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Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham landed a talented 4-star wideout who was drawing interest from the likes of Florida and Nebraska. The Sun Devils are coming off an incredibly successful season under their then-second-year head coach. After a 3-9 first year with Dillingham, the Sun Devils improved that win total by eight games and won the Big 12 Championship in their first year in the conference. Arizona State subsequently went out on its shield in a thriller against Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
After such a shocking success, the question now is whether this program is equipped to maintain its spot among the college football elite. Fortunately, Dillingham and company are continuing to trend in the right direction with the latest recruitment news. According to On3 National Recruiting / Transfer Portal Reporter Hayes Fawcett, wideout Nalin Scott has committed to Arizona State. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect is a Class of 2026 recruit with tremendous upside to be an immediate contributor in Tempe. Scott is included in ESPN's top 300 list for his class.
Kenny Dillingham has to be excited about this addition, especially with the list of schools that have already offered Scott a scholarship. Along with Florida and Nebraska, elite recruiting programs like Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and Tennessee also pursued the high school junior. Scott is now the third 4-star recruit to commit to the Sun Devils for the Class of 2026. Arizona State's recruiting classes appear to be improving steadily as Dillingham builds more cache.
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That being said, it won't be easy for this year's team to replicate last season's success. All-purpose back Cam Skattebo has no more college eligibility and is off to the New York Giants. The All-American was absolutely critical to the Sun Devils offense, and now opposing defenses will center their focus on containing quarterback Sam Leavitt. The sophomore had a phenomenal first year in Tempe and played a significant role in this program's rise.
Leavitt threw for 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions, compiling a QBR that ranked ninth in FBS. The West Linn, Oregon native also ran for over 400 yards on the ground and scored five times. Sam will have to put together an All-American caliber season to return to the College Football Playoff. One bit of news that helps is the return of All-Big-12 wideout Jordan Tyson.
Tyson also had an incredible first year in Tempe, but a season-ending collarbone injury did not allow him to play the last few games of the season. But the return of Leavitt, Tyson, and a few defensive starters makes the Sun Devils a Big 12 contender again. It's a great time to be a fan of this program, and the best could be yet to come.
