Arizona State’s first practice in Europe came with the kind of backdrop nobody sees in Tempe: Shell Sports Ground in London, rugby goalposts forming an “H,” and Julian Hugo singing along to Oasis’ “Wonderwall” during stretches.
The Sun Devils still kept the workday intact. Tuesday’s session lasted two and a half hours, ran in helmets and shoulder pads, and followed the team’s usual weekly rhythm as best it could on the other side of the Atlantic. Kenny Dillingham made clear the sightseeing can wait.
“We're here to play a football game,” Dillingham said. “The other people that have time, they can go things and experience it.
There's no advantage from a football perspective to fly across the country to play a football game. The only positive is our kids get an experience that I wasn't going to rob them from.”
Jalen Klemm said the trip has already included some time to settle in and take in the surroundings.
“It’s been awesome,” fifth-year offensive lineman Jalen Klemm said. “We have been taking the last couple of days to acclimate to everything.
I know all of us have kind of walked the grounds and looked at everything. I know that on Thursday, we have a little boat ride that we're going to be able to see a lot of the sights and stuff like that.”
ASU arrived in London after its 48-20 loss to then-No. 10 Texas A&M, taking a route that went from College State to Dallas, then dinner, then an overnight flight across the Atlantic.
The team is trying to keep its schedule steady while it adjusts to the time change, even if that means shifting things around. Dillingham said practice began two hours later than usual so the group could ease into the new routine.
“I didn't even set my alarm,” Dillingham said. “Obviously, we're trying to slowly adjust, so we didn't start doing anything until nine today.
So we actually pushed everything back, and I woke up like, 'Holy cow! There's light outside!
This is not good.' Then I remembered we pushed everything back, but waking up with light out is different this time of year.”
He also pointed to what he viewed as a scheduling edge for Kansas, noting that if ASU had played on Friday, the travel plan would have changed.
“If we would have played on a Friday, then we wouldn't have flown out here until after Wednesday's practice,” Dillingham said in a clear reference to a perceived advantage that Kansas had after it played on Friday and traveled overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. “Us playing that game Saturday, it was either fly out immediately or lose a practice by flying out in the middle of the week. I don't think you can afford to lose a practice when you're playing a good opponent.”
Dillingham added that international games usually line up differently.
“Usually, you don't play on different days when you play an international game,” Dillingham said. “Usually both teams play on similar days so you can have your normal practice schedule moved up.
It's college athletics, and you don't expect the scheduling to be different when you schedule a game like this. But at the end of the day, it is what it is.”
On the injury front, Dillingham said junior offensive lineman Wade Helton will be out “for a few weeks” because of a lower-leg injury suffered against Texas A&M. Senior defensive lineman MyKeil Gardner is out for the 2026 season after Achilles surgery, and sophomore cornerback Nigel Pringle has a season-ending core injury from the Camp Tontozona scrimmage. A few other players were either out or limited, though the team’s injury-reporting policy kept additional details from being disclosed.
Freshman offensive lineman Marques Uini was not observed at practice, while junior offensive lineman Xander Ruggeroli returned.
The offense continued to sort through its personnel. Cutter Boley opened with the first group at quarterback, with Cardae Mack, Marquis Gillis and Kyson Brown rotating at running back. Jalen Moss, Omarion Miller and Reed Harris were the wideouts, Khamari Anderson lined up at tight end, and the offensive line featured Luke Baklenko, Maki Stewart, Tana Alo-Tupuola, Rob Lapuaho and Jalen Klemm.
Mikey Keene led the second offense, with Jason Brown Jr. and Grayson Rigdon at running back, Jaren Hamilton, Raiden Vines-Bright, Cory Butler Jr. and Derek Eusebio at receiver, and James Giggey at tight end. The line included Champ Westbrooks, Siosaia Lapuaho, Makua Pule, Suka Lokotui and Jarmaine Mitchell.
When ASU went to 12-personnel, Giggey came on for Butler Jr.
The defense had its own first and second units sorted out as well. The first group featured Roman Pitre, C.J. Fite, Blazen Lono-Wong and Jalen Thompson up front, with Martell Hughes and Owen Long at linebacker, Rodney Bimage Jr. and Ashton Stamps at corner, Montana Warren at nickel, Lyrik Rawls at boundary safety and Boogie Wilson at free safety.
The second defense lined up with Emar'rion Winston, Zac Swanson and Jeffrey Manns, Hyrum Vaeono, Ramar Williams and Julian Hugo, Ramere Davis, Prayer Young-Blackgoat and Tristan Bacon, DaQuwan Dunn, Caleb Chester, Kyan McDonald, Zeth Thues and Jessiah McGrew.
In Other News...
ASU May Finally Have The Omarion Miller Opportunity Fans Wanted
Reed Harris gave Arizona State a lift with his strong showing against Texas A&M, and it has only sharpened the conversation around the receiver room. Receivers coach Hines Ward pointed to the competitive dynamic after the game, where the spots are earned and the production has to match the opportunity, while Omarion Miller remains one of the more intriguing options because the talent has been there even when the results have not always followed.
Kansas now brings a different kind of test, and that is where the next chance for Miller could matter most. Kenny Dillingham and his staff have already shown they are willing to adjust strategically based on what the matchup calls for, so the question is whether ASU leans back into the player who flashed potential earlier or keeps riding the hot hand as the Sun Devils try to sort out their receiver rotation. [Read more 🡒]