(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
TEMPE — In less than a week, Arizona State football will kick off year two of the Kenny Dillingham era when it hosts Wyoming on Aug. 31 at Mountain America Stadium. On Monday, the Sun Devils’ sophomore head coach disclosed the names of four players who will miss the season opener.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah is expected to be sidelined for ASU’s first 2-to-4 games after sustaining a leg injury during a scrimmage at Camp Tontozona on Aug. 10. In 2023, Dorbah played in 10 games, logging 9.5 tackles for loss and a team-lead six sacks. He will likely be replaced on the edge by senior Elijah O’Neal, who took first-team reps for much of the fall opposite of redshirt junior Clayton Smith and was called the team’s most improved player from the spring by Dillingham.
ASU will also be without one of their linebackers with redshirt sophomore Tate Romney sitting out 4-to-6 weeks recovering from a broken arm sustained during fall camp. While the Chandler native was poised to build off a promising 2023 campaign that saw him accrue 52 tackles — tied for the fourth-most on the Sun Devils — there is increased depth in the linebackers room which features talented newcomers like juniors Keyshaun Elliott (New Mexico State), Jordan Crook (Arkansas) and Zyrus Fiaseu (San Diego State).
On the offensive side of the ball, sophomore lineman Sean Na’a will be out with a similar return timeframe as Dorbah. Na’a played in nine games as a true freshman largely due to the slew of injuries to the Sun Devils’ offensive line in 2023. The California native was a consensus three-star high school prospect in the 2023 class, ranked the 81st-best interior offensive lineman in his state by 247Sports.
Redshirt sophomore running back Raleek Brown hasn’t practiced in three weeks due to a hamstring injury, but is ‘around 90%’ recovered according to Dillingham. A versatile back that has strong receiving upside, Brown recorded 243 yards and four touchdowns on the ground along with 17 receptions for 193 yards and three scores in two seasons with USC.
He also proved a solid option on special teams with the Trojans, returning 20 kickoffs for 450 yards in 2022. An extremely deep running backs room that features seniors Cam Skattebo and DeCarlos Brooks, junior Alton McCaskill, sophomore Kyson Brown and freshman Jason Brown Jr. will help fill the void left by the USC transfer.
