Immediate Impact: Keyshaun Elliott’s Two-Year Journey at ASU

(Photo: Arizona State on Sports Illustrated)

It’s fairly safe to say that amongst the major changes to the college football landscape seen over the past few years, the way in which the transfer portal is utilized may be the most significant. Prior to when NIL made its mark on the sport, the use of the 30-day window was more of a long-range game since players were required to sit out for an entire season. In this current era, the portal represents one thing above all else: instant results.

When Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham made an offer to now-senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott to join the program during the 2023 winter window, he envisioned someone who could complete his total overhaul of the position group right out of the gate rather than sit on the bench reading the playbook.

Little did anyone know that from the moment he took the portal to Tempe and stepped onto the Bill Kajikawa Practice Fields during 2024 Spring Camp, Elliott began to forge his legacy in the maroon and gold as a contributor when the lights at Mountain America Stadium were both on and off.

“I fell in love with the game over here,” Elliott said. “I’ll always love the game, but I think I feel in love with it even more over here.”

The Richmond, Missouri native’s time at Richmond High School demonstrated his immense athleticism and versatility. Elliott not only ran track and played basketball on top of football, he turned into the team’s swiss army knife by spending time at quarterback, linebacker, and punter. His 120 total tackles and over 2,300 all-purpose yards helped Richmond reach the Class 3 District 8 championship in his junior year and made him a three-star recruit by 247Sports Composite by the time he graduated.

Out of the five offers he received which included three from Division I programs, Elliott chose to commit to New Mexico State. He teased his ability during his freshman year with a top 10 finish in tackles amongst the team before thrusting himself into the limelight the following season.

In the midst of a magical 10-win season that saw the Aggies finish as the Conference USA runner-up, Elliott finished 30th in the entire country in total tackles with 111 and received Second-Team All-Conference honors. Then-head coach Jerry Kill’s emphasis on a consistent work ethic helped the linebacker receive national recognition and taught him a life lesson that he still prioritizes to this day.

“His big motto was hard work, lunch pail, you go to work every single day,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t matter how you feel or what you’re going through. I think he kind of engraved that into my character and who I am as a person.”

However, the good times in Las Cruces ended just as quickly as they began when Kill stepped down as head coach a week after the Aggies’ season came to a close. The very next day, Elliott entered the transfer portal and received four instant offers; all of which came from teams within the Big 12 conference. His choice of Arizona State three days later made him the third linebacker the team picked up during the winter of 2023 alongside Zyrus Fiaseu and Jordan Crook.

Elliott’s interception in the first quarter of the 2024 season opener against Wyoming set the tone for an exceptional debut season in the maroon and gold. He produced five games with at least seven tackles, including racking up eight in the College Football Quarterfinal, on the way to finishing with a total of 65; second-most amongst ASU linebackers behind former Sun Devil Caleb McCullough.

Just one year later, his previous statline looks to be child’s play compared to his current pace. Five games into the 2025 season, Elliott is second on the team in total tackles with 37; his 7.5 tackles for loss is nearly double from last year’s tally; and he’s already set a career high by notching four sacks.

If Elliott’s time at New Mexico State set the foundation for who he is on the field, ASU linebackers coach A.J. Cooper has developed enough trust in him over the last two years to happily accept the responsibility of not fixing what isn’t broken.

“When you’re around guys every day, you can see their intentions, you can see their habits,” Cooper said. “Heck, he beats half the staff in here sometimes in the morning preparing. Whatever Keyshaun does in life, he’s gonna be really successful because he’s going to outwork people.”

“I didn’t do a lot for Keyshaun. Keyshaun’s done more for us than we’ve probably done for him.”

While Elliott’s contributions to the 42nd best defense in the country can be considered the greatest tool in his arsenal, the voice and presence he’s offered the team since day one isn’t too far behind. His inclusion in the 2025 Pat Tillman Leadership Council, created through a vote by the players, makes this the second consecutive year he’s been nominated for the honor.

Since half of the Sun Devil linebacking corps is made up of transfers, Elliott has used their common background as a way to gradually develop the position group into a tight-knight family.

“Just a group of guys that played a lot of football at multiple schools,” Elliott said. “We really created a relationship with each other. I would do anything for them, they would do anything for me. That’s the kind of a relationship we have, and if you take that onto the football field, you can go a long way.”

One of those pivotal relationships happens to be his designated roommate during road games. Sophomore linebacker Martell Hughes is in the midst of a considerable second-year jump, and with Elliott embarking on his final ride in the valley, he’s taken it upon himself to set the 18-year-old up to succeed not just as a player, but as a leader.

When this season ends, four of ASU’s 10 linebackers on the roster will graduate and Hughes will become the second-oldest member of the group. As a result of Elliott’s guidance, the San Diego native is already preparing himself for when the time comes to take his place.

“It’s just going by real fast,” Hughes said. “Looking up now, next year I’m a junior. It’s crazy honestly. And then just looking at Isaiah, Puka, and Tristan, just seeming like I was in their shoes last year, so they’re going to be the new sophomores next year. So, it’s just honestly crazy just seeing how fast things are happening.”

Keyshaun Elliott’s story is still months away from reaching its conclusion, yet it’s already the gold standard of what any coach could hope for when they reach into the portal. In two years at a program over 1,200 miles away from his hometown, the linebacker has helped anchor one of the top defenses in the Big 12 and better those both around and behind him.

Tempe may not be the place where it all began, but when looking back at that fateful day back in December 2023, Elliott has zero doubt that it’s the place where it all came together.

“I’m enjoying it, having fun out there,” Elliott said. “You see me celebrating, always smiling out there with my teammates. Over here, I haven’t been developed so much. I was developed at New Mexico State as much as they could, but when I got here and you can see just even from last year to now, it’s a completely different person out there on the field.”