A certainty already set in stone ahead of the 2025 college football season is that Arizona State won’t (greatly) exceed expectations as it did in the 2024 campaign. The improbable story of a program projected to finish dead last in the Big 12 Conference that ended as a conference champion in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff is a Cinderella story we are likely to rarely ever see again, not only in this league but across the college football landscape.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham admitted last season's Big 12 Championship triumph was a year ahead of schedule, anticipating the 2025 season as the year the maroon and gold would put their stamp on the national scene. Trophies and titles naturally elicit lofty expectations, and Dillingham said the future of the program relies on the upcoming season to achieve success.
“In the history of the Big 12, there's only been one team that has outright won the Big 12 in back-to-back years — that team's Oklahoma,” Dillingham said Friday. “That right there should tell you that we better go to work every single day and try to be the best version of us.
“How do you get that same group of people to play with that fire, that energy, that passion, with that level of ‘the world is against me’? The greatest challenge for our guys is that because we have everybody back (over 30 players that were in the 2024 two-deep), we’re going to have expectations. We're only going to be as good as we prepare and practice. We're not just going to be able to show up on Saturday and win games. It’s a process.”
In the words of former ASU tight ends coach Adam Breneman, who recently interviewed Dillingham on his show Next Up, succeeding at the collegiate level is “90% talent acquisition and 10% coaching.” For the Sun Devils to repeat last season’s success, they needed to retain their talented roster. Despite losing key seniors, including AP All-American running back Cam Skattebo, they will return over 50 scholarship players from last year, losing less than a handful of two-deep players to the transfer portal.
“When you're winning, you have concerns because people want your guys,” Dillingham explained. “So, there’s obviously that double-edged sword. Our guys like it here. I think they truly want to be here. It just shows the environment that’s here. Our kids love it here. They enjoy it here. What we recruit them to join and be a part of is not fake. It’s not a sales pitch; it's real.
“Guys that maybe transferred here and came here to try to win a starting job but didn’t, a lot of those guys came back too. You go somewhere and genuinely feel like you’re part of a football family; at the end of the day, you want to be happy. I mean, that’s pretty simple.”
For ASU, the benefits of a program that captured the summit of the Big 12 mean recruits are eager to join the ranks in Tempe. To bolster the wide receiver room following the exit of multiple seniors, 6-foot-4 freshman Chance Ables is one of many joining the team in Tempe. The three-star recruit is another mark on the #Texas2Tempe bulletin board as the Dallas native highlights a talented class of Sun Devils tasked with enhancing the caliber of the team's forte.
“We have to constantly change,” Dillingham said. “If we sit back here and say that we’re just going to copy and paste what we did last year to this year, I think we’re delusional. Offensively, if we’re not going to adapt and change our schemes, we shouldn’t. Maybe we’re not changing things, but we’re prioritizing different things more in the offseason. At the end of the day, it’s about maximizing the players on your team. We have different teams, so let’s maximize those.”
With Skattebo gone, Dillingham has consistently emphasized this message. The addition of 6-foot 215-pound Army transfer running back Kany Udoh will headline this position group. Udoh was a three-star recruit out of high school but dominated early for the Black Knights. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging over six yards per carry. Replacing Skattebo is no easy feat for Dillingham, but Udoh’s impact is expected to be felt immediately in Tempe.
The running back group’s depth will include a pool of players, including sophomores Kyson Brown and Raleek Brown. The latter is coming off a medical redshirt year, along with junior Alton McCaskill and freshman Jason Brown Jr.
“I think we’ve got a really deep room that has different skill sets, and I’m excited to see the guys get tackled,” Dillingham commented. “The best running backs don’t get tackled. So, I’m excited to see which ones, in spring ball when we go live, don’t get tackled very easily. Which ones can catch the ball out of the backfield? Which ones take care of the football? And obviously, who’s physical in the pass protection game? I think we’ll figure that out in the spring, but I think we definitely have some depth in that room.
“Even though we don’t have Skattebo, I think we’re going to have a bunch of guys that can pick up as many pieces as possible from losing him.”
For redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, the influx of talent surrounding him offensively is definitely a welcome sight. The return of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who is cleared to play in spring ball after suffering a shoulder injury against Arizona in the last game of the regular season, is a significant boost. For Leavitt, the spring will allow him to take immense steps in his development as he continues to push to build on an impressive debut as Arizona State’s starting signal caller.
“When you’re an athletic quarterback, your entire life, you’ve kind of just played free,” Dillingham remarked. “That’s really important. You never want to take away somebody’s ability to play point guard and play free. He’s a special talent, and I think it’s our job to try to maximize him, even if some things are uncomfortable for him at the start. If we feel like it’s best for him, this is the time to do it. Because if it doesn’t look good through June, you scratch everything, go back to square one, and let him play point guard again. I know we can do that, but what can we do to try to improve his game?”
Coming off a 2024 season that will always be remembered as one of the marquee campaigns in ASU's history will not diminish the hunger Dillingham and his players have for the upcoming year. They are seeking to eclipse the feats accomplished last Fall. The goal is to continue stacking successful campaigns on top of one another and remove any doubt that the 2024 team was a one-hit wonder that could sustain success.
“It has the start of something special,” Dillingham noted. “When you look at the kids we’re getting and the kids that are committed, I think we’ve definitely raised the bar at Arizona State. There is excitement about ASU, and that’s needed if we want to continue this thing and not be a flash in the pan.
“Nobody comes here because they get paid more money. Our own players have made that decision to be here and stay here. That’s my vision from now until forever. Our goal is to create a standard that is so high that our valleys aren’t even that low, and that starts with recruiting. This year, it’s like, ‘Oh man, people are fired up to see Sparky and the pitchfork.’”
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