Jordyn Tyson was one of many breakout stars for ASU football in the 2024 season when the team was a fourth-down stop away from defeating No. 3 Texas in the program's first college football playoff (CFP) game.
However, Tyson was forced to watch the loss from the sidelines due to a season-ending collarbone fracture he suffered in the Territorial Cup game, one week before the Big 12 championship game. This untimely injury not only ended Tyson's remarkable First Team All-Big 12 campaign but perhaps raised concerns about his availability for the Sun Devils’ upcoming spring practice.
"I'm 100% back. Just got cleared, I’ll be a full go for spring ball,” Tyson said. “It was a little journey, it wasn’t like my knee or nothing, but I’m back. “No problems at all, it's behind me. I've fought through adversity before, so I'm shaped for this."
Tyson is no stranger to major injuries. The redshirt junior has battled with ACL, MCL, and PCL injuries throughout his playing career, most notably a knee injury with Colorado in 2022, forcing him to redshirt upon his arrival at ASU in 2023.
A collarbone injury appears to be nothing of concern for Arizona State’s No. 1 aerial threat, and there is a safe amount of faith Tyson can and will play a big part in his team’s effort to repeat as conference champions and make a return appearance to the CFP.
“(Going through injuries prior) helped 1000%, just going through that adversity,” Tyson explained, “and knowing what to do. I had problems with my range of motion on my knee, and I made sure that didn’t happen in my shoulder, so I'm just learning from my mistakes and getting better from it.”
Tyson's rise to stardom in 2024 included 75 catches for 1,101 yards (third in the Big 12) and ten touchdowns (second in the Big 12), earning not only first-team all-conference but also Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Outstanding numbers that would ordinarily contend for being tops in the conference if the Big 12 did not have two of the three Fred Biletnikoff finalists, Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter and Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan.
As ASU's offense began to ascend, Tyson saw the majority of that production emerge down the stretch, and when the inevitable comparisons were made against that duo, the Sun Devil standout more than just held his own with that duo.
Tyson had more yards and receptions than Hunter and McMillan in the final four games of the season. If that was extended to the final eight, he still had more yards, catches, and the same number of touchdowns as Hunter, who earned the Biletnikoff award.
However, the stats don’t convey the full story. Much of what worked through the air was owed in large part to ASU's potent ground attack, which was led by First Team All-Big 12 running back and outgoing senior Cam Skattebo. His 1,711 rushing yards contributed to the emergence of a dominant and true dual threat offense, which Hunter and McMillans' offenses lacked.
This season, the Sun Devils are likely to lack that element as Skattebo preps for the NFL draft, leaving 2,316 all-purpose yards up for grabs. As far as Tyson is concerned, the proverbial next man up” approach is in order, and anyone on this side of the ball could share the burden.
“Yeah, we definitely lost a lot of yards in (Skattebo), obviously,” Tyson commented. “But someone’s got to pick up the slack. I don’t feel like I have to carry anything or put a little more stress on (myself); if the ball comes my way, I’m gonna catch it.”
The Sun Devils will return 15 of the 22 players from last year's 11-3 team. Wide receivers Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall are among the notable departures, challenging an already thin wide receiver core.
Guillory, Stovall, and Tyson's' 1,727 combined receiving yards made up for 53% of the Sun Devils' total receiving yards, 72% if you count Skattebo’s 602 receiving yards. Aside from those three, ASU did not have a single wide receiver eclipsing 100 yards receiving. For now, Tyson remains the only surefire player in the wide receiver room as spring football practice begins next week.
“Last season, I felt like I was going into the spring competing for a job, competing for targets and opportunities,” Tyson recalled. “So, it's definitely a different one because now that I’ve played a lot of snaps, they’re going to take (the load) off on me a little bit, but that doesn't mean I'm going to take down the work that means I'm going push the work even higher … so it's a lot different just being in a season where there are expectations obviously so I know I got to live up to those.”
Fresno State transfer Jalen Moss and Clemson transfer Noble Johnson are names to keep an eye on when discussing players in this position group who make an impact in spring, as well as senior Malik McClain, although all are inexperienced starters at power four level.
Tyson's talent, paired with the effectiveness of sophomore quarterback and Offensive Freshman of the Year Big 12 Sam Leavitt, certainly negates the personnel losses. Still, the youth and inexperience of the wide receiver core are very different from last year's team, leaving Tyson as a newfound veteran.
Fortunately, he follows in the footsteps of two excellent lead by example mentors, in Skattebo and Guillory. Hoping to emulate some of their confidence and ability to push a player personnel group closer to achieving their goals.
“I’m a part of the leadership council now, so they look at me as a leader, and I need to be more vocal as a leader,” Tyson remarked. “I naturally lead by example, that's just how I’ve always been, but talking to the young guys, picking their minds, that's where I need to step up.
“The receiver room is one of the only rooms with a lot of changes. Especially missing my guys like (Stovall) and (Guillory), I miss those guys, but the young guys, they’re gonna step up and get a lot of reps this spring.”
Last season, ASU skyrocketed past any doubt placed on them winning the Big 12 after being projected to finish last, and just a season later, many will likely predict ASU to repeat as Big 12 champions.
If the Sun Devils are to live up to their newly high expectations, Tyson will have to be the top of the spear of a dynamic offensive team while also taking the mantle as a locker room leader. Duplicating, let alone surpassing his 2024 feats, may just get Tyson the first-round draft pick that he's been striving for.
“We actually have a chance to go do it again,” Tyson claimed, “especially with all the guys returning, we’re just going to get recognition for that, and people are going to expect that. So, we’re going to have to work even harder 'cause we’re going to give people some better games 'cause we’re a better team.”
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