The Status of ASU Football after four weeks of practice

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN)

TEMPE — As Arizona State football has spent its last four weeks preparing for the upcoming season, the shape of the team is starting to come into place.

Some position groups already knew the answer to any potential questions coming into the spring, chugging along without any snags in the road. Other groups have spent the time searching for how to solve their specific equations, with varying degrees of success.

The spring is also a time for individual development, whether you’re a freshman or a graduate student. There are players working on everything from ironing out small details as they try to take their game to the next level to learning new positions.

The preparation for August 30, when the Sun Devils host Northern Arizona at Mountain America Stadium to kick off the 2025 season, is far from over, but some thing have already become clear. Here are five takeaways from the spring.

Sam Leavitt Aims for More Calculated Aggression

ASU redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt isn’t one to hesitate when it comes to the deep ball. Even when the odds of a completion seem low, Leavitt is willing to give his receivers a chance downfield. One play during Friday’s 11-on-11 drills encapsulated his aggressiveness.

Redshirt senior cornerback Kyndrich Breedlove was in single coverage against redshirt junior receiver Jalen Moss. Breedlove stuck tightly to Moss along the left boundary, not allowing any separation as he matched him stride for stride. Nevertheless, Leavitt surveyed the field before targeting that direction with his throw, seeking the chunk play.

The pass sailed slightly over both players’ heads and bounced hard off the ground — incomplete. Even with a bit less arc on the throw, Breedlove’s tight coverage would have still made it difficult for Moss to secure the ball. Still, the play stands out as an example of Leavitt’s aggressive mindset and the trust he places in his receivers to make plays.

“I know he can throw it deep,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That’s why he’s on NFL draft boards.”

Leavitt’s willingness to take deep shots isn’t a new development. Last season, 16 percent of his passes traveled 20 or more yards in the air, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Among 18 Big 12 quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts, he ranked sixth in deep throw frequency.

A season removed from winning the Big 12, Dillingham has challenged Leavitt to balance aggression with taking what the defense gives him. While deep throws remain part of his game, and there have been plenty of downfield passing highlights, Leavitt is working more short-yardage passes into spring practices.

“He’s starting to throw more check downs,” Dillingham said. “He’s done that at an unbelievable job, especially these last four days of practice.”

— Tyler Weiss

ASU’s Receiving Corps is Talented and Deep

Arizona State redshirt junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and redshirt senior tight end Chamon Metayer return to the team as unquestionably effective receivers. Despite that, there was uncertainty regarding the receiving corps entering the spring, as the pair are the only returners to record more than 13 receptions last season.

Thankfully for the Sun Devils, certain pass catchers have stepped up, showing they have what it takes to replace the departures and become threats in the passing game.

One of those players is returning redshirt senior wide receiver Malik McClain, who has received extended looks with the first team. McClain has routinely shown his ability to fight through coverage and create separation, regularly hauling in deep passes down the field.

While McClain has stood out as a returner, a handful of newcomers have also turned heads. Members of the relatively young wide receiver room have started to overcome early mistakes in recent weeks and show that its members can offer both depth and game-changing ability.

“To see the growth of that room from the first five practices, in terms of those critical factors, to the second five, now we’re in the back end with the last five, it’s been really impressive to see,” Dillingham said.

One standout member of the wide receiver room is transfer redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton. Hamilton has used his elite speed and athleticism all spring to create separation and make plays as he’s worked his way up to first-team reps. On Friday, he showcased his skill set when he made one of the most impressive plays of practice: a leaping grab coming across the middle.

Moss, another transfer wide receiver, has also stood out. He consistently runs routes well and looks to become an effective weapon in the slot. Moss has the added benefit of experience, having been a key cog in the Fresno State offense the past two seasons.

It’s not just wide receivers, freshman tight end AJ Ia has also had a very strong spring. Whether he’s creating space for himself or is being hounded by defenders, he seems to always make plays.

The receiving corps might look different this year, but with a mix of experience and formidable talent, it has a chance to be just as effective, if not more effective, than last year.

— Ethan Ignatovsky

Running Back Creativity

Through spring practices, the Sun Devils have continued to answer questions about how they will replace former running back Cameron Skattebo. Friday’s practice was no different, as the scrimmage offered another solution to the seemingly impossible equation.

ASU rotated its backs frequently between the first and second teams but still found a balanced blend. Early in the drive, the Sun Devils opted for rising redshirt junior Raleek Brown. His quickness and agility continue to fuse into versatility, as he lined up in the backfield and at receiver.

One of Raleek Brown’s highlights came when he was used late in the drive. On a rare run play, he took an outside zone carry 30 yards up the sideline for a score, going untouched after the line of scrimmage.

Rising junior Kyson Brown entered when ASU was in the middle of the field. Again, offering looks around the field, he showed flashes of why he’s been coined running back one. Rising junior Kanye Udoh came into action to close out drives in the red zone. Udoh’s power and grit offers a way to grind out yards in short-yardage situations.

However, with the exception of Raleek Brown’s touchdown, the run game struggled to produce Friday afternoon. Almost every time the Sun Devils ran inside, they were immediately shut down by the prowess of their own defensive front.

When they ran outside, the defense still found its way to maul through and stop the run. Although tackling is limited in spring practice, ASU running backs were still getting swallowed up moments after crossing the line of scrimmage.

As a result, the offense pivoted towards five-wide looks, with one receiver consistently being a listed running back. Not an uncommon look by any means, but seemed to be forced into it via the pressure from their defense.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo has mentioned this defense is one of the best they’ll face all year, and it definitely seemed the case Friday.

— Rees Goodall

Battles in the Trenches

Outside of the previously mentioned 30-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown, Friday’s practice like a majority of spring camp saw ASU’s defensive line dominate in the trenches. The 14th-best rushing defense the prior season showed little signs of rust with both first-and-second stringers disrupting a majority of running plays that came their way.

However, the true surprise is in how often Leavitt and backup Jeff Sims were forced to rely on their mobility as a result of constant pressure in the pocket. After having the seventh worst sack rate amongst Power 5 teams in 2024, ASU is showing signs of a revamped pass rush.

Redshirt senior defensive ends Prince Dorbah and Clayton Smith as well as junior defensive tackle C.J. Fite and senior defensive tackle Jacob Kongaika all return to their starting roles from last year. Whether 11-on-11 or one-on-one drills against the offensive line only, Dorbah, Smith and Fite displayed noticeable improvement in arm movement and agility throughout practice this past week.

On the other side, the Sun Devils’ offensive line is in a minor state of flux. Graduate offensive lineman Ben Coleman is in the process of transitioning from guard to center to replace Leif Fautanu while competition continues for spots at starting guard and backup center.

Both sides in the trenches possess a large number of familiar faces with 21 combined returners. The main difference is that the offensive line involved a lot more moving parts while the defensive line used the fact that it had a majority of its pieces assembled early on to its advantage these past four weeks.

Regardless, having experienced veterans in each group challenge one another throughout the Spring can only make ASU more battle-tested and ready for when the real battles for inches begin.

“Some of our guys are established, especially on the defensive and offensive front,” Dillingham said. “The trenches are probably more established than I’ve had here in the past in terms of who’s going to come up because a lot of those guys are returning.”

— Keenan Vaughan

Kicking woes, no more?

Redshirt senior Jesús Gómez appears primed to be Arizona State’s kicker after having an award-winning career at Eastern Michigan. The ASU kicking unit was sub-optimal last year, and Gómez will look to fix that.

The Mexican native has adjusted to the warmer, calmer climate of Tempe. He has had a high make percentage throughout the spring, including kicks from over 50 yards. On Friday, Gómez made the lone kick he attempted in 11-on-11 drills, which was less than thirty yards. The entire team has full confidence in Gómez.

“If we get to a fourth down around the 48, (we’re) probably gonna go for it,” Dillingham said on March 29. “Then I saw Jesús’s face, I’m like, ‘unless you can make it Jesús’ and he was like ‘I got you’ as confident as can be and the whole room went crazy and got excited about it.”

Behind Gómez, the lone kicker on the roster is redshirt sophomore Carston Kieffer. Kieffer’s lone kick came up short by around 10 yards on a kick that was from over 50.

Redshirt junior Ian Hershey entered the spring portal, according to some reports. Hershey, like other players reportedly in the portal, practiced on Friday with the team and made his lone field goal, which was under 30 yards.

The team had two more opportunities to kick field goals in 11-on-11 but passed them up. They were in the red zone to end the first set, but decided to go to individual position drills instead. The team was in a similar situation to end the second and final set, and decided to go for it from the six, they were unsuccessful.

In a few months’ time, expect Gómez to do all the kicking duties. Gómez brings in a great attitude and professional approach that Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Charlie Ragle wants other players to learn from.

“I feel that I am in a good position,” Gómez said. “My first field goal was here, hopefully, my last field goal is here.”

— Andrew Hayslett