Villanova RB David Avit commits to ASU
Following the surprising departure of running back Raleek Brown, ASU’s leading rusher, the Sun Devils found themselves in need of adding a running back in the 2026 portal window. On Saturday, the portal window’s second day, the Sun Devils were able to do just that, landing Villanova running back David Avit, who privately committed to Arizona State yesterday and made his pledge public today.
“Coach Aguano has a track record of putting RBs in the league,” Avit said, “and that’s the whole goal, trying to go to the league. Being able to play for a competitive team, a team that is in the National Championship conversations every year, that’s something that’s important to me. The whole goal is to win the Big 12 and go to the College Football Playoffs, and I think that can be done at ASU, so I’m really excited to be here.”
The 6-foot 225-pound Avit, who has two years of eligblity, is ranked by On3 as the No. 59 running back in the 2026 portal. He was named the 2024 CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year as he tallied 173 carries for 923 yards and nine touchdowns, all team-highs, in 14 games, to go with 11 catches for 175 yards. He was also named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in FCS Football. Last season, playing in ten games, he also paced Villanova’s ground attack and posted 687 rushing yards on 125 carries, scoring eight touchdowns, as well as registering 84 receiving yards on nine receptions. Last season, he suffered a knee injury against Towson on Nov. 8 and missed the following five games. He returned against Illinois State in the FCS semifinals but played in limited duty. In 2025, he was also placed on the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List and named to the CAA Preseason All-Conference.
“Coach Aguano sees me as a bigger back, a guy who can go get them short yardage downs, and honestly just an all-around guy, because they said they liked my hands, they liked my physicality, so just an all-around guy who could be a good asset to the team. They ask a lot of the running backs, and that’s something I like. I think that’s why they get so many running backs drafted. They ask them to split out, catch passes, get downhill, and pass block. I think that’s the most things I can do and all things I can get better at ASU.
“Kenny Dillingham is a personality, but he keeps it real. I mean, everything you see on Instagram is how he is in real life, and I like that. He expects the most from his players, and he’s going to push, and that’s what I definitely need.”
Avit said that the non-football aspects of his visit were just as enjoyable, as the lifestyle element is very appealing.
“Everything there was just so nice,” Avit recalled. “I’m looking at apartments, and all of them are facing the (Tempe Town) lake…the weather is great. I just came back to Maryland, and it’s cold, and I was in Arizona wearing shorts. So yeah, definitely like the weather and the campus.”
Avit said that when the transfer portal opened, he was also looking at Auburn, Northwestern, and Boston College as potential visits.
This upcoming season, Arizona State returns a pair of seniors in Kyson Brown and Kanye Udoh, sophomores Jason Brown and Demarius “Man Man” Robinson, redshirt freshman Grayson Rigdon, and incoming freshman Cardae Mack. Barring any other departures from ASU’s running back room, the Sun Devils are not expected to add any more running backs in this portal window, which ends on January 16.
