Offense
The Sun Devils lose Sam Leavitt to LSU but dipped into the portal and added Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley. Boley started a ton of games against SEC defenses, and as a quarterback, that matters. Including winning against Florida and at Auburn. His 330 yards and five touchdown performance against Tennessee is what Big 12 defenses could see.
The running back room is deep and talented. Led by Kyson Brown, last season’s opening game starter before suffering a season ending injury. Delaware State transfer Marquis Gillis rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and will certainly see carries as well.
The wide receiver room features three future NFL Draft picks that transferred in. Omarion Miller (Colorado), Reed Harris (Boston College), and Raiden Vines-Bright (Washington) will terrorize Big 12 defenses. This was the top ranked wide receiver transfer portal class.
The offensive line room will need stability with no starters returning. The additions of Tana Alo-Tupuola (Georgia Tech) and Luke Baklenko (Oklahoma), among others, will help. Champ Westbrooks, Wade Helton, and Maki Stewart will also see increased roles.
Defense
The defensive line room returns experience in CJ Fite, Clayton Smith, MyKeil Gardner, Zac Swanson, and Blazen Lono-Wong. Fite is an All-Big 12 performer and a future pro. The additions of Jalen Thompson (Michigan State) and Emar’rion Winston (Baylor) are massive for this unit.
The linebacker room returns Martell Hughes and Zyrus Fiaseu. Both will be asked to take a step up in production. Colorado State transfer Owen Long led the FBS in tackles last season with 151. The junior had double digit tackles in all but two games last season.
The secondary loses a ton from last season and will need Adrian “Boogie” Wilson to be a big-time playmaker. Rodney Bimage Jr. and Montana Warren are ready to shine. The additions of Ashton Stamps (LSU), Jessiah McGrew (FIU), and Lyrik Rawls (Kansas) are massive.
Specialists
Transfers will start at both kicker and punter. Ohio State transfer Nick McLarty will be the punter. While Austin Peay transfer Carson Smith handle the kicking role.
2026 Schedule
9/5 Morgan State
9/12 at Texas A&M
9/19 vs Kansas in London, England
10/3 Baylor
10/10 Hawai’i
10/17 at Texas Tech
10/24 Kansas State
10/31 at BYU
11/7 Colorado
11/14 at UCF
11/21 Oklahoma State
11/28 at Arizona
Final Analysis
This may be the deepest team Kenny Dillingham has had at ASU. Going from Leavitt to Boley at quarterback will be a major adjustment to watch. Also, the schedule is brutal. However, the Sun Devils have what it takes to compete for a Big 12 Title.
