Spring Preview: Offense

Several new faces figure to be starters and two-deep players all across the offensive positions. Here’s a comprehensive look at what to expect when ASU begins spring practices.

Quarterback

RS-SR Mikey Keene

RS-SO Cutter Boley

RS-FR Cameron Dyer

FR Jake Fette

Departures: Christian Hunt (transfer), Sam Leavitt (transfer to LSU), Jeff Sims (exhausted eligibility), Michael Tollefson (position change)

Few position groups on the Sun Devil roster for 2026 faced such a year-over-year overhaul as has ASU’s quarterbacks room, with one player returning to the unit from 2025.

A year ago, it felt comfortable to predict that if Sam Leavitt weren’t to return to the Sun Devil roster for 2026, it would be an indication that he followed his breakout 2024 campaign with yet another stellar season and entered the 2026 NFL Draft.

In a multitude of ways, 2025 did not go as expected for Sun Devil football, and one prime example is Leavitt’s dramatic departure from Arizona State to LSU.

On top of that, veteran backup Jeff Sims exhausted his college eligibility, Michael Tollefson switched positions, and reserve Christian Hunt also entered the transfer portal, leaving Cameron Dyer as the only Sun Devil quarterback from 2025 to return to the same position for 2026.

With the departures of Leavitt and Sims, ASU quickly attacked the transfer portal with a laser focus on former Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley, a prospect Kenny Dillingham recruited out of high school.

Boley, the No. 113 overall transfer prospect for 2026 according to On3 and the No. 15 rated quarterback transfer, appeared in 15 games over the past two seasons with Kentucky, with 11 starts.

Statistically, Boley has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,498 yards with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He has also netted 42 rushing yards on 76 carries with two touchdowns.

Last season, Boley had three games with at least 250 passing yards and had a career day against No. 17 Tennessee when he threw for 330 yards with five touchdowns, both college career single-game highs.

Boley was under quite a bit of duress last season with the Wildcats, as he endured three games in 2025 in which he was sacked at least five times.

The primary knock on Boley is a tendency to turn the ball over, as he has thrown at least one interception in 11 of his 15 college appearances, with five of those 11 resulting in multiple interceptions. Overall, Boley has an impressive set of physical gifts, but many observers will no doubt be keeping an eye on his ball control this spring and beyond.

Not to be counted out in the quarterback competition is veteran Mikey Keene, a Chandler High School graduate who will wrap up his college career after stops at UCF, Fresno State, and Michigan.

By far the most experienced quarterback on the Sun Devil roster and one of the most experienced players on the entire team, Keene enters his sixth collegiate season having appeared in 39 games with 23 starts, totaling 8,245 career passing yards with 65 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.

Keene has five career 300-yard passing games, including a career best 380 against New Mexico State in the 2023 Isleta New Mexico Bowl – a team that coincidentally featured future Sun Devils Keyshaun Elliott and “Ghost” Rowser. Also of note, Keene’s opposing QB for New Mexico State that game was none other than Diego Pavia, who managed just 58 passing yards with an interception in a losing effort.

Keene did not see action at Michigan last season but prior to that, he nearly reached 3,000 passing yards in both 2023 and 2024 with Fresno State. At worst, Keene should be the ‘ready and waiting’ QB2 in the mold of Jeff Sims of the past two years, while there could also be a path for him to claim the QB1 job for himself.  

Also, in transferring to ASU, Keene reunites with running backs coach Shaun Aguano, who coached Keene for his high school sophomore and junior seasons while Aguano was head coach at Chandler High before Aguano joined the Sun Devil staff in 2019.

The lone player to return to the position room from last year, Cameron Dyer sat out his true freshman season while recovering from an injury suffered late in his high school career.

Dyer, a four-star recruit by Rivals ranked the No. 247 overall prospect of the 2025 class, initially was rumored to move from quarterback to receiver upon his arrival to ASU, but has remained at his typical quarterback position.

Dyer did not see any field action as a true freshman as he recovered from an injury, but prior to enrolling at Arizona State he was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New Mexico as he threw for approximately 5,400 yards and rushed for nearly 2,800 yards across his junior and senior seasons with 59 touchdown passes and 46 rushing touchdowns over those two seasons.

Beginning his Sun Devil career in 2026 is blue-chip quarterback recruit Jake Fette, the No. 9 quarterback prospect in the nation, the No. 16 recruit in the state of Texas, and the No. 118 overall prospect for this year’s class.

Fette committed to ASU early in his junior season of 2024 – September 22, to be exact, coincidentally the birthday of the person writing these words – and remained true to ASU for nearly 15 months between his commitment date and the date he could finally sign with Arizona State.

In high school, Fette had a 60-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his junior and senior seasons, while he also rushed for 1,105 yards with 18 scores as a senior. For year one, it seems most plausible that Fette will ultimately redshirt, but with an open QB1 spot on the roster, the Sun Devil freshman will have his opportunity to earn immediate playing time.

Running Back

RS-SR David Avit

RS-SR Marquis Gillis

RS-JR Kyson Brown

RS-SO Jason Brown, Jr.

SO Grayson Rigdon

SO Demarious Robinson

FR Cardae Mack

Departures: Raleek Brown (transfer to Texas), Kanye Udoh (transfer to Liberty)

Though First-Team All-Big-12 running back Raleek Brown opted to leave ASU to become a rotation piece at Texas, the Sun Devils shouldn’t have to search far for their next RB1, as the staff can return to the player who was originally supposed to be the group’s starter in 2025.

Following the seismic breakout season by Cam Skattebo in 2024, Kyson Brown was expected to be ASU’s next 1,000-yard, all-conference running back. Unfortunately, injury issues limited him to just four games and 26 total offensive touches.

Kyson Brown, who across his Sun Devil career has 114 career carries for 563 yards (4.9 avg.) with two touchdowns, along with 30 receptions for 310 yards with another score, is a rare high school signee still with the program and therefore boasts some of the team’s most extensive experience within the program.

At his best, Kyson Brown is a viable rushing and receiving threat with the ability to gain well over 1,000 all-purpose yards in any given season, but he will need to effectively rebound from an injury-riddled 2025 campaign to hold off a list of competing rushers in the position room.

This offseason, ASU signed a pair of former FCS rushers from the transfer portal in David Avit and Marquis Gillis to help fortify the running back depth chart after the transfer departures of Raleek Brown and Kanye Udoh.

Avit (6-0, 225) brings a big-bodied presence from Villanova, where he rushed for 1,610 yards with 17 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 259 yards over the past two seasons.

Gillis (6-0, 210) rushed for 1,150 yards with seven touchdowns last season for Delaware State, and across his four-year career with that program, he totaled 437 carries for 2,442 yards with 17 touchdowns, along with 36 career receptions for 292 yards with one touchdown.

Spring practices will be critical for a trio of sophomores in Jason Brown, Jr., Grayson Rigdon, and Demarious Robinson to build upon their 2025 season-ending performances and to carve out rotation roles for 2026.

Each of the three saw scattered action last year, with the most reps coming in the Sun Bowl against Duke. On the year, Jason Brown appeared in 11 games with 16 carries for 154 yards with a touchdown to go with two receptions for 17 yards, Robinson played in 10 games with 70 yards on 23 carries along with 10 receptions for 110  yards, while Rigdon made six game appearances with two carries resulting in a loss of one yard as well as one catch for a gain of eight yards.

Jason Brown redshirted in 2024, while Rigdon and Robinson both still have a redshirt year to use.

Also joining the group this spring is Cardae Mack, a four-star prospect for 2026 rated the No. 18 running back recruit in the nation by Rivals. Mack was a dual-threat quarterback in high school, as he passed for over 2,000 yards with 32 touchdowns and rushed for more than 1,500 yards with 20 scores as a senior in 2025. ASU has not shied away from giving true freshmen running backs at least some game action in their rookie season, so time will tell what role awaits Mack for 2026.

Wide Receiver

RS-SR Jalen Moss

SR Omarion Miller

RS-JR Derek Eusebio

RS-JR Jaren Hamilton

RS-JR Reed Harris

RS-SO Plas Johnson

SO Raiden Vines-Bright

RS-FR Chance Ables

RS-FR Cory Butler

RS-FR Harry Hassman

RS-FR Uriah Neloms

RS-FR Michael Tollefson

Departures: Coben Bourguet (exhausted eligibility), Noble Johnson (transfer to Georgia Southern), Akim Lanieux (transfer to Prairie View A&M), Malik McClain (exhausted eligibility), Zecheriah Sample (transfer to Texas State), Jordyn Tyson (NFL Draft early entry)

It’s virtually impossible to replace the skill set of surefire first-round NFL Draft pick Jordyn Tyson, but as a position group, it is entirely plausible that the Sun Devils have upgraded from last year, thanks to the coaching staff’s incredible work in the transfer portal this offseason.

Overall, Arizona State compiled one of the nation’s premier transfer portal hauls at wide receiver as ASU is the only program in the nation to acquire two top 10 prospects in third-ranked Omarion Miller of Colorado and ninth-ranked Reed Harris of Boston College, so though ASU loses its all-everything receiver in Tyson, the overall quality of the position group might have improved quite a bit year-over-year.

Miller, the highest rated transfer for ASU in 2026, as he was tagged as the No. 20 overall transfer prospect according to On3, spent the 2023-25 seasons with Colorado, totaling 66 receptions for 1,258 yards with 10 touchdown catches. The 6-2, 210-pounder boasts an incredible combination of size and speed as he brings an impressive college career average of 19.1 yards per reception to Tempe.

A Second-Team All-Big 12 pick in 2025, Miller caught 45 passes for 808 yards (18.0 avg.) with eight touchdowns last season. He had six games with at least 80 receiving yards, with two 100-yard outings, a six-catch, 131-yard effort against West Virginia, and an eight-reception, 121-yard performance against Kansas State.

The No. 40 overall transfer prospect according to On3, Harris brings his 6-5, 217-pound physique to the Sun Devil offense. Across three seasons with Boston College, Harris collected 57 receptions for 1,161 yards – a sensational career average of 20.4 yards per catch – with nine touchdown grabs.

In 2025, Harris caught 39 passes for 673 yards (17.3 avg) with five touchdowns, with his best games coming against Stanford with seven receptions for 141 yards and later against Georgia Tech with 142 yards on five catches with a touchdown.

It is no exaggeration to expect that both Miller and Harris should be in line for high-tier all-conference accolades in 2026, and both should be legitimate NFL Draft prospects a year from now.

The top returning wide receivers for ASU from last year include Derek Eusebio, who emerged as a legitimate contributor and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 recognition, as well as Jalen Moss, who battled injury issues throughout the year but capped off the season with an impressive Sun Bowl performance.

Eusebio totaled 22 receptions for 341 yards with two scores, along with three carries for 11 yards in 2025, including a two-catch, 78-yard outing against Baylor featuring a crucial 61-yard reception that greatly aided ASU’s comeback in that game. He posted a career-best six receptions for 74 yards with a touchdown against West Virginia and later tallied a career-high 87 yards on four catches with a touchdown. Eusebio is also the only Sun Devil to return from the 2025 roster to have earned any measure of All-Big 12 recognition last season.

Moss hauled in 103 receptions across the 2023-24 seasons at Fresno State before transferring to ASU, but managed just 16 receptions for 237 yards with one touchdown last fall. That said, Moss punctuated his junior season with major momentum as he caught five passes for 129 yards with a touchdown in ASU’s Sun Bowl loss to Duke.

Not to be overlooked in ASU’s transfer portal class is Raiden Vines-Bright of Washington, ranked the No. 48 wide receiver transfer and the No. 267 overall transfer according to On3.

Vines-Bright, who played high school ball at Tempe’s Corona del Sol High School before relocating to Florida for his senior year, had a solid true freshman season for Washington with 24 receptions for 238 yards with one touchdown. He had five games with at least three receptions and posted season bests of 52 receiving yards against UC Davis and 50 versus Rutgers. While Miller and Harris figure to be two of the starters, Vines-Bright and Moss are headed for a fierce battle for the starting slot role.

Jaren Hamilton, a former Alabama transfer, showed flashes of big-play abilities in his debut season with the Devils, with his most impressive outing coming against No. 7 Texas Tech when he totaled 101 yards on just three receptions in ASU’s upset victory in Tempe. However, outside of that game, he managed just four additional catches for 68 yards in 2025.

Competing for two-deep roles this spring will be a group of redshirt freshmen in Chance Ables, Cory Butler, Harry Hassman, and Uriah Neloms. Of the group, Hassman made four game appearances as a true freshman in 2025, and Butler played in two games, but neither recorded a reception. He is, however, recovering from knee surgery, which kept him out of the Sun Bowl, and is not expected to be a full participant in practices.

Also looking to break into the wide receiver depth chart are two returning Sun Devils switching positions – former quarterback Michael Tollefson and former defensive back Plas Johnson.

Tollefson, whose most intriguing skill set has been his athleticism, faced a heavily reloaded quarterback depth chart and will look for a fresh start among another position group with several new pieces.

Johnson showed potential in the secondary but missed the entire 2025 season due to injury. The move to wide receiver is more of a return than a recreation, as he played the position in high school, including a junior season in which he caught 88 passes for 1,157 yards with eight touchdowns for nearby Scottsdale Chaparral High School.

Tight End

SR Khamari Anderson

RS-JR Anthony Miller

JR Kristian Ingman

RS-SO James Giggey

SO AJ Ia

FR Landon Miree

FR Hayden Vercher*

Departures: Coleson Arends (transfer to Western Kentucky), Jayden Fortier (transfer to Stephen F. Austin), Cameron Harpole (exhausted eligibility), Chamon Metayer (exhausted eligibility)

*-Summer arrival

Though Arizona State loses its top two tight ends from last year in Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole, ASU still expects to prominently feature its tight ends with a group that combines a handful of newcomers with some returners who look to capitalize on the opportunity for increased playing time.

The primary options to fill the top depth chart spots entering spring practices are Khamari Anderson and high-ceiling youngster AJ Ia.

Anderson, who came to ASU last offseason from Kentucky and earned quite a bit of field time last fall, caught five passes for 24 yards and his first collegiate touchdown in 2025 for the Sun Devils. He endured a generally rough first season in Tempe and was in the shadows of Metayer and Harpole. Yet he’s another player who showed some flashes in the Sun Bowl, scoring his first touchdown of the season, and perhaps that momentum can help him turn the corner in spring, as the level of expectations on him will be higher.

Ia arrived in Tempe as the jewel of ASU’s 2025 high school signing class as he was the No. 20 tight end recruit of his cycle. Ia appeared in nine games as a true freshman but saw limited activity as a pass catcher as he hauled in one 10-yard reception on the year. Entering the spring, many will expect Ia to be among the team’s most notable breakout candidates for 2026. He had several good moments in fall camp; his 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame is college-ready, and spring practice will show whether he can deliver on his immense potential.

This offseason, ASU added a pair of D1 tight end transfers in Kristian Ingman of FCS program Portland State and Anthony Miller of Tulane.

In 2025, Ingman caught 23 passes for 342 yards for Portland State, with a five-catch, 92-yard outing against Eastern Washington and a three-reception, 73-yard effort against Northern Arizona as his top receiving performances on the year. He was tabbed as an Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference pick for what he did last fall.

Miller, who began his collegiate career at Indiana in 2023 before transferring to Tulane, has collected six receptions for 64 yards with one touchdown during his college career.

Depth player James Giggey appeared in nine games last season at tight end, predominantly in an H-back/fullback type of blocking role.

ASU’s 2026 high school signing class included a pair of impressive tight ends in Landon Miree and Hayden Vercher.

Vercher was rated the No. 17 tight end prospect in the nation and the No. 28 overall recruit in the state of California according to On3, chose ASU over schools including Arizona, California, Texas Tech, and Utah. Vercher is scheduled to join the program this summer and will not participate in spring practices.

Miree, the No. 59 tight end prospect in the nation according to On3, had competing scholarship offers from the likes of Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, LSU, Oregon, Washington, and others.

Offensive Line

RS-SR Jalen Klemm

RS-SR Doughless Teloma

SR Luke Baklenko

RS-JR Makua Pule

JR Tana Alo-Tupuola

JR Siosaia Lapuaho

JR Jarmaine Mitchell

RS-SO Brent Helton

RS-SO Wade Helton

RS-SO Terrell Kim

RS-SO Xander Ruggeroli

RS-SO Champ Westbrooks

SO Maki Stewart

RS-FR Desean Bryant, Jr.

RS-FR Matai Jefferson

RS-FR Rob Lapuaho

RS-FR Manamo’ui Muti

FR Niniva Nicholson

FR Cortavius Tisby

FR Marques Uini

Departures: Josh Atkins (transfer to Missouri), Ben Coleman (exhausted eligibility), Max Iheahachor (exhausted eligibility), Sean Na’a (transfer to UCLA), Jimeto Obigbo (exhausted eligibility), Kyle Scott (exhausted eligibility), Joey Su’a (transfer to Central Arkansas)

Arizona State faces several position group overhauls after having such a senior-heavy team in 2025, and its offensive line is one of the most significant groups in need of replenishment.

All told, ASU had 10 different players start at least one game along the offensive line in 2025, but half of that group – a collection that totaled 51 of the 65 possible offensive line starts (approximately 79%) for the season – is gone from the roster, with only one returning player to have started more than four games in 2025.

In terms of returning starts from 2025, interior lineman Wade Helton brings back the most (six), while fellow interior linemen Maki Stewart (four starts) and Makua Pule (two) also earned first-team reps last year. Tackles Jalen Klemm and Champ Westbrooks each started one game, which came in ASU’s Sun Bowl appearance when both typical starting tackles opted out of the bowl game.

Starting with the tackles, though Klemm and Westbrooks formed the starting pair in the final game of the 2025 season, they will be pushed for reps by the likes of Oklahoma transfer Luke Baklenko and elite JUCO transfer Jarmaine Mitchell.

Baklenko began his career at Stanford, playing 16 games with the Cardinal with 14 starts, while appearing in 13 games in reserve duty for Oklahoma. His starting experience has primarily come at right tackle, though he has started a few games at left tackle.

Mitchell, the nation’s top junior college offensive tackle recruit for 2026 and the No. 3 overall JUCO prospect by On3, decommitted from Georgia to sign with Arizona State. The credentials alone for the 6-8, 310-pounder give a clear signal that he should be considered a strong candidate to immediately start for ASU, potentially at left tackle in place of departed transfer Josh Atkins.

In the spring, position battles could potentially break down as Klemm versus Mitchell for the left tackle spot and Baklenko versus Westbrooks at right tackle.

JUCO addition Siosaia Lapuaho also figures to be in contention for playing time, as he was rated the No. 11 junior college offensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 52 overall JUCO prospect in the nation according to On3.

At center, the most likely candidate to start figures to be Georgia Tech transfer Tana Alo-Tupuola, who started four late-season games for the Yellow Jackets in 2025.

Wade Helton, Makua Pule, and Maki Stewart all earned ample action last year along the interior offensive line positions and should be among the top contenders to start at the two guard positions this spring and beyond, while also competing for reps at center, as all three players started at least one game at center in 2025 for ASU.

Adding depth to the offensive line are returners such as Brent Helton, Terrell Kim, Xander Ruggeroli, and Doughless Teloma. Of this group, only Kim saw game action in 2025 as he made 12 appearances that year.

Also competing for action this spring are ASU’s 2025 and 2026 high school signees, including redshirt freshmen Desean Bryant Jr., Matai Jefferson, Rob Lapuaho, and Manamo’ui Muti, as well as true freshmen Niniva Nicholson, Cortavius Tisby, and Marques Uini.

To get more insight on the ASU offense heading into spring, check out our exclusive interview with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo