Ayden Hector was one of the most sought after recruits in the country in the 2020 cycle.
The 6-foot-0, 210-pound defensive back from Bellevue, Washington was a four-star prospect coming out of Eastside Catholic High School and received offers from Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin, among others.
The No. 15 cornerback in the nation and No. 3 overall prospect from the state of Washington, according to 247Sports, Hector also had offers from New Mexico, Boise State and every program in the Pac-12.
Hector originally signed with Stanford as a senior in high school, but later on had his admission rescinded due to his involvement as a witness of an alleged sexual assault in 2018, according to the Stanford Daily. No charges were filed in the case, however, his teammates were accused of raping a 16-year-old girl from another school.
In a statement sent to the Stanford Daily, a school spokesman said the following of Hector’s admission being rescinded: “Under university policy, Stanford may rescind the admission of an applicant based upon a review of additional information. The university has taken that step with regard to an incoming undergraduate for fall 2020 who was scheduled to be a football student-athlete.”
Hector ultimately ended up walking on at Washington State and immediately earned a starting role at strong safety in 2020.
In his first start, a road game against Oregon State, the then-true freshman recorded seven total tackles. Then the following week he recorded four more tackles, recovered a pair of fumbles and had an interception on his way to being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
After testing positive for COVID-19 and missing Washington State’s final game in 2020, Hector was suspended by the school in February, 2021 for a violation of team rules, per the Spokesman Review. According to a later report from Theo Lawson, it was determined that Hector attempted to purchase alcohol with a fake ID.
Officially it was never announced how long Hector was intended to be suspended for. One month later, though, Hector ended up entering the transfer portal.
“Thank you WSU for the opportunity to play football my freshman year,” Hector posted on Twitter. “I am entering the transfer portal to pursue other opportunities. Thank you to my coaches, teammates and community. Go Cougs!”
After missing the 2021 season entirely, Hector recently joined the Colorado State program and is now included on the official roster online.
If he plays like he did as a freshman for the Cougars back in 2020, Hector will likely contend for a starting role in DC Freddie Banks’ 4-2-5 scheme. Similarly to when Preston Williams came over from Tennessee, it’s clear that Hector has all of the talent in the world. If he learns from his past and ends up being dependable, Hector could easily be one of the biggest steals in the recruiting cycle. Ultimately we will just all have to wait and see.
