ASU Staff Visits Top 2027 Cornerback Target
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Although the 2027 recruiting cycle has intensified since the end of the 2025 college football season, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham and his staff had already made significant progress with several top prospects in the class throughout the fall.
One of those prospects is a four-star cornerback who previously named the Sun Devils among his final five schools. Dillingham and his staff recently traveled to California to visit him as they continue their push to secure his commitment.
Kenny Dillingham and ASU Staff Visit Four-Star 2027 Cornerback
On Jan. 27, Dillingham, Hines Ward, and a few other members of Arizona State’s staff traveled to Long Beach, California, to visit JuJu Johnson, a four-star cornerback at Long Beach Poly High School. Johnson posted a photo of himself with the Sun Devils staff on X, writing, “Forks up.”
Forks up @ASUFootball @KennyDillingham 🔱🔱 pic.twitter.com/asXDNvZ4W9
— JuJu Johnson (@JuLikeThat) January 27, 2026
Johnson has been one of Arizona State's top targets throughout the 2027 recruiting cycle, and Dillingham and company made significant progress with him throughout the fall. In November, he named the Sun Devils as one of his final five schools, along with Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oregon.
Shortly after naming his top five, Johnson set his commitment date for Dec. 1, and Arizona State was firmly in the mix to land him. However, he ultimately delayed his decision, and several schools have continued to push for him since.
Johnson would be a welcome addition to Arizona State’s 2027 class, as he’s one of the top prospects in the country. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 43 overall player nationally, the No. 6 cornerback, and the No. 6 prospect from California.
Earlier this month, Rivals’ Adam Gorney gave an update on Johnson’s recruitment and highlighted Oklahoma and Oregon as the two schools that are in the best position to land the four-star cornerback.
While Arizona State has likely fallen behind in the battle for Johnson over the past few weeks, Dillingham and his staff's recent visit to Long Beach Poly will likely strengthen the Sun Devils’ standing in his recruitment.
As of today, Johnson hasn’t reset his commitment date, and there’s no timeline for his decision, giving the Sun Devils time to continue closing the gap on the other programs pursuing him.
While securing his commitment won’t be easy, if Arizona State can continue making progress with Johnson in the coming weeks and get him on campus in Tempe for an official visit this offseason, the Sun Devils should be well-positioned to land one of the top cornerbacks in the 2027 class.
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Max Dorsey 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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