The Arizona State Sun Devils are heading into fall camp, albeit a bit later than usual. Last season, the Sun Devils had a Week 0 game, so camp started in late July. This season, the first game is not until Sept. 5, thus drills get underway a week later. The downside is ASU will have just one week off during the season. That comes after the game in London against Kansas. After that, the Sun Devils will play nine straight weeks.
This season is one unlike most others in that ASU returns just a few starters, so there will be a lot of position battles that should extend well into fall camp.
Here are the storylines to watch as Kenny Dillingham's team hits the practice field.
When does QB battle end?
There are four candidates, and no one player has separated himself enough for
Dillingham to make the call. It still looks like it's Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley's job to lose.
The Sun Devils have the best of both worlds because they also have a proven veteran in Mikey Keene. That's much like last year, when they had Jeff Sims, who was eventually needed after Sam Leavitt's injury. They also have one player with a year under his belt in the system, Cam Dyer, as well as a highly touted true freshman, El Paso native Jake Fette.
It's a good combination to have. While Boley might be under the radar compared to other quarterbacks in the Big 12, Leavitt wasn't exactly a household name when he arrived at ASU either. If he is indeed THE guy, it will be interesting to watch his progress under Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.
Boley's biggest goals this fall will be to eliminate turnovers that occasionally plagued him at his earlier stop and during spring practices. He is still learning a new offense and getting used to a new set of receivers but should show progress from the spring.
Who takes over on the offensive front?
ASU faithful found out what can happen with just one injury last season. Once veteran center Ben Coleman went down with a season-ending injury, the offensive line was in flux. The good news is that several players got valuable playing time last year, which should set them up better for success this season. All of the players who were starters at the beginning of the 2025 season have left the program.
Georgia Tech transfer Tano Alo-Tupuola will be the center, with Maki Stewart and Wade Helton likely at the guards. Both those players saw time last season because of injuries.
The real competition is for time at the tackle positions with four players contending for two spots. The two who don't start will likely be in the rotation. Those four are Champ Westbrooks, Jalen Klemm, Luke Baklenko, and mammoth community college transfer Jarmaine Mitchell. Baklenko, a transfer from Oklahoma, is also capable of playing inside.
Who steps up on the defensive line?
The Sun Devils suffered their first major injury long before fall camp, when MyKeil Gardner sustained an Achilles tear in his left foot. The local product was out all of the 2025 season with the same injury to the other foot, so it was a devastating blow — both for him personally and the team.
Gardner had been impressive in spring drills, and it looked like he was going to be a key rotation player. Someone will need to step up in his place. The Sun Devils do have two veterans to rely upon in tackle C.J. Fite and end Clayton Smith. It's a matter of who else blossoms in bigger roles. Blazen Lono-Wong, Jeffrey Manns and Ramar Williams are among those who could inherit more playing time.
Transfers from whom a lot is expected include Jalen Thompson (Michigan State) and Emar'rion Winston (Baylor).
How will injured players bounce back?
The Sun Devils have several players who missed all or most of the 2025 season with injuries.
Running back Kyson Brown played in just three games due to an ankle issue sustained in the game at Mississippi State. He is expected to lead a solid ground game.
Defensively, linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu (foot) and defensive lineman Zac Swanson (ankle) also missed the balance of the season. Both are in positions where ASU graduated key players, so they'll be needed to contribute significant minutes.
Rodney Bimage missed three games at the end of the season with a hip injury. This season, he could move into a starting spot at corner vacated by NFL draft pick Keith Abney.
How will touches be distributed?
The wide receiving and running back units both look to have depth. They have players capable of shouldering the load and becoming the marquee player, but they likely won't have to.
As far as the backfield, the Sun Devils lost Raleek Brown and Kanye Udoh, but they brought in some quality transfers in David Avit (Villanova) and Marquis Gillis (Delaware State). Brown, now fully recovered from his ankle injury, is the likely starter. ASU also has Demaris "Man Man" Robinson and Jason Brown, the latter having a breakout game in the Sun Bowl. True freshman Cardae Mack was impressive in the spring.
While Jordyn Tyson moved on to the NFL, ASU did acquire two of the top receivers in the portal in Omarion Miller (Colorado) and Reed Harris (Boston College), as well as bringing a local product home in Raiden Vines-Bright (Washington). That's in addition to returning players in Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton and Derek Eusebio who have proven capable pass catchers.
It will be interesting to see how the workload is distributed given that many playmakers.
Can special teams bounce back?
Outside of placekicker Jesus Gomez, this is a unit that had all kinds of issues in 2025. The biggest was punting, as the Sun Devils were 133rd out of 134 teams in net punting. The only school worse was Oregon State. Sophomore Kanyon Floyd struggled with a quad injury, and his replacement, Matt McKenzie, was insufficient and has since transferred.
Special teams used to be an ASU strong suit, but haven't been in the last few years. That's one reason ASU has played so many close games. The return units need playmakers too, and there are some options.
ASU also needs to do better in kickoff return coverage, as it was just 115th overall and 14th in the Big 12.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 6 questions to answer as Arizona State football heads into fall
