ASU heads into 2026 with a very familiar edge: no apologies, no panic button, and no interest in building an “oh crap” plan.
That’s been Kenny Dillingham’s style from the start, and as he begins his fourth season in charge of the Sun Devils, it fits the moment. He has already guided a program out of turmoil and NCAA sanctions, watched ASU get pegged for last place in the Big 12 preseason media poll in 2024, then steered the team all the way to a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff appearance.
Last year brought a different kind of test - injuries and uneven play - and ASU finished 8-5. Now the Sun Devils are back at square one in the rankings, unranked again, and maybe that suits them just fine.
“I've never been a guy to create an ‘oh crap’ plan,” Dillingham said. “Why would you create a plan for ‘oh crap?' That probably means you're not gonna win a ton anyway.”
The offense will look almost completely new after graduations, transfers and injuries wiped out much of last season’s starting group. At quarterback, Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley takes over as a junior, bringing a frame that jumps off the page at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. The numbers came with some volatility at Kentucky: 2,160 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
“A shot called is not a shot taken,” Boley said. "You want to force it down the field, you want to make that big play, but you learn to play within the offense and take what the defense gives you.”
ASU should have options around him in the backfield. Senior Kyson Brown is back after an early-season injury cut short what was expected to be a bigger role in 2025, and fifth-year Delaware State transfer Marquis Gillis is also listed as a starter after piling up more than 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Hornets. Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said the Sun Devils will sort out how the carries shake out as the season develops.
“You hope it presents itself where a guy goes out and does some really good things and gets a hot hand,” Arroyo said. “If you have an opportunity to play guys, and get an idea to see where certain guys are at, there's some good in that too.”
The passing game has been rebuilt through the transfer portal as well. Senior wideouts Omarion Miller and Reed Harris are the headliners there. Miller posted 45 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns last season at Colorado, while Harris added 39 receptions for 673 yards and five scores.
Up front, ASU is starting over in a major way. The Sun Devils do not return a single offensive line starter from the beginning of the 2025 season, with senior Luke Baklenko and fifth-year Jalen Klemm set at tackle.
Defensively, C.J. Fite remains one of the constants.
The senior lineman is back after weighing an NFL Draft decision and choosing Tempe for one more year. He finished 2025 with 29 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, and Dillingham made it clear how much he values what Fite brings beyond the stat sheet.
“He does everything right,” Dillingham said. “You don't tell him to run the ball; he just runs to it.
You don't tell him to show up in team-issued gear of the day or to be five minutes earlier to weigh in or to do all the minimum expectations. He just does it.”
Fite anchors a defensive front that now gets help from Colorado State transfer Owen Long, the junior who led the FBS in tackles in 2025. He joins junior Martell Hughes at linebacker, giving ASU a boost in the middle of a defense that ranked 31st among 134 FBS teams against the run last season, giving up 124 rushing yards per game.
The pass rush is another area Ward believes can be dangerous when it clicks.
“On good days, they're working as well as any group we've been around,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “In terms of complementing each other, understanding the pass rush lanes and guys taking advantage of one-on-ones where we feel like we have the advantage.”
Ward also restocked the secondary through the portal. Senior Ashton Stamps arrives from LSU, sixth-year Lyrik Rawls comes in from Kansas, and they join seniors Montana Warren and Adrian “Boogie” Wilson.
The schedule does ASU no favors early. Week two brings a road game at preseason No.
8 Texas A&M. Week three sends the Sun Devils to London for a conference matchup with Kansas, the first FBS game ever played in the city.
Week six brings another major test in Lubbock against No. 12 Texas Tech, the same program ASU beat last year in Tempe and one that shared the past two Big 12 championships with the Sun Devils.
On Halloween night, ASU goes to Provo to face No. 14 BYU, last season’s Big 12 runner-up.
Then comes the finale, and the one that always carries extra weight in Tucson. ASU closes the regular season with the 100th Territorial Cup and will try to take the trophy back from Arizona.
The Sun Devils open 2026 against Morgan State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mountain America Stadium.
In Other News...
Arizona State's Opener Suddenly Looks Less Comfortable Than Fans Expected
Arizona States 2026 season opener at Mountain America Stadium was supposed to be a straightforward tune-up, but Morgan State has already shown it plans to arrive with something more than a ceremonial checkbook trip. The Bears, an FCS program with a history of conference championships and notable alumni, have traveled a long way for the chance at exposure and a measuring-stick game against a Power Four opponent, and they are carrying both new faces and returning players who want their opportunity to matter.
For the Sun Devils, that changes the feel of the matchup before it even gets here. Morgan State has a game under its belt and some early momentum, which makes this less of a sleepy September opening than fans might have expected. Arizona State will still be favored, but the setup now asks for a sharper start and a more serious edge from a team that does not want to give a visitor from the FCS any reason to think it can hang around. [Read more 🡒]