The gap is real, at least on paper. Arizona State has won 19 games over the last two seasons.
Oklahoma State has won four. That’s the backdrop for the Nov. 21 meeting in Tempe, Ariz., a game that could still matter plenty if both teams are chasing the Big 12 title game, a bowl berth or trying to avoid a losing season.
For Oklahoma State fans trying to get ahead of that matchup, these are the Arizona State names worth learning now.
At quarterback, the Sun Devils turned to the transfer portal after Sam Leavitt bolted for LSU, bringing in Cutter Boley from Kentucky. Boley appeared in 15 games and made 11 starts for the Wildcats, going 4-7 in those games.
Over his Kentucky career, he threw for 2,489 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, and he also ran for two touchdowns. He completed 63.3% of his passes.
Arizona State is banking on a statistical leap in 2026, even if Boley doesn’t seem to bring the same running threat Leavitt did; he had only 76 carries at Kentucky.
The backfield also has a familiar face in Brown, a player who has spent his entire college run waiting for the spotlight. He arrived at Arizona State during one of the program’s roughest stretches, with his freshman season coming in 2023 when the Sun Devils went 3-9.
He was then part of the 2024 Big 12 Championship team, but an injury kept him out for nearly all of last season. The missing piece has been a true feature role.
Brown has 563 career rushing yards for ASU, and the Sun Devils would love to see him double that production this season.
Kenny Dillingham also landed a major target at receiver in Omarion Miller, who was one of the Big 12’s top wideouts last year at Colorado. Miller made the all-Big 12 second team after catching 45 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. Across three seasons with the Buffaloes, he totaled 66 receptions, so last season marked a major jump in output - the kind of boost Arizona State hopes carries over in 2026.
On defense, C.J. Fite stands out as one of the most experienced Sun Devils in the room.
He has played 38 games over three seasons and has recorded 76 tackles, including 40 solo stops. His value goes beyond the box score, though.
Fite has been especially important against the run, and his 16 defensive run stops ranked ninth among Big 12 interior tackles. He has already earned all-Big 12 recognition once, and he has a shot to do it again in 2026.
Then there’s Owen Long, the linebacker Arizona State brought in from Colorado State, who may end up being the Sun Devils’ best defender. Long led FBS last season in tackles per game at 12.6 and total tackles with 151.
In two seasons with the Rams, he also picked up third-team all-America honors last year. Now he’s moving into the power-conference spotlight at Arizona State, where he’ll be tested against a different level of competition.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Is Still Alive For An In-State Recruit Fans Need
Recruiting in-state always matters in Stillwater, and Oklahoma State is still in the mix for one of the biggest names in the next wave. Kamieon Compton-Nero, the top-ranked athlete in the Class of 2028 and a standout from Owasso, is among the programs top 15 targets, a sign the Cowboys remain firmly in the conversation for a player who has already drawn attention on both sides of the ball.
Compton-Nero has put up eye-catching numbers as both a quarterback and a defensive player, which only adds to the intrigue around how he might be used at the next level. For Oklahoma State, the appeal goes beyond talent alone: the staff is tracking a local prospect who could become a major piece in the future, even with a quarterback room that already includes one 2027 commit and two true freshmen on campus. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Twist Could Reopen Several Oklahoma State Careers
A federal judge in Colorado has thrown a fresh wrinkle into the NCAAs eligibility rules, ordering the association to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who used up four seasons of eligibility this spring. The ruling comes amid legal challenges to the NCAAs newer age-based "five-for-five" standard, and it has immediate implications for several student-athletes who suddenly have another path to keep competing.
For Oklahoma State, the decision touches three players and could reopen careers that looked finished at the end of the spring. The bigger picture for the Cowboys is obvious: roster planning, scholarship management and even offseason expectations can all shift when athletes who seemed out of eligibility may be able to return for another college season. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Have Found A Breakout Answer In The Secondary
Eric Morris has spent his first months reshaping Oklahoma State with an avalanche of transfers, nearly 90 in all, as he builds a roster that looks very different from the one he inherited. The group includes quarterback Drew Mestemaker and former UCLA linebacker Isaiah Chisom, but one of the quieter additions could end up mattering just as much on the defensive side: Vincent Holmes, a safety who arrived from Washington looking for a reset.
Holmes was once a four-star recruit, but his time in Seattle never really took off, leaving him with little game action and a lot to prove. In Stillwater, he is trying to turn that pedigree into production in Skyler Cassitys 4-2-5 defense, where the structure gives him a real chance to push for a starting safety role and carve out the kind of breakout opportunity that never came before. [Read more 🡒]