Arizona College Prep DB signs with Carroll College
This is No. 6 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 258) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 2/11/23
The relationships in the college recruiting process for Jayden Diaz actually came a couple years early.
Following his sophomore year at Arizona College Prep, Diaz watched his older brother, Joel, get recruited by several out-of-state colleges. On the 2020 ACP team, both Jayden and Joel teamed up in the secondary as starters. Jayden first learned about Carroll College in Montana through Joel's recruitment. Joel eventually signed with Colorado School of Mines and had 26 tackles for the Orediggers last season.
"They had a home visit for him and I was able to briefly meet (head) Coach (Troy) Purcell," Jayden Diaz said in an e-mail interview. "After that, when it was my turn to start the process, right away Coach Blue (Myron Blueford) thought it would be a great option for me. So, I followed up and began talking with them and getting everything set up."
Diaz eventually ended up with a dozen offers. Carroll was the last of those schools to offer him. He committed to the school in Helena a week later.
"I really like to win and Carroll does that regularly," Diaz said. "I also like the fact that they are in a great area and have a strong campus culture. Carroll also made me feel wanted and loved, even in my short visit. That was a huge factor in my decision making."
Diaz played all four of his years at Arizona College Prep. His freshman year was a mix of JV and varsity playing some receiver on varsity and quarterback/safety on JV.
He was a dual-threat starting quarterback as a junior on varsity and passed for 1,393 yards with 14 TDs. On the ground, he rushed for 517 yards and nine touchdowns. However, the coaching staff went with sophomore Jaxon Castro as the starting quarterback last fall. Diaz didn't sulk, he just used his athleticism and made a mark on defense. He led the Knights with 71 tackles and also had a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception. Diaz showed through his actions he was a team player, which was fitting since he was named a captain.
Carroll is recruiting him at defensive back, where he played last season. He's versatile enough to play anywhere in the secondary.
Arizona College Prep is a public school in the Chandler Unified School District that includes grades 6-12. It was established in 2007, but didn't take on the current name until 2011. The Knights' first varsity football season was in 2017 in the 2A Conference (under Blueford). It has an enrollment of 1,248 and played its first year in 4A last year. A new school campus was built in 2021 with the team finally getting its own stadium. Last season, ACP started 5-1 and then hung on to make the playoffs.
The move upwards in conferences has brought more attention to the school.
"Before these past few years, we were just another team and no one knew us," Diaz said. "But we started playing for more than just fun and it made the experience that much more meaningful."
Outside of football, Diaz is part of the Athletic Leadership Council. He also runs track, which helped him gain 15 pounds of muscle and strength. ACP is known for its rigorous curriculum and Diaz is thriving with a 3.95 GPA. He plans to study Business Management or Sports Management at Carroll.
Carroll College won the Frontier Conference last season and was the league's representative in the NAIA playoffs. The Fighting Saints were 8-3 and finished the regular season by taking a must-win game on the road at College of Idaho (21-6). That victory boosted Carroll from No. 21 into the top 20 (where you need to be to get the conference auto-bid). The team could hold its head high at the end after battling No. 2 Grand View on the road in Iowa before falling 17-14. The defense finished in the top 10 in the nation.
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