As redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt is destined for the transfer portal, many Sun Devil fans may be concerned with more ASU stars leaving to find new homes.
A team already riddled with injury, the Sun Devils lost more key players for the Sun Bowl due to the looming transfer portal. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Josh Atkins and redshirt junior defensive back Javan Robinson were two of the most noteworthy faces missing, with redshirt freshman punt returner and wide receiver Zechariah Sample adding to the nine total players who opted out of the bowl pending entry to the portal, according to Devils in Detail.
This put a large damper on ASU's chances going into the Sun Bowl, with Duke closing as 3.5-point favorites according to CBS.
The Blue Devils retained nearly full-season production going into the game, including star quarterback Darian Mensah. Mensah was named Sun Bowl MVP following his 327-yard, four-touchdown performance.
Despite hanging with the Blue Devils, the near-record-setting day from redshirt senior quarterback Jeff Sims wasn't enough to overpower the ACC champions. Duke bested the Sun Devils 42-39.
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This result, combined with starters transferring and sitting out, could worry some fans that the rise of Sun Devil football ended just as fast as it began.
The Kenny Dillingham era shows quite the opposite.
Following his first complete season, ASU brought in the No. 31 transfer class with 30 commits. Adding that to the team's top-60 class this year, the Sun Devils have been built from the outside, using the portal to transform the program.
"The standard that these veterans have set to force those young guys to play better because of the standards they have, that's what sets a good program," Dillingham said.
Of the offensive skill positions, 11 of the 17 players who saw playing time throughout the 2025 season transferred in. This includes both Leavitt and Sims, along with receivers Jordyn Tyson, Malik McClain and Jalen Moss, and redshirt senior tight end Chamon Metayer. That's four of the top five receiving targets this season.
In fact, before the Sun Bowl, only two players from ASU had gained over 100 yards who had not transferred in. For the season in total, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Derek Eusebio had 352 total yards, and junior running back Kyson Brown managed 178 yards in just four games due to a season-ending injury.
Defensively, more than 20 players are transfers. Senior defensive back Myles "Ghost" Rowser, redshirt senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah and fifth-year defensive lineman Elijah O'Neal highlight the list of defenders. Redshirt senior kicker Jesus Gomez is a key special teams transfer on ASU's roster.
This roster is the product of Dillingham's vision for ASU football. His roster-building comes not just from the talent he's bringing in, but the mindset his players possess.
"Today showed that they've laid a really, really good foundation," Dillingham said. "Regardless of who takes that field, the standard is high. And they did that today."
It's that mindset that brought back Sims. The college veteran sat behind Leavitt last season and decided to return for his last year of eligibility despite not being guaranteed any playing time.
"I just want to play football," Sims said. "I just knew that anything I could do to help my team, I was going to do it because we built that brotherhood."
That's exactly what Sims did. Leavitt struggled with injuries throughout the year, allowing Sims to play in 10 games this season.
While Sims had some ups and downs, his dual-threat capabilities gave the Sun Devil offense a new life in the second half of the year.
"(Sims) was a big part of why our team stayed together, and why our team rallied to play so hard in this game," Dillingham said.
The bond that the team has created means a great deal to the players, as evidenced by junior defensive lineman C.J. Fite's unwavering commitment to the team.
"It was never another decision if I wanted to go to another school, because this school right here is different," Fite said. "The people here are different."
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Henry Smardo and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at aldeutsc@asu.edu and follow @AlanDeutschend3 on X.
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Alan Deutschendorf is a sports editor in his third semester with State Press. He was previously a sports reporter, covering volleyball, softball and a variety of other sports. Alan also works as an Event Assistant in the Edson Events office and is the Social Media Manager for Sun Devils Roundnet.
