Arizona State’s linebacker room took a major hit on Tuesday when head coach Kenny Dillingham said sixth-year linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury in his left knee.
Fiaseu went down during Saturday’s scrimmage at Mountain America Stadium after helping on a tackle near the line of scrimmage. He had to be assisted off the field, barely putting weight on the leg, and later came back on crutches with a large knee brace.
The injury ends a season that had already been shortened once before. Fiaseu’s 2025 campaign was cut off after only four games because of a season-ending foot injury, and he was later granted another year of eligibility. Whether he could receive another hardship waiver for another season remains unclear.
Fiaseu had been one of the Sun Devils’ more notable pieces on their 2024 Peach Bowl team. He picked off the first pass of the season against Wyoming and returned it for a touchdown, then closed that year with 34 tackles, which ranked fourth among ASU linebackers. He also recorded at least one tackle in every game.
A portal addition in 2024, Fiaseu has also drawn praise inside the program for his leadership in the linebacker room. With him sidelined, junior linebackers Owen Long and Martell Hughes have handled most of the first-team work in practice, while sophomore Tristan Bacon and juniors Prayer Young-Blackgoat and Ramere Davis are among the players who could help fill the opening.
ASU already had to replace last season’s starting linebackers, Keyshaun Elliot and Jordan Crook, who moved on to the NFL and CFL. Even before Fiaseu’s injury, linebackers coach A.J.
Cooper’s group had been in good shape with six returners and portal additions Long and Davis. Now the longest-tenured Sun Devil at the position is out, and the depth chart shifts again.
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Ashton Stamps arrives in Tempe with a fresh opportunity and a rsum that suggests Arizona State could be getting a real answer at corner. The Harvey, La., native started his college career at LSU, worked his way into a late-season starting role there and drew strong marks from Pro Football Focus, enough to make him an intriguing addition for a Sun Devils secondary that needed help after losing its previous starters.
Now at Arizona State, Stamps is trying to reset his trajectory after losing his spot in 2025 and moving on for a new start. The Sun Devils are counting on him to settle into a prominent role right away, while Stamps is chasing the bigger picture too, hoping the change of scenery helps him keep growing on and off the field with the NFL still in view. [Read more 🡒]