pull out all the stops for the young tight end. If they can impress him during his OV, the Sun Devils should put themselves in a strong position to contend for his recruitment.
At 6'6", 270 pounds, and with a basketball background, Salmon profiles as an athletic freak at the tight end position. He may not be the most refined football player, having only picked up the sport six months ago, but he's an exciting prospect and would be a big-time addition to Arizona State's 2026 class.
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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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