Between the coaching staff change and still-lingering NCAA investigation issues, Arizona State had some of the highest player personnel turnover numbers in the FBS following the 2022 season.
In all, ASU had nearly 30 players who transferred out of the program after the 2022 season to play college football elsewhere in 2023.
How did those outbound transfers fare after leaving Tempe? In this edition of Sun Devil Science, we will break down how each transfer departure from the 2022-23 portal market performed at his new program in 2023.
OL Armon Bethea, Bowling Green
ASU: Regarded as an above average offensive line prospect out of high school, Bethea appeared in two games as a true freshman as an emergency defensive lineman in 2021. In 2022, he returned to the offensive line but did not see game action
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2023: Bethea made four game appearances in his first season with Bowling Green. He should have two remaining years of eligibility.
K Carter Brown, Cincinnati
ASU: A highly regarded kicking prospect, Brown immediately won the job for Arizona State as a true freshman and connected on 11-of-14 field goals (78.57%) with a long of 53 yards.
Following his freshman campaign, Brown opted to transfer to Cincinnati.
2023: One of three Sun Devils to transfer to Cincinnati following the 2022 season, Brown connected on 15 of 19 field goals (78.95%) on the year with a long of 54 yards.
QB Finn Collins, Northern Colorado
ASU: A member of the Sun Devil roster from 2021-22, Collins is not credited with any game appearances in his two years at ASU.
2023: Collins is not credited with any game appearances in 2023. He should have two remaining years of playing eligibility.
P Eddie Czaplicki, USC
ASU: Following the abrupt transfer of former all-conference punter Michael Turk, Czaplicki quickly became ASU’s full-time punter as a true freshman in 2021. As a freshman, he averaged 43.42 yards on 45 punts, and as a sophomore, he emerged as one of the nation’s premier punters by averaging 45.98 yards on 50 punts and claiming First-Team All-Pac-12 recognition in 2022.
Czaplicki sought greener pastures following his standout sophomore season and transferred to USC.
2023: In his first season with the Trojans, Czaplicki put together his statistically poorest college outing as he averaged a college career-low 43.32 yards on 44 punts and did not receive first-team, second-team or even honorable mention all-conference accolades in 2023.
He has one remaining year of playing eligibility.
K Jace Feely, Colorado
ASU: A two-year member of the Sun Devil football program from 2021-22, Feely appeared in two four games as a redshirt freshman and totaled four kickoffs, one made PAT and one 37-yard punt.
2023: In his first year at Colorado, Feely appeared in 11 games and was the team’s primary kickoff specialist. He also connected on 4-of-7 field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. He will have two remaining years of playing eligibility.
LS John Ferlmann, Ohio State
ASU: After redshirting in 2021, Ferlmann handled long snapping duties for ASU as a redshirt freshman in 2022 before deciding to transfer to Ohio State.
2023: Ferlmann appeared in all 13 games as a long snapper for the Buckeyes in 2023. He has two remaining years of playing eligibility.
OL Ralph Frias, Utah State
ASU: A physically massive in-state prospect, Frias was a member of the Sun Devil program from 2018-22, and while battling injury issues through his ASU tenure, he appeared in 26 total games as a reserve offensive lineman and on special teams.
2023: In his first year at Utah State, Frias saw the most extensive action of his collegiate career as he appeared in 12 games with eight starts as the team’s primary left tackle.
Frias entered the Transfer Portal again after the 2023 season and has returned to his home state and will suit up at Northern Arizona as a seventh-year senior in 2024, presumably using a medical redshirt for 2022 as he missed the entire season due to injury.
WR Zeek Freeman, Kilgore College
ASU: After spending the 2020-21 seasons at the JUCO level – of course, with the 2020 JUCO season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic – Freeman spent the 2022 season at Arizona State and appeared in three games but did not catch a pass.
2023: Freeman returned to his previous JUCO stop at Kilgore College as a redshirt sophomore and is credited with 21 receptions for 569 yards with four touchdowns in 11 games. A fourth-year player at a junior college might sound impossible or at least highly atypical, but between the 2020 cancelation and his redshirt season at Arizona State, Freeman only used one year of playing eligibility between 2020-22.
DL Dylan Hall
ASU: A junior college member of ASU’s 2023 class, Hall appeared in five games as a Sun Devil in 2022, totaling five tackles and three quarterback hurries.
2023: Though he entered the transfer portal in April 2023, there is no information available about Hall having been a member of a college program this past season. Hall entered the 2023 season with two remaining seasons of playing eligibility.
DL Robby Harrison, Indiana
ASU: A powerful lineman, Harrison appeared in three games for ASU as a true freshman but did not record any statistics. Though he was viewed to have a bright future for the Sun Devils, he chose to transfer to Indiana prior to his sophomore season.
2023: Harrison is credited with three game appearances in 2023 for the Hoosiers, totaling three tackles. He has three remaining years of playing eligibility.
OL LaDarius Henderson, Michigan
ASU: From day one, Henderson, as a true freshman starting offensive tackle, was one of the key components of ASU’s offensive line from 2019 to 22. During his Sun Devil career, he played both guard and tackle and started 29 of 33 career games played.
2023: Undoubtedly the most significant loss for ASU from last year’s transfer portal exits, Henderson appeared in 14 games with ten starts at left tackle for the national champion Wolverines and was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by conference coaches and a second-team pick by conference media. Having exhausted his playing eligibility, Henderson essentially is a lock to be chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft.
WR Cam Johnson, Northwestern
Before ASU: Johnson spent the 2018-21 seasons at Vanderbilt, posting combined receiving numbers of 124 receptions for 1,233 yards with ten touchdowns for the Commodores.
ASU: When he arrived at ASU, Johnson was expected to be one of the team’s primary pass-catching targets, but his lone season with the Devils fell well short of expectations as he managed just ten receptions for 84 yards with no touchdowns despite appearing in all 12 games.
2023: After a forgettable season in Tempe, Johnson enjoyed a career resurgence at Northwestern in his final collegiate campaign. He notched single-season career highs in all receiving categories as he caught 54 passes for 715 yards with six touchdowns. He had a career-high 124 receiving yards on seven catches with a touchdown against Illinois to end the 2023 regular season.
Surprisingly, if we only focus solely on 2023 performances, Johnson was statistically one of the top two or three most significant transfer departures that Arizona State experienced last year.
QB Emory Jones, Cincinnati
Before ASU: A dynamic if inconsistent quarterback for Florida from 2018-21, in total throwing for 3,347 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while rushing for 1,273 net yards with ten scores.
ASU: QB1 to begin the season for ASU, Jones’ play quickly regressed as on the season, he threw for 1,533 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions, along with just 31 net rushing yards and four touchdowns in eight total appearances.
To little surprise, Jones opted to transfer following the 2022 season and chose Cincinnati as his third and final collegiate stop.
2023: The primary starting quarterback for the Bearcats in 2023, Jones appeared in all 12 games and threw for 2,219 yards with 18 touchdowns and ten interceptions, completing 61.18% of his passes while also rushing 155 times for 560 yards and four scores.
He opened the season with a 345-yard passing effort with five touchdown throws and two rushing touchdowns against FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky, but from that point, he only accounted for 15 combined passing and rushing touchdowns and threw ten interceptions in the remaining 11 games, with only had four outings of 200 passing yards or more.
LS Gage King, UCF
ASU: King spent the 2019-22 seasons at Arizona State, appearing in two games in 2021 and three in 2022.
2023: After transferring to Central Florida, King went on to see the most extensive action of his collegiate career as he played in all 13 games in 2023. He should have one remaining season of playing eligibility.
OL Thomas LeBoucher
ASU: A junior college transfer to ASU in 2022 originally from Canada, LeBoucher is credited with one game appearance in his only season with the Sun Devils.
2023: LeBoucher transferred to FCS program Lamar for the 2023 season and started three of four games played before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
DB/WR T Lee, Alabama State
ASU: A member of the Sun Devil program from 2020-22, Lee appeared in seven total games across the 2020-21 seasons, including six appearances in 2021.
2023: At Alabama State in 2023, Lee – now listed as ‘Tee’ Lee instead of ‘T’ – played in five games and registered four receptions for 18 yards and a 14-yard rush.
DB Tarik Luckett, North Texas
Before ASU: Luckett spent the 2019-20 seasons at Colorado and then the 2021 campaign at the JUCO level before transferring to Arizona State.
ASU: In his lone season with the Devils, Luckett played in 11 games and posted five tackles with one pass breakup.
2023: At North Texas, Luckett appeared in five games with one tackle and one pass breakup in 2023.
DB Kejuan Markham, DB Keon Markham
ASU: Both Markhams were among the several players under Herm Edwards to come to ASU from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High School. They arrived in 2019, and from 2019-22, Keon appeared in 16 games with 29 total tackles and an interception, while Kejuan played in 26 games with 50 total tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.
In late September 2022, not long after the departure of Herm Edwards as ASU’s head coach, both Markhams would no longer be a part of the active Sun Devil roster.
2023: Since stepping away from the Sun Devil roster in the fall of 2022, matters have been quite curious with both Kejuan and Keon, as though both players are certainly qualified to play major college football, there is no information available to indicate that either player has played at all since attending Arizona State.
A tweet shared by Keon Markham from February 2023 announced that both Markham brothers would attend Grambling State in the fall of 2023, however neither was listed on the team’s 2023 roster and no statistics are recorded for either from last season.
DL Brandon McElroy, Marshall
ASU: A JUCO addition to ASU’s 2022 class, McElroy was not credited with any game appearances in 2022 for the Sun Devils.
2023: One of two ASU defensive linemen to transfer to Marshall following the 2022 season, McElroy posted 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks in nine games in 2023.
McElroy again entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season and will spend his final collegiate year at San Diego State.
QB Bennett Meredith, Purdue
ASU: Meredith came to ASU as part of its 2022 signing class but did not appear in any games during his year in Tempe and redshirted before choosing to transfer to Purdue.
2023: Meredith appeared in three games in his first season with Purdue, completing 7 of 11 passes for 43 yards while also rushing four times for seven net yards. He has three remaining years of playing eligibility.
LB Juwan Mitchell, Colorado
Before ASU: To accurately complete this section, it might be more efficient to list the schools at which Mitchell didn’t play as opposed to listing off the many institutions at which he did.
Mitchell began his collegiate career at Butler Community College in 2018, then to Texas from 2019-20 –including a 2020 season in which he was the team leader in tackles – before he then relocated to Tennessee in 2021-22. Though this collection alone likely sounds like a nomadic journey, this list only accounts for 60% of his complete college football tour.
ASU: Mitchell is a unique addition to this list as he never played a game for Arizona State and only spent a short bit of time before being dismissed from the team for conduct issues in very early August 2023 at the start of ASU’s fall camp.
2023: Following his dismissal, he quickly transferred to Colorado, and though his season began on some very high notes – surprise, surprise – conduct issues again arose, and he only made one appearance among the final six games of the year.
Mitchell started four of seven games played for the Buffaloes in 2023, and in the first half of the season, he was among the team’s leading defenders as he had 32 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, before his nomadic college playing career faded to a close in Boulder.
DL Joe Moore, Missouri
ASU: A four-star member of ASU’s impressive 2020 signing class, Moore appeared in 23 games across the 2020-22 seasons, totaling 30 tackles, including 6.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
After the 2022 season, Moore opted to transfer out of the program, initially selecting Washington before switching to his home state, Missouri Tigers.
2023: Moore had a pedestrian season this past fall as though he appeared in 12 of Missouri’s 13 games, he totaled just 13 tackles with 1.5 for loss with 1.0 sack.
Moore has one year of remaining playing eligibility, along with a redshirt.
TE Jacob Newell, Akron
ASU: An intriguing tight end prospect from the 2022 class, Newell had a great deal of upside for the Sun Devils before suffering a season-ending foot injury in his first fall camp with the program. Newell later decided to transfer to Akron.
2023: Newell appeared in 11 games and caught 13 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown. He should have three remaining years of eligibility.
RB Daniyel Ngata, Washington
ASU: After coming to ASU as a four-star recruit for the 2020 class, Ngata played in 26 games for the Sun Devils across the 2020-22 seasons, notching 136 carries for 689 yards (5.1 avg.) with six touchdowns and 14 receptions for 98 yards. His top season with Arizona State came in 2021 when he tallied 309 rushing yards on 56 carries with four touchdowns.
2023: Like Moore, Ngata transferred to a team that ultimately had an outstanding 2023 season, but that new wealth of talent likely resulted in limited opportunities at Ngata’s new collegiate home.
This past season, Ngata was used predominately in a special teams role for the national runner-up Huskies, leading the team with 17 kickoff returns and notching a 23.5-yard average. On offense, he had just seven carries for 23 yards with one touchdown in his ten game appearances. He has one remaining season of playing eligibility.
DL Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee
ASU: A former four-star recruit, Norman-Lott played in 21 games with two starts for ASU across the 2020-22 seasons. He totaled 45 tackles with 4.0 sacks during his Sun Devil career.
2023: Norman-Lott appeared in 10 games with two starts for the Volunteers, registering 26 tackles, including 6.0 for loss with 5.5 sacks, placing him third on the team in quarterback takedowns. For reference, ASU’s sacks leaders for 2023 were Prince Dorbah and B.J. Green, both of whom had 6.0 on the year, so Norman-Lott can justifiably be considered among the top-five most significant departures from last year’s exits for ASU. Norman-Lott has one remaining season of eligibility.
DL Jalil Rivera-Harvey, Marshall
ASU: A junior college addition to ASU’s roster in 2022, in his only season with the Sun Devils, Rivera-Harvey posted two tackles in nine games.
2023: Rivera-Harvey appeared in 12 games as a reserve lineman for Marshall, totaling 16 tackles, including one for loss.
In December 2023, Rivera-Harvey once again entered the transfer portal and chose Western Kentucky as his next destination. He should have one remaining year of playing eligibility to use in 2024.
OL Ben Scott, Nebraska
ASU: A versatile lineman at ASU, after redshirting in 2019, Scott started 28 games for the Sun Devils across the 2020-22 seasons with time mixed at center and right tackle.
2023: Scott started 11 games at center in 2023 and was chosen as an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection by both the conference media and coaches. Given his accomplishments combined with ASU’s offensive line woes in 2023, Scott’s departure should be considered among the top three most significant for Arizona State, along with the likes of Henderson and Johnson.
He should have one remaining season of playing eligibility.
LB Connor Soelle, Oregon
ASU: Soelle came to ASU from nearby Scottsdale Saguaro High School and appeared in 31 total games across the 2019-22 seasons, including all 25 games of 2021-22, with two starts in 2022. He totaled 52 tackles in his time with the Sun Devils, 30 of which came in 2022.
2023: Soelle appeared in all 14 games for the Ducks, totaling 19 tackles and two quarterback hurries. He should have one remaining season of eligibility.
DB DJ Taylor, Cincinnati
ASU: Taylor appeared in 25 games across the 2020-22 seasons and spent time on both offense and defense and, at his peak, was one of the most dynamic special teams returns threats in the Pac-12, though consistency in the role was something he struggled at times to provide.
As a Sun Devil, he totaled 19 tackles, including one for loss with a pass deflection, and had two offensive touches but mainly earned his keep by averaging 24.5 yards on 42 kickoff returns, including a 100-yard touchdown return on the opening play of what became ASU’s 70-7 victory over Arizona in Tucson in December 2020. He also averaged 9.1 yards on 25 career punt returns at Arizona State.
Taylor chose to leave the Sun Devil program following the 2022 season and was one of a few departed Devils to transfer to Cincinnati.
2023: Taylor appeared in all 12 games for the 3-9 Bearcats, totaling 16 tackles on defense. Surprisingly, he was barely used in the return game on special teams, as he had just one 16-yard kickoff return and zero punt returns on the year. He has one year of playing eligibility remaining.
QB Paul Tyson, Clemson
Before ASU: Tyson, a former four-star, top-10 recruit at his position, spent the 2019-21 seasons at Alabama, appearing in 13 games. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 150 yards in 2021.
ASU: In his lone season in Tempe, Tyson was credited with one game appearance.
2023: Tyson continued to serve a reserve role for the Tigers, making two game appearances. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 42 yards, including his first and only collegiate touchdown pass. He should have one remaining season of eligibility.
OL Danny Valenzuela, Texas State
ASU: A junior college offensive line addition for ASU in 2022, Valenzuela is credited with a game appearance in the season opener against Northern Arizona but ultimately used a redshirt season.
2023: Valenzuela did not make any game appearances in his first season with Texas State. He should have two remaining years of eligibility.
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