ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham has never relied on an “oh, crap” plan.
As he enters his fourth season leading the Sun Devils, he has seen just about everything.
Dillingham inherited a program in turmoil, facing NCAA sanctions.
In 2024, the Big 12 preseason media poll picked ASU to finish dead last. The Sun Devils then surged to a Big 12 championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Expectations soared entering 2025 as ASU aimed to return to the playoff. Instead, injuries and inconsistent performances derailed the Sun Devils’ season, ultimately finishing 8-5.
Dillingham’s squad enters 2026 with new faces but the same goal of returning to where it stood two seasons ago. ASU enters the season unranked, and perhaps the underdog role is exactly where the Sun Devils want to be.
"I've never been a guy to create an ‘oh crap’ plan," Dillingham said. "Why would you create a plan for ‘oh crap?' That probably means you're not gonna win a ton anyway."
The Kenny-Cutter connection
The Sun Devils will feature an almost entirely new group of offensive starters following graduations, transfers and injuries to key players last season.
Kentucky transfer, junior Cutter Boley, will lead the offense, taking over as quarterback. His physical presence stands out at first glance, perhaps even more than the numbers he posted at Kentucky. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback threw for 2,160 yards and 15 touchdowns but also recorded 12 interceptions.
“A shot called is not a shot taken,” Boley said. "You want to force it down the field, you want to make that big play, but you learn to play within the offense and take what the defense gives you.”
Boley will have several weapons in the backfield, led by senior Kyson Brown, coming off of an early-season injury that cut short what many expected to be a featured role in 2025. Fifth-year Delaware State transfer Marquis Gillis is also listed as a starter after rushing for more than 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 for the Hornets.
“You hope it presents itself where a guy goes out and does some really good things and gets a hot hand,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said on finding a feature running back. “If you have an opportunity to play guys, and get an idea to see where certain guys are at, there's some good in that too.”
Senior wide receivers Omarion Miller and Reed Harris headline ASU’s transfer class. Miller recorded 45 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns last season at Big 12 rival, Colorado. Harris caught 39 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns.
Up front in 2026, the Sun Devils will have no returning offensive line starters from the beginning of the 2025 season, with senior Luke Baklenko and fifth-year Jalen Klemm starting at tackle.
Fite's fighting devils
Senior C.J. Fite leads the defensive line and serves as one of the team’s leaders in the locker room.
"He does everything right," Dillingham said. "You don't tell him to run the ball; he just runs to it. You don't tell him to show up in team-issued gear of the day or to be five minutes earlier to weigh in or to do all the minimum expectations. He just does it.”
Fite had the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft but chose to return to Tempe for his senior season. He recorded 29 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in 2025.
Colorado State transfer, junior Owen Long, who led the FBS in tackles in 2025, will join junior Martell Hughes at linebacker. Long should bolster a defense that ranked 31st among 134 FBS teams against the run last season, allowing 124 rushing yards per game.
“On good days, they're working as well as any group we've been around,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said on the pass rush. “In terms of complementing each other, understanding the pass rush lanes and guys taking advantage of one-on-ones where we feel like we have the advantage.”
Ward reloaded through the transfer portal to add to a talented secondary. Senior, LSU transfer Ashton Stamps and sixth-year Lyrik Rawls, a Kansas transfer, join seniors Montana Warren and Adrian “Boogie” Wilson.
Key matchups
Some of ASU’s most important games come early, beginning with a week-two road test against preseason No. 8 Texas A&M.
In week three, the Sun Devils will travel across the Atlantic for a conference showdown against Kansas in London, the first FBS game played in the city.
A budding rivalry will resume in week six when ASU travels to Lubbock to face No. 12 Texas Tech. The programs have won the past two Big 12 championships, and the Sun Devils handed the Red Raiders their only regular-season loss last year in Tempe.
On Halloween night, ASU will travel to Provo to face No. 14 BYU, last season’s Big 12 runner-up.
The Sun Devils will conclude the regular season in Tucson with the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup. ASU will look to reclaim the trophy from Arizona.
ASU opens the season against Morgan State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.
Edited by Alex Swift, Emilio Alvarado and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu.
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Eric Pacheco is a junior studying sports journalism. This is his second semester with The State Press. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the Riverside City College student newspaper Viewpoints.
