Arizona State appears to be adjusting its coaching setup after the roughest stretch of the season, with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo taking back over as the Sun Devils’ primary play-caller during Tuesday’s practice.
According to Chris Karpman of 247 Sports, Arroyo handled the offensive play-calling duties on 10/6, while head coach Kenny Dillingham shifted his attention to the defensive side of the ball. Dillingham had already hinted at the possibility during his media availability on Saturday and Monday.
The timing points directly back to ASU’s 55-19 loss to Baylor, a game that exposed major problems on defense and sent the staff back to the drawing board.
Dillingham had been calling the offensive plays dating back to the 2025 Sun Bowl. That move came after the offense put up 39 points in a bowl loss to Duke, but the results over the broader stretch never fully settled in. In the five games against Duke, Morgan State, Texas A&M, Kansas and Baylor, ASU went 2-3 and scored 20 points or fewer twice.
Arroyo’s path back to the headset has been a winding one. He joined ASU in December 2023 after Beau Baldwin was fired, and Baldwin had previously dealt with a similar shift when Dillingham took over play-calling in the middle of the 2023 season.
The cycle continued at the end of the 2025 season, when ASU fell to Arizona 23-7 and managed just one touchdown before Dillingham stepped into the offense for the Sun Bowl. Many assumed that would be the end of Arroyo’s run with the program, but he returned to the Sun Devil staff for the 2026 season.
Now, the third-year offensive coordinator gets another chance with the reins, and the pressure is obvious. He has had strong pieces to work with, including RB Cam Skattebo and WR Jordyn Tyson, but ASU’s offense has also been part of several losses during his time in charge. The source of frustration has shown up in results like the 23-7 loss to Arizona, the 24-16 loss to Houston and the 24-14 loss to Cincinnati.
For the moment, the focus has swung to the other side of the ball after the Baylor collapse. Arroyo has the offense back in his hands, and ASU is betting this reset helps steady things.
Arroyo is expected to speak with reporters after Tuesday’s practice.
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Randy Bennetts First ASU Schedule Is Already Raising Big 12 Concerns
Randy Bennetts first Arizona State schedule is already drawing attention because it looks a lot like the kind of setup that can shape a teams entire season before Big 12 play even begins. The 2026-27 non-conference slate includes 10 buy games and four high-major matchups, with only one true road game, and it will start at home Nov. 2 against East Tennessee State.
For a program now led by a coach who built his reputation at Saint Marys, where the scheduling style leaned more toward conference stability than constant heavy lifting outside league play, the early question is whether that approach will carry over in Tempe. The Sun Devils do have some chances to test themselves, but the balance of the schedule suggests Bennett is still deciding how aggressively he wants to challenge a roster before the Big 12 grind begins. [Read more 🡒]