Finding familiar ground: how ASU’s 4-1 start stacks up to first five games in 2024
Arizona State football has been here before.
Five games into the 2024 season, the Sun Devils sat at 4-1. The record looked good on paper, but at the time, it was hard to see the bigger picture, let alone imagine the ultimate path the Sun Devils were about to embark on. Head coach Kenny Dillingham’s team was young, inconsistent, and just trying to build momentum after years of turbulence. With former running back Cam Skattebo pounding out tough yards and Sam Leavitt flashing as a dual-threat quarterback, Arizona State grew week by week. By the end of the season, the Sun Devils, who were picked 16th and last in the media Big 12 media preseason poll, had shocked the college football world—winning the Big 12 title and earning a berth in the College Football Playoff.
That backdrop made the expectations for 2025 starkly different than the previous season. A year ago, no one outside Tempe thought ASU could pull off what it did. This fall, people expected them to. Ironically, after five weeks of play, ASU finds itself right back where they were at this juncture of the season: 4-1.
And if you look past the sting of an early upset loss at Mississippi State, this year’s version of the Sun Devils may actually be in a stronger position than the group that turned into a national college football Cinderella story last fall.
Leavitt Steadier in Year Two
The most obvious parallel between 2024 and 2025 is quarterback play. Leavitt’s emergence last year gave ASU its identity. Through five games in 2024, he had thrown for 1,012 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 59.3 percent of his passes. On the ground, he added 257 rushing yards and four scores. His blend of athleticism and improvisation helped keep the offense alive when the run game sputtered or when protection broke down.
Now in 2025, the sophomore is more efficient, more polished, and just as dangerous with his legs. He’s completing 63.1 percent of his passes, for 1,039 yards, posting eight touchdowns, and three interceptions—almost identical to last year’s raw production but on fewer mistakes. His rushing numbers are slightly improved, too: 281 yards and five touchdowns (T-2nd in Big 12) on 55 attempts.
The biggest difference? Control. Leavitt isn’t forcing as many risky throws, and his comfort in Dillingham’s system has opened up the full playbook. Instead of being the surprise star, he’s the centerpiece around which everything else works. Leavitt, much like in 2024, has only elevated his play as the season has progressed—his latest performance, a 353 total yards of offense, three-touchdown outing against No. 24 TCU, felt like a preview of the heights he can and is probably expected to achieve.
Life Without Skattebo
Last year, Cam Skattebo was the emotional and physical heartbeat of the Sun Devils’ offense. His rugged running style defined the 2024 season—111 carries, 615 yards, and six touchdowns after five games, plus 192 receiving yards. He gave ASU an identity: toughness.
Replacing that level of presence was never going to be easy, and many believed it would keep ASU from repeating last season’s success. But junior Raleek Brown, who had to medically redshirt last year due to a hamstring injury, has stepped in and added a dynamic dimension of his own.
Brown isn’t the bruiser Skattebo was, but his 506 rushing yards (1st in Big 12) on 77 carries, sporting an average of 6.5 yards per carry, show that he’s capable of producing explosive plays. While he only has two touchdowns on the ground, his 19 receptions for 107 yards reflect how he’s been worked into the offense as a versatile weapon, someone who forces defenses to account for him in space.
The overall rushing attack is strikingly similar year-to-year. In 2024, ASU tallied 1,091 yards and 11 touchdowns on 223 attempts through five games. In 2025? They’ve piled up 1,083 yards (2nd in Big 12) and eight touchdowns on 207 carries. Junior running backs Kanye Udoh and Kyson Brown have each had their moments, contributing just over 100 rushing yards apiece, and Leavitt’s 281 yards on the ground are naturally a significant part of this offensive aspect. The total rushing yardage is almost identical to last year, though they’ve traded some scoring efficiency for balance, which has allowed others, namely Leavitt and the receivers, to shine.
Tyson Emerging as a Star
Junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson was a formidable piece of the offense at this point last season, but not the focal point on this side of the ball, as he posted 285 yards and three touchdowns through five games in 2024. Five games into last season, and two games where he tallied just two catches, no one could have guessed his end-of-season production. Now, he’s emerged as one of the most dynamic playmakers not just in the Big 12, but in the entire country.
Through the first five games of 2025, Tyson has already recorded 39 catches (3rd in FBS) for 483 yards (5th in FBS) and seven touchdowns (1st in FBS). His yardage mark was something 2024 Tyson wouldn’t eclipse until Week Eight—and his touchdown mark? Not until Week Nine. He’s become Leavitt’s go-to option in every situation: third downs, red zone, deep shots, etc. His chemistry with the quarterback has elevated the passing game compared to last year’s start and has placed him as a legitimate top 15 2026 NFL draft pick.
Senior tight end Chamon Metayer has once again been a reliable secondary option, posting 17 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, up from 12 receptions for 132 yards and two TDs at this point last season.
The difference is that in 2024, players like Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall played bigger roles as the second and third receivers, whereas ASU doesn’t yet have a true number two receiver; therefore, Metayer, at least for now, will have to assume that responsibility.
Comparing the Offenses
Statistically, the offensive picture is remarkably close. Last year’s team had 2,103 total yards and 166 points through five games. This year’s team? 2,122 yards and 147 points. The production is nearly identical, though the 2024 squad was slightly more explosive on the scoreboard.
However, as always, context matters: in 2024, ASU had already suffered a conference loss by this point, while in 2025, they remained unblemished. The competition has also stepped up—last year’s Mississippi State team, which ASU defeated, won just two games, whereas this year’s squad came within an overtime of beating No. 15 Tennessee to remain undefeated and forced three turnovers against the Volunteers. Even with the Week 2 upset, the Sun Devils’ unbeaten record in Big 12 play gives them a clearer path to defending their title, though the overall inner league competition may prove tougher than last year’s.
Defense Taking the Next Step
The real difference between these two season starts comes on defense. Last year’s group was opportunistic, scoring three defensive touchdowns through five weeks. However, their overall production lagged, resulting in just 12 sacks and 27 tackles for loss.
This year, the defensive line has seized control and drawn national attention. The Sun Devils already boast 19 sacks (second in FBS) and 42 tackles for loss (fourth in FBS), wreaking havoc in opposing backfields. Those jaw-dropping numbers helped silence Baylor and Sawyer Robertson—the country’s leader in passing yards (1,713)—as well as a ranked TCU squad that averaged just over 41 points per game coming into Tempe.
Senior linebacker Keyshaun Eliott and senior defensive lineman Clayton Smith each have four sacks, which already mark a career-high for Eliott, and just one more would give Smith a career best. Meanwhile, senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah is coming off a three-sack performance that included a game-winning strip sack and fumble recovery for ASU, matching his total sack output from ALL of last season.
Senior defensive back Keith Abney II has anchored the secondary, being targeted just 24 times while forcing six incompletions, recording an interception, forcing a fumble, and allowing only 0.6 yards per snap in coverage.
The Sun Devils added four interceptions and five fumble recoveries, showing a knack for takeaways even if they haven’t scored on defense yet this year. The improvement up front has stabilized the entire unit. In 2024, ASU needed splash plays to flip momentum. In 2025, they’re winning more consistently from snap to snap.
The Bigger Picture
So where does that leave the Sun Devils?
In some ways, the déjà vu after five games is uncanny: the same record, similar offensive totals, and a quarterback who is putting up an almost identical stat line. But this season feels less fragile. Leavitt isn’t just surviving—he’s thriving. Tyson has turned into a legitimate star. Raleek Brown has filled enough of Skattebo’s shoes to keep the rushing attack potent. And the defense is better, deeper, and more disruptive than it was at this stage last year.
It’s worth remembering that last year’s team didn’t really hit its stride until later in the season. They improved as the weeks went on, and consequently, the ceiling continued to rise. If 2025 follows the same arc—and the early signs suggest it might—the Sun Devils could very well be in position to defend their conference crown in December.
This time, the difference will be that no one will be caught off guard.
