Arizona State football jumps rival Arizona in recruiting rankings

TEMPE, Ariz. — Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils lit fireworks on their own this 4th of July. With two big recruiting pickups, ASU passed their arch-rival, the University of Arizona, in the 2024 recruiting rankings.

Arizona State gets two-holiday commitments

This past 4th of July ASU was able to secure commitments from three stars Martell Hughes and Chris Johnson Jr. Johnson Jr’s name may sound familiar. He’s the son of former NFL star Chris Johnson.

Hughes is a three-star defensive back from San Diego, Calif. Despite playing free safety in high school, he plans to play linebacker for the Sun Devils in college. Hughes ranked as the 85th-best prospect (247 Sports) in California.

The California native also was considering Arizona and even took a visit down to Tuscon in June. This recruiting win was a massive pickup for Dillingham, as it’s always nice to beat your rival out for a recruit.

Johnson Jr is a three-star cornerback from Aledo, Texas. He’s ranked as the 482nd best prospect (247 Sports) in the 2024 class and 83rd best in Texas. The speedster continues Dillingham’s new “Texas to Tempe” pipeline, which if continues could be instrumental for the Sun Devils in the upcoming years.

The Sun Devils leap the Wildcats

Going into the 4th of July, Arizona State was ranked 5th in the conference in the 2024 recruiting class rankings. Oregon leads the conference, followed by Stanford, Washington, and Arizona.

That changed with the fireworks.

When the sun set on the holiday, Arizona State sat in 4th place with a score of 166.94 (247 Sports). Arizona had a score of 157.28. 247 Sports also give an “average rating” for each class. Arizona State’s is 87.13 and Arizona’s is 86.05.

The Territorial Cup may have found its way down to Tucson this past season, but it looks like Kenny Dillingham plans on changing that.

Thank you for reading Sun Devil Daily! For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at brendonpricco@gmail.com. Forks up!