One of the main selling points of hiring Kenny Dillingham was his strong track record as a recruiter, and that has been backed up in his short time at Arizona State. Back on early signing day, we broke down all 21 incoming freshmen of Dillingham's 2025 recruiting class.
Back then, the group as a whole was rated 45th in the nation by 247 Sports. On Thursday, ESPN released their final rankings for the 2025 recruiting class (subscription required). And while the Sun Devils didn't see a ton of movement, they came in at a nice slot: 42nd, a number that any true Arizona State fan will happily accept.
ESPN notes that the Sun Devils' 2025 class contained one ESPN Top 300 prospect and listed their top offensive commit as New Mexico quarterback Cameron Dyer, while Hawaii linebacker Isaiah Iosefa was the top defensive prospect. Their analysis of the class was appropriately glowing:
"The Sun Devils have been very active in the transfer portal to rebuild their roster, but with the transition to the Big 12, Kenny Dillingham has also kept a focus on bringing in younger talent to develop within the program. They have two QBs in the class in Michael Tollefson and Cameron Dyer, who is ranked within the ESPN 300. Tollefson is a poised passer and displays good anticipation and touch, while Dyer has a strong arm and is also a physical, speedy and elusive runner. Tight end A.J. Ia is a bigger target with good body control who can offer a wide catch radius.
While offense anchors the class, ASU has made several strong additions to its secondary, including Joseph Smith, a longtime commit who gave a verbal in August 2023. He is a versatile defensive back who projects to safety with good speed and an attacking style of play. Four-star LB Isaiah Iosefa is a very good addition out of Hawaii. He has impressed in multiple in-person evaluations, winning MVP at the Under Armour Maui camp and also performing well on the national stage at the Under Armour All-America game."
ESPN had six other Big 12 schools ahead of the Sun Devils in their recruiting rankings, though no team in the conference made the Top 20. TCU came in at 21st, the only Big 12 program to finish inside the Top 30.
All in all, being ranked 42nd in the nation isn't that bad. If anything, this class is underrated, as several insiders believe the Sun Devils have several 3-star prospects - namely wide receivers Cory Butler and Harry Hassmann, safety Benjamin Alefaio, and offensive tackle Desean Bryant - who should be rated higher than they currently are.
Of course, that isn't anything new to the Sun Devils. They were infamously picked to finish last in the Big 12 this past year and then promptly won the entire conference, reaching the College Football Playoff with a first round bye.
Arizona State returns the vast majority of that roster, too, which lessens the need for this incoming class to contribute right away. Dillingham and his staff now turns their attention to the 2026 class, which just added its highest rated tight end commit since Zach Miller and currently stands at 17th in the nation, per 247 Sports.