Chandler Hamilton DB Dajon Hinton (who was at Scottsdale Saguaro when he actually committed to ASU) is very likely to decommit from the Sun Devils.
Kind of a screwy situation where Hinton visited Arizona this past weekend and, much like Dylan Tapley in the previous recruiting class, did so knowing that he was going to be dropped from ASU as a result. Apparently, he didn't care about that and inadvertently or not took advantage of a unique situation, which I previously mentioned, where ASU coaches, due to the NCAA sanctions, cannot communicate with recruits for the next few weeks. So, it was impossible for both sides to talk about this proactively or reactively.
If you recall, Kenny Dillingham stated that incoming freshmen do not receive NIL (at least not from the collective), so that could have played a role here. If Arizona, the school I won't be surprised that he will end up at (and his father did play there), is offering money that ASU isn't, then at times, this is an aspect that can be hard to overcome.
I know there's the obvious adverse perception issue that a staff with a lot of in-state ties is now losing its second local commit in the cycle (Rylon Dillard-Allen being the first one). Ultimately, ASU is a program that is coming off back-to-back three-win seasons, and needless to say, that is a recruiting line that schools competing with Arizona State for recruits are repeating at nausea. Maybe it's a line that works better on local recruits than out-of-state ones. Some do care more/less than others being part of a rebuild.
From a practical standpoint, ASU can afford to lose a safety commit, having just one senior on this year's roster, Shamari Simmons. Having a potential two-deep next season of Myles Rowser,
Xavion Alford, Kamari Wilson, and Montana Warren is solid. As far as 2025 commits, I definitely don't think Hinton is better than Benjamin Alefaio, who is ranked in the Top 75 among California prospects, and it's debatable if he's (much) better than Xavier Skowron. This development may have ASU stay put at safety and now try to add both a defensive end and a defensive tackle instead of just an end.
Kind of a screwy situation where Hinton visited Arizona this past weekend and, much like Dylan Tapley in the previous recruiting class, did so knowing that he was going to be dropped from ASU as a result. Apparently, he didn't care about that and inadvertently or not took advantage of a unique situation, which I previously mentioned, where ASU coaches, due to the NCAA sanctions, cannot communicate with recruits for the next few weeks. So, it was impossible for both sides to talk about this proactively or reactively.
If you recall, Kenny Dillingham stated that incoming freshmen do not receive NIL (at least not from the collective), so that could have played a role here. If Arizona, the school I won't be surprised that he will end up at (and his father did play there), is offering money that ASU isn't, then at times, this is an aspect that can be hard to overcome.
I know there's the obvious adverse perception issue that a staff with a lot of in-state ties is now losing its second local commit in the cycle (Rylon Dillard-Allen being the first one). Ultimately, ASU is a program that is coming off back-to-back three-win seasons, and needless to say, that is a recruiting line that schools competing with Arizona State for recruits are repeating at nausea. Maybe it's a line that works better on local recruits than out-of-state ones. Some do care more/less than others being part of a rebuild.
From a practical standpoint, ASU can afford to lose a safety commit, having just one senior on this year's roster, Shamari Simmons. Having a potential two-deep next season of Myles Rowser,
Xavion Alford, Kamari Wilson, and Montana Warren is solid. As far as 2025 commits, I definitely don't think Hinton is better than Benjamin Alefaio, who is ranked in the Top 75 among California prospects, and it's debatable if he's (much) better than Xavier Skowron. This development may have ASU stay put at safety and now try to add both a defensive end and a defensive tackle instead of just an end.
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