When Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said after the road win at Texas State a couple of weeks ago that El Paso was one of his recruiting stops the following days, it ultimately was a trip that yielded a formidable dividend.
Four-star El Paso (Tex.) Del Valle High School quarterback Jake Fette announced Sunday evening that he is committing to the Sun Devils and becoming the first member of the school’s 2026 recruiting class.
“Coming into this whole process, I thought I was gonna wait it out the whole year and commit around February (of 2025),” Fette said. “But I just really love Coach Dillingham and Coach Arroyo and the whole ASU program. It's cool because they're professional, but at the same time, I could just talk to them like they're normal people, and I really appreciate that. They say they need an athletic quarterback, and I'm all here to help out the school and the team in whichever way I can when I get there.
“100% when he (Dillingham) came down to see me play, I had known I wanted to commit there. Having a head coach come down and watch me play, that's not something that happens every day, so I really appreciated that from them. I was ready to commit last week, but I didn’t want to make an emotional decision. Coach Dillingham told me, ‘Give it another week, see how you feel,’ and my feelings didn't change."
Fete was offered on May 13 of this year and attended Arizona State’s recruiting camp a month later. Naturally, the time he spent in Tempe and his performance in that event were ultimately significant factors in his decision.
“Some of these other camps you go to, you just go out there, and the coaches are just watching you,” Fette remarked. “But the entire time I was at ASU. I'm out there throwing and getting coached at the same time. So it wasn't just like a tryout; it was more of like, I'm already starting to get developed and coached, and I really appreciated that. The coaches told me that they really like how I throw, and I really appreciate them for giving me the opportunity.”
During his sophomore season in 2023 and a 9-2 campaign, Fette posted 2,465 passing yards, registering 27 touchdowns and five interceptions, while completing 61.8 percent of his passes (139 of 225). In three games in his current junior season, he has completed 59 percent of his passes for 612 yards, averaging 204 yards and tallying five touchdowns and no interceptions, as well as rushing for three scores, averaging 49.3 yards on the ground.
“I have a pretty good arm, and my legs really helped me make plays when a pocket breaks down," Fette described. "Them having an athletic quarterback like (Sam) Leavitt, I think I compare to him pretty well, so seeing him do well in that system makes me excited to see myself in that system. I know I need to have my feet be more sound and I need to work on that. And also work my pocket presence not bailing out of the pocket too early.”
ASU beat several Big 12 schools for Fette’s services, such as TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Houston, and Baylor, as well as old Pac-12 for Cal. Fette is ranked as the No. 14 pro-style quarterback in the 2026 class and the No. 32 prospect in the state of Texas.
Ever since Dillingham arrived in Tempe prior to the 2023 season, ASU has made it a priority to recruit the Lone Star State, coining the popular social media phrase #Texas2Tempe. Fette's commitment is expected to greatly aid that trend in future classes.
In the 2023 class Arizona State landed six recruits from the state of Texas, in the 2024 class it had four pledges from that region and in the current 2025 class the Sun Devils have received commitments from four additional Texas players.
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