Junior ASU tight end Jalin Conyers said in a tweet that he plans to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on Dec. 4. Conyers transferred from Oklahoma and played three years in Tempe. He departs Arizona State as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining

The 6-4 270-pound Conyers entered the 2023 season with expectations that were seemingly second to none of the Sun Devil roster. In the last five games of the season, as a direct result of then-interim head coach Shaun Aguano’s play-calling, the tight end registered 30 catches for 346 yards and five touchdowns. Nonetheless, in 2023, appearing in 11 games, he posted only 30 receptions for 362 yards and no touchdowns. Ironically, he perhaps made more of an impact playing as an emergency quarterback, even notching his first start of the year in the Territorial Cup game, rushing 22 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, as well as completing 5-6 passes for 20 yards.

A conflict between the tight end and first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham saw Conyers not start in the home contest versus Colorado, and also, when he did enter the game, he lined up at wide receiver. Dillingham said after that game that Conyers’ illness was the reason for his limited playing time. Conyers, in a tweet following that statement that was later deleted that night, claimed that he was healthy enough to play.

In interviews in the weeks to come, Conyers was forthcoming about the disappointing season he was having and seemed to hint that he was turning the page in that regard. Even after a 59-23 home loss to Arizona, he appeared to be confident about the future of the program and said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

ASU is also losing outgoing senior Messiah Swinson, who exhausted his eligibility, and currently returns only senior Bryce Pierre and junior Ryan Morgan. To date, the Sun Devils have one tight end pledge in the 2024 class, Jayden Fortier from Tualatin, Ore., who as offered by the hometown University of Oregon last Saturday and will be officially visiting Tempe this weekend. ASU would be expected to add at least one more tight end, likely from the transfer portal, before that window closes on January 3rd, 2024.

Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!