The Arizona State football social media team began the month with a spectacular April Fools' prank on its fanbase. They surprised everyone with an image of a maroon turf field at Mountain America Stadium, suggesting that this would be the new look this fall.

The post shocked some ASU fans, including Briana Dillingham, the wife of head coach Kenny Dillingham. She messaged her husband that morning in shock, saying, “NO! Oh, April Fools',” according to Kenny Dillingham.

Dillingham agreed with his wife, saying, “I agree. That’s atrocious.” However, Dillingham was confronted with another unwelcome surprise Tuesday morning—the lackluster play of his team in the fourth spring practice of the season.

“On Saturday, it was a really good workday,” Dillingham said. “I thought today, the defense early in practice somewhat (played with) fake energy, losing some reps. Offensively, at the end, that was the worst last two periods of offensive football I've seen in a long time. We couldn't snap the football.

“We have to have another guy who can snap the football, and we have to be able to not jump offsides. I mean, we haven't had that problem here since I've been here. Even when we sucked, we didn't have that problem. We have to clean that up because that was sloppy—really sloppy—and that’s going to cost us a lot of football games.”

The offensive unit has gone through changes across the board, up front, with the departure of center Leif Fautanu. After playing for the Maroon and Gold in 2023 and 2024, it was announced that graduate lineman Ben Coleman would transition from left guard to center in 2025. With that, gaps are still being filled as players learn and adjust to their new position groups.

A potential candidate to fill Coleman’s shoes at left guard is redshirt sophomore Sean Na’a. Now entering his third season as a Sun Devil, Na'a played many snaps as a freshman but was used in a backup role more frequently in year two. For him, the growth of the offensive line is a work in progress.

“I feel like the first three practices were pretty good. Today was a little rusty. (Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo) hit the nail on the head with that one,” Na’a said Tuesday. “He said we got a little too lackadaisical with a two-day rest, and I thought today was a little sloppy. We just need to pick it up for sure.”

The same can be said in the backfield. Without the services of Cam Skattebo for another season, the running back corps in Tempe is looking to be by committee. The emergence of junior Kyson Brown, redshirt junior Raleek Brown, and Army transfer junior Kanye Udoh has made them the standout trio early on.

For redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, the adjustments being made in the backfield are still a work in progress. According to him, the offense has a long way to go for the remainder of the spring.

“As a unit, we definitely have some identity issues,” Leavitt said. “We have to figure out who we are as a team. It's a new team, and we're missing a few players from last year. We have to move on and understand who we are as a team.

“Now, I have to bring everybody along with me and take a new role. I have to take that leadership role and understand what that entails. I have to get people to play for me even more. So, I’m going to try to bring more juice and start that out the day before, tell them we have to get going, stuff like that.”

With so much change in sets and plays, it's no surprise that ASU is seeing dips in quality during the early stages of spring practice. However, while Dillingham wasn’t pleased with the level of play, he expects the players to get up to speed with time.

“We are a mass install team,” Dillingham said. “So, we throw everything on the wall and then, later in spring, we don’t have nearly the install we have in the first five days. So, I think in weeks three, four, and five, you’re going to see it slow down for those guys a little bit because right now, they’re playing fast, but sometimes they’re playing all right.”

The identity of the Sun Devils, regardless of where the players are in understanding the playbook, is going to be toughness. Competitive juices have flowed through the early stages of spring as drills have been competitive and lively.

More importantly, the early offensive focus has centered around blocking, showcasing the team’s priorities stressed by everyone on the coaching staff, from Arroyo to tight ends coach Jason Mohns.

“If you come here, you're going to block people,” Dillingham added. “I don't care if you play wideout, running back, or tight end—you're going to block people. If you play defense, you're going to hit people. There are no cute positions. This game is not a cute game; it's a physically tough game, so all those guys are big specimens who will block you.”

The offensive unit for ASU has a long way to go. As the team continues to gel, leadership becomes increasingly vital to the overall understanding of the program. For Leavitt, last season featured learning curves in becoming a leader and understanding how to communicate with others. In 2025, he’s being asked to take on an even larger role with Fautanu and Skattebo gone. Despite being one of the most heralded quarterbacks returning ahead of the looming campaign, Leavitt has a lot of learning to do himself, both on and off the field.

“When I have to give certain speeches and stuff, I'm still working on that because, for certain people, that's just not their strong suit—giving a speech in front of the whole team,” Leavitt noted. “I'm really good in one-on-one scenarios and then on the field and when I'm in the moment, but when I have to say something, it has to be genuine.

“I'm not going to go out and say something that either I don't mean or it doesn't feel relevant to me because then there's no need to, and people aren't going to listen. The inflection won’t be the same. So, I guess I just have to say what I'm feeling more in the moment.”

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