By Mark Pszonak
When it comes to high school recruiting, it is important to try and set yourself apart, especially if you’re not a blue blood program. That is what Arizona State is trying to do with their “Golden Ticket” idea. Yesterday was the first day that coaches were allowed to make direct recruiting contact with Class of 2027 recruits, which was when the Sun Devils put their new plan into action.
Thank you to @ASUFootball & @KennyDillingham for the golden ticket!! pic.twitter.com/fwHOb98R7a
— Zerek “zroc” Sidney (@zereksidney) June 15, 2025
The “Golden Ticket” is an idea created to try and help boost in-state recruiting for Arizona State. Only top priority players, such as wide receiver Zerek Sidney, received the “Golden Ticket”, which they then posted on social media. One unique aspect of the ticket is that it shows the priority of the player, with Sidney being “001/006”, meaning that only six other in-state players received a ticket, and he is considered No. 1 of those.
Sidney was extremely busy yesterday sharing all the schools that contacted him with a graphic or video, but the “Golden Ticket” did manage to stand out from the crowd. Schools that sent him a graphic included Miami, Texas A&M, Washington, Louisville, Wisconsin, Clemson, Texas, Sacramento State, Kansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Purdue and Michigan, while videos were sent by Arizona, USC and Idaho.
So, who else did Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham send a “Golden Ticket” to? They were also sent to quarterback Kael Snyder, offensive tackle Benjamin Lowther, offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand, running back Noah Roberts and athlete Jai Jones.
An argument could be made that any player outside the top six that is recruited by the Sun Devils may feel slighted, but overall, it is an interesting idea that is likely to create some in-state buzz for a program that is already trending upwards.
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