Arizona State football hosts No. 1 prospect in Arizona

TEMPE, Ariz. — When Kenny Dillingham took the job as head coach of Arizona State football, he emphasized multiple goals. One of those was when he promised to bring in-state talent to Tempe and keep local kids home.

Dillingham made strides to do that in his first official recruiting class of his tenure, the 2024 class. ASU brought in four in-state prospects. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s the most ASU has brought in since the 2019 recruiting class. Herm Edwards in his staff targetted California more than any other state. This wasn’t necessarily a poor decision but it leaves Dillingham with the task of building relationships and connections with Arizona high school football programs and coaches.

The Sun Devils already have a 2025 pledge from Arizona in Toby Mealer from Hamilton High School. Mealer is a three-star and ranks as Arizona’s No. 16 overall player (247 Sports).

Dillingham and Arizona State football also hosted one of their top priority in-state prospects for an unofficial visit this weekend.

Arizona State football hosts top Arizona prospect

Cooper Perry is a four-star wide receiver from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. Perry is hailed as the No.1 overall recruit in Arizona in the 2025 recruiting class (247 Sports).

Perry has racked up 21 scholarship offers from schools including ASU, Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Washington, and others. Notre Dame Prep is just 20 miles north of Mountain America Stadium, and keeping Perry home is one of the top priorities for Arizona State.

This weekend Perry was in Tempe for an unofficial visit with the Sun Devils.

Will be at ASU today!! @KennyDillingham @RashaadSamples pic.twitter.com/lePkPn8eDs

— Cooper perry (@Cooper_Perry06) January 20, 2024

Perry’s visit, even though unofficial, created buzz across campus. At the hockey game on Saturday night, the student section was chanting Perry’s name. This left an impression on Perry.

“It was a great time,” Perry told 247Sports in an interview after his visit. “I love Dilly and how they are making me the top priority and I really was shown the love at the hockey game when the student section chanted my name. That was an awesome experience.”

The last time a wide receiver finished atop the Arizona state rankings? N’Keal Harry in 2016.

The recruitment battle for the Valley native has a chance to be a defining recruiting moment for Dillingham in his young ASU tenure.

“I most definitely will be taking an official visit to ASU,” Perry told 247 Sports. “The message that Dilly gets across is that if I were to stay home it would make other kids want to as well. I think that is definitely eye-opening.”

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