Wildcats, Sun Devils Welcome Early Signees

👋 GOOD MORNING – Happy Thursday everyone. We’re almost to the end of the week already.

There won’t be any action from our state’s wonderful NCAA football programs this weekend, since neither are playing in the Big 12 Championship game (sigh…), but yesterday was still a busy day for Wildcats HC Brent Brennan and Sun Devils HC Kenny Dillingham.

Let’s break down the early signing action!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Wildcats, Sun Devils Begin Early Signing Period

Well, there’s no game to get excited about if you’re a Wildcat or Sun Devil fan, unfortunately. With Arizona at 9-3 and Arizona State at 8-4, neither team will be playing in the Big 12 Championship, so there’s no game to preview this week.

That honor belongs to No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 11 BYU. Two deserving teams, to be sure. But one also can’t help but wonder what might have happened if the Cats had held on to beat BYU, or if ASU had been a bit healthier down the stretch of the season.

Ah well. Such is life in college football. Both the Wildcats and Sun Devils have had mostly enjoyable seasons, even if ASU had championship expectations after a brilliant 2024 season. The Wildcats more than doubling their win total can’t be understated, to say the least.

But yesterday was a very exciting day for the football programs in this state: it was the opening day of the early signing period. Both teams welcomed lengthy lists of potential future stars (as long as they don’t all transfer, that is).

Okay, I’ll stop being a downer about something exciting. Let’s take a look at the first wave of the early signing classes!

Arizona Wildcats Sign 20 Early Commits

The Wildcats add 20 commits on the first day of the Early Signing period, with the fifth-ranked class in the Big 12 and the No. 35 class nationally, according to 247Sports.

Here they are:

Four-Stars:

QB Oscar Rios – Downey HS (Downey, CA)

WR RJ Mosley – Pittsburg HS (Pittsburg, CA)

OT Justin Morales – Franklin HS (El Paso, TX)

OT Malachi Joyner – Williams Field HS (Gilbert, AZ)

TE Henry Gabalis – Archbishop Murphy HS (Everett, WA)

RB Brandon Smith – Central East HS (Fresno, CA)

CB Xaier Hiler – Ryan HS (Denton, TX)

Three-Stars

WR Caleb Smith – Allen HS (Allen, TX)

DL Manoah Faupusa – Santa Margarita Catholic HS (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)

EDGE Prince Williams – Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas, NV)

LB Dash Fifita (yes, that’s Noah Fifita’s brother) – Santa Margarita Catholic HS (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)

OL Nathan Allen – Carlsbad HS (Carlsbad, CA)

EDGE Harvie Moeai – Skyridge HS (Lehi, UT)

DL Kevin Moorer – Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, KS)

DL Keytrin Harris – Compass Prep (Chandler, AZ)

OT Khalil Sanogo – Legacy HS (Mansfield, TX)

S Griffin Tillis – Grand Oaks HS (Spring, TX)

LB Jaden Parker – Anna HS (Anna, TX)

OL Kaisi Lafitaga – Tafuna HS (Pago Pago, American Samoa)

S Hannibal Navies II – Grayson HS (Loganville, GA)

The Wildcats certainly smashed expectations in 2025, but can they sustain it? We’ll have to see what Brent Brennan and his staff have in store. The future of the Wildcat football looks bright, but we’ve been let down before.

Arizona State Sun Devils add 19 Early Commits

The Sun Devils bring in 19 recruits on day one, with the 37th-best class in the country and sixth-best in the Big 12, per 247Sports.

Four-Stars

QB Jake Fette – El Paso Del Valle HS (El Paso, TX)

OT Jarmaine Mitchell – Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Wesson, MS)

RB Cardae Mack – Atascocita HS (Humble, TX)

EDGE Julian Hugo – Steele HS (Cibolo, TX)

Three-Stars

OT Siosaia Lapuaho – Garden City Community College (Garden City, KS)

CB Jalen Williams – Kell HS (Marietta, GA)

OT Cortavious Tisaby – South Oak Cliff HS (Dallas, TX)

S Davis Kinney – Fort Bend Travis HS (Richmond, Texas)

Edge Sinei Tengei – Westwood HS (Mesa, AZ)

LB Oscar Aguilar – Downey HS (Downey, CA)

TE Hayden Vercher – Thousand Oaks HS (Thousand Oaks, CA)

LB Mason Marden – Ladue Horton Watkins HS (St. Louis, MO)

S Zeth Thues – Liberty HS (Peoria, AZ)

CB DaQuwan Dunn – Berkner HS (Richardson, TX)

TE Landen Miree – Princeton HS (Cincinnati, OH)

DL Kirtland Vakalahi – New Mexico Military Institute (Roswell, NM)

OL Marques Uini – Copperas Cove HS (Copperas Cove, TX)

OL Niniva Nicholson – Santa Margarita Catholic HS (Oceanside, CA)

DL Landen Anderson – Edmon Santa Fe HS (Edmond, OK)

Kenny Dillingham has built quite the culture in Tempe, but 2025 did end on a bit of a disappointing note, considering the expectations. Still, it feels like the future of this program is in very good hands.

Quick Hits

Groin-ded: Suns star Devin Booker was diagnosed with a right groin strain yesterday, and will be re-evaluated in one week’s time. It’s not the worst possible news, but soft tissue injuries can be nasty. We’ll have to wait and see.

Window Open: Arizona Cardinals DL LJ Collier had his 21-day practice window opened yesterday, and made it onto the practice field for the first time since week two. Unfortunately, RB Trey Benson (knee) was still absent, as was Marvin Harrison Jr. and Walter Nolen III. It may be an undermanned Sunday against the Rams this week.

Tip of the Hat by Branded Bills

Regardless of where you fall on the Kyler Murray-Jacoby Brissett debate, there’s no denying the latter has been a good teammate this season.

“If you gotta motivate me to go play hard for my teammates, I shouldn't be doing it.”

Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett says coach Jonathan Gannon’s messaging continues to resonate and players remain motivated @PHNX_Cardinals pic.twitter.com/2hUr1TY3en

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) December 3, 2025