ASU commit Jake Hildebrand recruiting others, Dillingham optimistic about Golden Tickets

TEMPE — Arizona State football brought a new local recruiting tactic to the table last June, and Year 1 netted the Sun Devils their first top in-state prospect in more than a decade’s worth of talent.

ASU awarded Golden Tickets to six 2027 prospects as an alternative to publicly establishing its own top in-state rankings. Basha High School offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand (No. 83 overall nationwide, per 247 Sports) was the only one to take his to the proverbial Chocolate Factory and commit.

“It was really amazing because it shows that they want to keep kids in Arizona,” Hildebrand told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “To be one of those six (recipients) is something I wouldn’t think that would happen.

“I try to be a humble kid, so something crazy like that happens, being recognized as one of the best in the state … I was like, ‘You know what? I’m very grateful for this, but all it goes back to is my (support system) always being able to put me in this situation.'”

Hildebrand was the fifth of the six recipients to make his decision public, and the sixth came shortly after. While he’s been unable to convince the other recipients to join him in staying home, he’s doing his part elsewhere.

The commit wrote, “Stay home,” with two pitchfork emojis on an Instagram post previewing the July 1 commitment date for Mesa Mountain View High School offensive tackle Tye Kennedy (No. 13 in Arizona for 2027 and No. 46 among tackles nationwide).

ASU is among the final six Kennedy is considering, along with Michigan, Utah, Washington, Cal and Minnesota. The Mountain View tackle is the son of NFL veteran tackle Lincoln Williams.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Hildebrand said of recruiting others in hopes they join him. “I’ve been trying to because we had the Golden Ticket, so now I want to use that and use the notoriety to get more kids in Arizona to want to come to ASU.

“I’ve seen a lot of them, especially in my class, decide to go to like Washington, Ohio State, all over … but yeah definitely really trying to keep these kids home because I really want to build something special here in the Valley.”

ASU’s Kenny Dillingham on how Golden Tickets can evolve

NCAA rules preclude ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham from speaking about committed prospects before they’ve signed, but he said he thinks the campaign is starting to click.

“Every coach in America goes and tells everybody one-on-one, ‘You’re at the top of our board.’ Like, that’s every recruiting pitch,” Dillingham said at ASU’s youth football camp on Wednesday. “Well, in our own state, we can’t just tell you it behind closed doors, right? There is an actionable item that we’re doing.”

Dillingham made clear he gets the idea is a “little bit corny,” but noted it’s worth it if it creates conversation around the top players in-state and ASU’s prioritization of those players.

Education about what tickets entail is how the coach wants to further expand their reach. He said anyone who receives one has an actual, bankable offer, whereas many programs’ offers aren’t hard enough to be committed to until later in the recruitment process.

The Golden Tickets for the 2027 class were given out as soon as the ASU staff could contact those players with recruiting materials. For the 2028 class, that date is Monday, June 15.

Related

LSU cancels home-and-home series with ASUCam Skattebo can’t quite stick landing on backflip during Fanatics FestASU-Arizona Territorial Cup among top 5 rivalries in nation, study saysToo-early projected starting lineup for ASU football for 2026What does ASU’s Cutter Boley need to show in fall camp to lock down starting QB job?ASU football to face toughest 2026 schedule among Big 12 teams, per ESPN metrics