Generating explosive plays is at the forefront of the 2025 growth plan

When a program surpasses expectations, it can be challenging to restructure goals for the following campaign. However, when a program generates a historic season that no one could’ve seen coming, resetting the standard becomes an inconceivable task.​

For Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, however, that’s just one more task in his job description.​

Monday, ASU held its first in-season press conference for Dillingham to address the media as week one of the 2025 college football season is underway. The Sun Devils’ 11-3 run in 2024 and college football playoff appearance could make it difficult to exceed the goals that fans should expect from them in the fall. Dillingham’s primary goal for this fall is to improve the team’s accomplishments, with a focus on creating a higher volume of explosive plays on both sides of the ball.​

Explosive plays in football define single snaps that turn the tide and decide outcomes in a matchup. A quarterback sack on third and long, or a 50-yard touchdown pass, are two of numerous examples.​

Despite having the best run defense in the Big 12 in 2024, the Sun Devils finished only sixth in the conference in sacks with 24. A total closer to last place, and ironically, Big 12 championship runner-up Iowa State (16) than to league-leading Colorado (39). Pass rush has been high on the list for Dillingham as an aspect needing significant improvement from the previous year.​

“We should be able to create more sacks because we’re a better unit pass rush,” Dillingham said Monday. “We should be around the ball more, which should equate to a few more takeaways. I expect more explosive plays when it comes to the takeaway department.”​

On the offensive side of the coin, conjuring up more home run hitters doesn’t mean ASU sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt will be consistently launching passes of 50 yards or more downfield. Nonetheless, Dillingham is expecting the offense to be more efficient on first down passing plays, which in turn gives offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo increased opportunities to work in effective, if not creative, play calls on second and third downs.​

“Hopefully we’re going to be a better early down passing team,” Dillingham remarked. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to sling it 90 times. I hope there is consistency in running the ball like we did last year. Which I believe we will … Last year we weren’t very overly explosive, we didn’t have many one-play touchdowns.”

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​Despite having some shifts in goals for his team’s production, the added expectations don’t create a foreign notion to Dillingham. Put simply, five days before the Sun Devils’ season opener, he feels “the exact same,” from how he felt ahead of week one of the 2024 season off the back of a 3-9 mark following his first year at the helm in Tempe.

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“Coaches, you live in a constant state of Paranoia,” Dillingham explained. “It doesn’t matter where you are; you’re constantly trying to be better, and if you’re not, there’s a problem. What’s the goal? There’s no peak to this thing. There is no peak. Do I feel the same as I did when we were 3-9, unfortunately (yes)”​

This mindset, which Dillingham has carried over from one year to the next, has trickled down to all aspects of the program, including the players the team has brought in, such as the Eastern Michigan transfer. Senior kicker Jesus Gomez was largely a top performer throughout fall camp, making long field goals with confidence nearly every practice.​

Seeing his kicker’s preparation and execution for weeks on end has given Dillingham increased confidence in the kicking unit as a whole, in turn being more selective in his line of thinking as to choosing when to be aggressive on fourth downs.​

“Since the moment he’s gotten here, this kid is dialed in to be the very best,” Dillingham said of Gomez. “You know what you’re going to get. I have the utmost confidence in him.​

“Another guy I have confidence in is Kieffer (sophomore kicker Carston Kieffer); he’s a guy who went in during the (Big 12) championship game and made big kicks late in the season. He’s out to the 50-yard range, which is a testament to his strength; that position as a whole has become drastically better.”

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​As a unit, the offense had a gaping positional hole heading into the 2025 offseason, which was going to fill the shoes of All-American running back Cam Skattebo. It was an external narrative that dominated the talk surrounding the Sun Devils’ prospects in 2025. ​

Juniors Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown, and Army transfer and junior Kanye Udoh have all made prominent cases for the starting running back role. Yet, Dillingham made it clear that no true starter would be announced, and the primary ball carrier in the proverbial running back by committee approach this year would depend on the game plan for any given Saturday.​

“Our competitive depth on this team is high,” Dillingham elaborated. “I think when you look at our depth chart, you’d think ‘Holy Cow, this guy could start at most places,’ I think that’s a positive that pushes each other.​

“It’s a positive, and it pushes each other because you know there’s a guy behind you that can play and will play, and I think that’s going to be the difference this year. We’re going to rotate some guys to keep guys fresh and get more guys on the field.”

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​The Sun Devils are headed into week one virtually evading any signs of the injury bug for its two-deep players. Two freshman players, tight end AJ Ia and running back Demarius Robinson, are currently dealing with minor injuries.

“AJ got dinged up the other day. Other than that, Demarius Robinson was dinged up, but he’ll be back pretty quickly, if not even by Tuesday,” Dillingham stated. “On both sides of the ball, we haven’t had many injuries during camp.”​

Dillingham added the Oregon transfer and sophomore defensive lineman My’Keil Gardner, who will miss the entirety of the 2025 season due to a torn Achilles tendon. The valley native who prepped at Peoria Liberty High School suffered the injury while rehabbing from another injury he had suffered beforehand.​

“I told him everything happens for a reason,” Dillingham remarked. “Maybe your body wasn’t ready to come back this year, maybe this was the one way for your body to heal… go to work and build relationships with your teammates and rock and roll.”