Akim Lanieux adds a new dimension to the Sun Devils in the post-spring portal
The reigning Big 12 champions utilized the winter transfer portal to solidify the majority of their depth chart voids, adding players across all position groups to bolster an already formidable Sun Devil roster returning from a highly successful 2024 season.
Offensively, the spring saw a significant number of new players enter the wide receiver room, with four freshmen and three transfers arriving on campus last January. Among the transfers, the Sun Devils identified various play styles and body types to create a dynamic receiving core. Adding speed and agility in redshirt junior Jalen Moss, who formerly played at Fresno State. Looking for an explosive deep-ball threat, 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton checked off that box. The former Alabama player has shown flashes of elite potential in his early days at ASU. To add a high level of blocking skills, they secured the services of 6-foot-3 Noble Johnson, formerly of Clemson.
An area ASU was looking to add depth revolved around the physicality of the position room. The position group featured only two wideouts taller than 6-foot-4, including 6-foot-5 redshirt senior Malik McClain. The physical brand of football played in the Big 12 means that adding size is a necessity, not a luxury.
Insert the latest player into the wide receiver room: 6-foot-6, 190-pound redshirt junior Akim Lanieux from Northern Illinois. Lanieux is a towering player with long arms and high leaping ability, and his story of the journey that landed him in Tempe is one unlike any other in the wide receiver room.
Although Lanieux transferred from NIU, he never suited up for the Huskies. He transferred to that school in January 2025, transferring from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College. Over the two seasons Lanieux saw game time for the Conquistadors, they finished a combined 14-7 and 8-4 in conference play.
Lanieux played 15 total games for DCCC, after redshirting his first year there in 2022, with his best performance coming in 2024, when he totaled 20 receptions in nine games for 378 yards and two touchdowns. Lanieux led the team in receptions and receiving yards, allowing him the opportunity to showcase his talent.
Junior college was not the route Lanieux anticipated for himself as he played for Plaquemine High School in Louisiana. As a sophomore, he received an offer from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, along with other mid-major Division I programs. However, COVID-19 changed the trajectory of his college career due to an oversaturated player pool.
“Going through my (scouting) process, COVID was a big thing,” Lanieux noted. “I had offers, and I wanted to continue to showcase what I could do, but I had a long process, going through quarantine and shutdowns.
“It was something that affected me more so out of college because it kept kids in college an extra year, and it was a setback for me because it took scholarship money from me, so it was part of the reason why I had the opportunity to go JUCO.”
Before his senior year, Lanieux’s only impressions of the junior college route came from watching Last Chance U on Netflix. He grew up in Plaquemine, Louisiana, roughly an hour south of Baton Rouge. Lanieux’s first year in Kansas was with Garden City Community College before making a move to DCCC.
The change in scenery to rural Kansas created a positive environment for Lanieux as time went on, and he was able to learn the trade of being a collegiate athlete with minimal distractions. And although he won’t be looking to move back to Dodge City anytime soon, he doesn’t regret his path.
“It was more of an isolation situation,” Lanieux described. “Going from a town where you’re well known to being by myself … it was a shock for me, just really having to change myself and become an adult.
“I felt like it had its pros and cons, but it’s a place where, if you really love football and you want to get your mind right and take care of the stuff you’ve got to do, you’ll get your situation better.”
Lanieux capitalized on his productive third year and decided to transfer to NIU — an opportunity to gain greater name recognition and exposure on a larger scale. Interestingly enough, he was only there for roughly a four-month period for spring practices. Despite not playing in any official games, he noticed a spike in refined talent from the junior college scheme to Division I athletics.
“Every decision I made was made with a purpose,” Lanieux said on his decision to join NIU in early January. “They made it feel like home, and it gave me the chance to present myself as a Division I player, and where I come from, the situation there was better.”
The spring was productive for Lanieux; he was able to train and practice at the Division I level for the first time in his career, and then a grand-scale opportunity to join the Big 12 champions arrived.
“I didn’t necessarily want to transfer,” Lanieux admitted. “It was something that came, and it was a situation that was beneficial for me to keep going up from there.”
The short stint at NIU worked in Lanieux’s favor, with headlines across Phoenix media noting a transfer from another Division I program rather than the junior college level, despite having only played regular-season games at the JUCO level.
Now in Tempe, Lanieux has some catching up to do. After missing the spring practice session, he’s dedicated the summer to mastering the playbook and building chemistry with his new teammates.
“Everyone has been pretty welcoming,” Lanieux said of his teammates. “Coming in during the summer, learning the playbook is big because you don’t have as much time. Everybody understands that we’re here to win, so we’re helping each other. Off the field, we’ve been hanging out.
“The playbook, I love it. I’ve been in situations and concepts very similar to it, so now it’s just learning the terminology and understanding the details, trying to learn it as fast as possible.”
After speaking to ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham and wide receivers coach and Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward, his early conversations with the former Steeler stood out from a developmental standpoint, as Ward laid out an intriguing pathway for Lanieux to grow as a player.
“Coach Ward sat down with me and showed me all the ways he can get me better,” Lanieux recalled. “He showed me the ways I can improve my game, and it was something I really tried to take investment in because he knows all the ins and outs.”
Lanieux steps into the wide receiver room with elements unlike any other player for the Maroon and Gold, not only due to his unique frame but also for his past in the sport of football. Now fortunate enough to get his Division I shot three years later than he expected, Lanieux is ready to seize the moment he’s found among the Big 12 champions.
“Some people don’t realize how good they’ve got it,” Lanieux said of the quality of life for power-conference athletes. “In JUCO, I had one, maybe two trainers. I always prayed for and wished for the opportunity to play big ball, understanding that I have a good opportunity to showcase what I’ve been able to do my whole life.”
