Jason Mohns tasked with the rebuild of the tight ends unit

The tight end room at Arizona State has been reshaped, and Jason Mohns is tasked with bringing a new group up to speed quickly while maintaining the identity he has built in Tempe.

With the departures of Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole, ASU’s top two tight ends from a season ago, the Sun Devils enter the spring with both opportunity and uncertainty at a position that plays a critical role in the offense. For Mohns, the start of the third week of spring practice was less about filling voids and more about gauging how quickly a retooled group can come together.

“We’re excited about where Khamari and AJ are at,” Mohns said. “And then obviously, adding Anthony Miller into the room. He played almost 400 snaps on a CFP team last year, so he brings some experience to the table.”

Senior tight end Khamari Anderson, a veteran presence, and sophomore AJ Ia, a younger, physical option at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, headline the returning group. Ia saw limited action as a freshman but is expected to take on a larger role. Anderson, meanwhile, provides experience after transferring in last season and contributing in rotational duty.

Behind them, depth and development remain key themes. Sophomore James Giggey is working his way into the rotation, while Landen Miree, an incoming freshman, brings a productive high school résumé and early promise despite his age.

“Providing some quality depth,” Mohns said. “And we’re excited about our young buck, Landen, who’s jumping in, you know, 17 years old and getting a lot of reps and getting better every day.”

The philosophy guiding the room has not changed despite the turnover. Mohns has consistently emphasized versatility, physicality, and doing the work that does not show up in the stat sheet. For tight ends in this system, blocking and alignment responsibilities are just as important as catching passes.

“We really take pride in how we impact the game without the ball,” Mohns said. “That’s what we hang our hat on. What touches are great, but we make our identity knocking guys off the ball, being physical at the point of attack, blocking on the perimeter, being stout in protection, and really creating an extra gap in the run game.”

That expectation shapes how players are evaluated and developed. While receiving ability remains a valuable asset, the staff prioritizes reliability in the run game and consistency in assignments. It is a standard that Mohns believes allows the position to influence the offense in multiple ways.

“If you can’t win the C gap and knock guys off the line of scrimmage, it’s hard to put you on the field in this offense,” he said.

With spring practices underway, the focus for Mohns is on repetition, communication, and building trust within a group that must replace production while maintaining continuity in execution. The transition from one year to the next often accelerates quickly at the position, particularly as younger players gain comfort in the system.

From Mohns’ perspective, growth between year one and year two is where the biggest leap often occurs, and the current group is right on that path as installations continue and roles begin to take shape.

“Know what you know, trust it and play fast and play confident,” Mohns said. “That’s when you get to the point where you’re not thinking, and then all your natural gifts come to light.”

***

Sophomore tight end AJ Ia is beginning to feel more at home in Tempe, which is a significant change compared to last year when he was trying to adjust to college football. As a freshman in 2025, Ia had a very limited yet developing role within the offense.

Ia arrived in Tempe as a highly-recruited tight end out of high school, with a 6-foot-6, 260 pound body and plenty of potential to be a valuable contributor. After playing in several games as a freshman, Ia caught one pass for ten yards, which was only a few snaps worth of experience; however, that gave him some early experience to build upon going into his sophomore year.

This year, as a sophomore, Ia’s main priority is to help stabilize the tight end position by becoming a vocal leader and providing support to a young and talented group. The loss of veterans created openings, allowing Ia to grow along with the contributions he makes on the field.

During spring practice, Ia discussed how the group of tight ends currently finds themselves in a room where communication and mutual learning play a larger role as the entire group continues to develop comfort with the offense.

“Everybody’s still learning the plays,” Ia said. “We’re just helping each other out. It’s really everybody helping everybody.”

The emphasis placed on teamwork has been especially beneficial to the tight ends this year due to the large number of young players and transfer students who entered the group. Along with a handful of more experienced teammates, Ia has taken on the role of mentor and leader for the position.

“It’s just stepping into that veteran role,” he said. “Helping the younger guys and the new guys get the plays down and understand the coaching points.”

For Ia, development has been as much about refinement as it has been about opportunity. He pointed to improvements in his blocking as a key area of growth since his first season, an essential component in an offense that values tight ends as complete players rather than situational contributors.

That type of development is reflective of how head coach Kenny Dillingham and his coaches utilize tight ends in their scheme to protect against defenses and run routes similar to additional quarterbacks. In addition to developing closer relationships with the quarterbacks, Ia said he needed to develop better anticipation regarding reads and alignment.

“It’s about knowing what they’re reading and helping put guys in the right position,” he said.

Beyond the field, Ia has also been part of a tight-knit group that has built chemistry through off-field bonding, including team bowling outings that have become a consistent feature among the tight ends and other position groups. Those interactions, he said, have helped translate to better communication and trust on the field.

As spring continues, Ia is trending towards being a player who is taking on more responsibility while continuing to build his level of confidence and comfort. Considering his large frame and athletic abilities combined with an increasing familiarity with the offense, he remains one of the most interesting components in ASU’s tight end room heading into next year’s campaign.

“Just working on what I’ve been improving and putting it into my game,” he said.

***

Junior tight end Anthony Miller did not simply join ASU to fill an empty roster space. Having already played for Indiana and Tulane, the 6’5”, 265-pound redshirt junior tight end went into the spring practice period with the mindset and experience of a player who wants to make immediate contributions and has shown that attitude both on the practice field and away from it.

At 6-foot-5 and around 265 pounds, Miller provides additional size and variety in the tight end unit, which has yet to identify itself throughout the first few weeks of spring football. He has easily adapted to ASU’s system based on his past experiences; however, he has also demonstrated a similar ability to adapt mentally to his surroundings and establish himself as a member of the tight end unit.

“It’s been amazing,” Miller said. “The weather’s hot, but that just pushes you to go farther. I think the coaching staff, the players, they all won, and it just feels amazing to be around and get better as a group.”

During the 2025 season at Tulane, Miller caught five passes for 60 yards, including one touchdown reception. He averaged 12.0 yards per reception. Although he did not receive much playing time in the pass offense, he did find ways to be productive in short-yardage and red-zone situations. 

However, Miller’s greatest asset was his blocking ability. At Tulane, he earned a reputation as a physically gifted, technically proficient, and reliable blocker at the point of contact.

That identity fits within ASU’s offensive structure, where tight ends are expected to handle multiple responsibilities. For Miller, the transition has been less about learning a new role and more about continuing to refine the details that allow him to execute consistently.

He pointed to the level of competition within the room as a driving force behind that development.

“Like, the size, the persistent pushing of each other,” Miller said. “We have tight ends that go get extra work every day. We push each other, whether that’s the weight room, the field, drills, extra work, film, anything you name it.”

That competitive environment extends beyond structured practices. Miller described a group that spends significant time together off the field, building chemistry through shared activities that help translate into better communication during practices.

“Team bond is like big on this team,” he said. “We might go bowling or do a lot of stuff together, whether that’s tight ends, quarterbacks, DBs, D-line. We do a lot together.”

For Miller, those connections are especially important given the importance of timing and trust at the tight end position, particularly with a quarterback group that is still developing its own chemistry. Understanding reads, anticipating throws, and aligning with the quarterback’s vision are all part of the learning curve, and Miller has leaned into that responsibility.

“Being able to know what they’re reading and what they’re doing and help put receivers and everybody in a better position to be great,” Miller said.

*** 

Week three of spring practice offered ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham a clearer look at where his team is starting to separate itself, particularly along the lines of scrimmage and in the quarterback room.

Dillingham pointed to improved offensive execution as a key theme from Tuesday’s session, crediting both protection and the run game for setting the tone.

“Quarterbacks got the ball out of their hands,” Dillingham said. “Good protection. We ran the ball well up front. I think the O line had their best day.”

That consistency up front allowed the offense to stay on schedule and simplify the operation, something Dillingham emphasized as a core principle of efficiency. When the run game is effective, he said, everything else tends to follow.

“When you can run the ball, life gets simple,” he said.

Dillingham also noted that the offense found success attacking the interior of the defense, an area he expects the unit to continue improving on defensively as spring progresses. For him, the balance of Tuesday’s practice came with both positives and teachable moments.

“Today the offense moved them backwards on defense, but then the defense moved them backwards with two takeaways,” Dillingham said. “One of those being a pick six, so that can’t happen.”

The quarterback group drew steady evaluation as well, with Dillingham indicating that the staff is beginning to reach a point in spring where performance can be more clearly graded based on repeated execution rather than installation.

“Now that we’ve gotten to more reps of these plays, the core plays, we’re starting to get to who’s comfortable,” he said. “This is when I really start grading out all positions.”

Beyond the schematic work, Dillingham also spoke about individual growth and versatility, including the continued development of players like Clayton Smith, who is working across multiple roles.

“I don’t know about causing business decisions,” Dillingham said. “He’s doing a good job learning different positions and seeing what roles he can play to maximize his skill set offensively and defensively.”