With half of January already in the books, the Class of 2025 is last year’s news in terms of high school football.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The best of the best signed their national letters of intent on early signing day in early December, and the remaining undecideds and college hopefuls are expected to make their decision on Feb. 5. Many of the early signees were presented with one last opportunity to suit up as a high school athlete, playing in various all-star games this month.
Arizona State currently holds the 47th ranked high school recruiting class in the country and fifth in the Big 12 according to 247sports, after signing 21 seniors last month. Four of them will represent their high schools one last time on national television before they plant themselves in Tempe.
Safety Ben Alefaio, tight end AJ la, offensive tackle Manamo’ui Muti and linebacker Isaiah Iosefa are playing in the Polynesian Bowl Friday.
Tune in to the @nflnetwork tonight to watch 4️⃣ of our newest Sun Devils compete in the @polynesiabowl ! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/YZD81WSOxh
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) January 17, 2025
The Polynesian Bowl is one of the most respected high school senior all-star games in the country, welcoming 100 of the nations best players to compete. Majority of the competitors are of Polynesian decent.
The Sun Devils quartet of participants all earned the right to compete with some of the country’s elite before they officially become Arizona State student-athletes.
La is the highest ranked recruit among the group, signing to the Sun Devils as their second highest ranked recruit. Cameron Dyer, the No. 1 recruit in New Mexico, led the pack as 247sports’ 138th ranked player in the country.
A four-star prospect, La is rated as one of the top 20 tight ends in the country. He was Nebraska signee TJ Lateef’s favorite target in the end zone for well-respected California program Orange Lutheran High school, scoring a team-high seven receiving touchdowns off of his 50 catches for 566 yards last season.
Last play if 1Q. Lateef with second TD pass, a 6-yarder to AJ LA. End of 1. Orange Lutheran 14, De La Salle 7. OL can do what it wants offensively thus far. Offensive line dominated DLS thus far. pic.twitter.com/K6t47jJHZj
— Mitch Stephens (@MitchBookLive) August 26, 2023
La is not making the trip to the Polynesian Bowl or Tempe alone, being joined by high school teammate Alefaio, who signed to the Sun Devils as a three-star safety.
Alefaio was a standout in the Lancers’ secondary in 2024, leading the team with three interceptions. His 41 tackles and one fumble recovery to compliment la’s offensive turnout led to an 8-4 season for Orange Lutheran that was upended by nationally renown California super-team St. John Bosco High School in the state’s toughest sectional tournament.
Friendly reminder – 2 Sun Devils @aj_ia_ and @BenjaminAlefaio play in the @polynesiabowl today at 7pm on NFL Network ???????? pic.twitter.com/r50lR2NRa3
— ????Commit 2 the Fork???? (@Commit2theFork) January 17, 2025
The last of the selectees will be playing in their home state for the final time before heading to the mainland for college.
Muti is the next highest ranked Sun Devil in the game after La, being considered as one of the top 700 players in the country. A monstrous force, towering at 6’7″ and 320 pounds, the offensive tackle anchored Leilehua High School’s offensive line that finished with a 10-5 record and semifinal appearance in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I tournament.
Iosefa, the last of the group, is also rated as a three-star recruit. He guided Mililani High School to finishing as one of the top four teams in Hawai’i, earning a big in the state’s Open Division tournament.
The Polynesian Bowl will be played on Friday at Kūnuiākea Stadium In Honolulu. The game will be aired on the NFL Network at 7 p.m. MST.
Arizona State Football signing day tracker: Live updates, top recruit tracker & class rankings
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
