PHOENIX — There’s been plenty of buzz around the country about the recent monsoon in the Valley, though it has nothing to do with the weather that hit the area Monday.
The storm, which had remained off most folks' radars until its impact last year, refers to the rise of Arizona State as a football contender in the Big 12.
The Sun Devils kick off the season on Saturday night against their in-state rivals from Flagstaff, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, marking the beginning of their long journey to return to the College Football Playoff.
Thousands of fans await to pack the stands of Mountain American Stadium, still recalling the sour taste left after last year’s defeat to Texas in the CFP Quarterfinals. However, with 79% of the ASU roster returning, along with several key acquisitions from the transfer portal, expectations are at an all-time high.
Sharing in the sentiment is ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham, now in his third year at the helm.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s about us,” Dillingham said. “How hard do we play? How physical do we play? That’s the challenge. It’s not the opponent, it’s us.”
Labeled as a potential trap game, players and coaches have avoided taking any game for granted by applying pressure in practice and holding each other accountable.
For Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, this label doesn’t even register.
“The trap game thing, that’s for everybody else,” Arroyo said. “You’ve got to go into every game with a certain mindset. Our team doesn’t take anybody lightly.”
Ranked No. 19 in the Stats Perform Preseason Top 25 FCS, NAU poses a unique challenge to ASU, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Last season, the Lumberjacks ranked second in the Big Sky Conference in points allowed (18.8) and interceptions (15), key indicators of a strong defense. NAU also loaded up on offense through reinforcements from the transfer portal, hand-picked by head coach Brian Wright.
“Through recruiting, through development and through our strength program, we’re a little bit bigger, a little bit faster and a little bit stronger this year,” Wright said.
The Sun Devils face more formidable defenses down the road, but reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sam Leavitt said preparation is all that matters.
“I’m not going to go into our game plan and stuff like that, but they do a lot with the front, so we’ve got a good game plan,” Leavitt said. “I’m excited to see us execute.”
Leavitt broke out in 2024 after transferring from Michigan State, posting the ninth-best QBR (80.0) and totaling 3,328 all-purpose yards. Now at the center of Heisman conversations, the atmosphere around him has shifted.
“I’m not gonna lie, at first it was tough,” Leavitt said. “Media coverage, rankings, this, that and the third, ‘you’re supposed to be this’. You’ve gotta figure out who you are as an individual and what you do it for, because you can get lost in that. Now, throughout the last month, it’s completely changed. Fall camp was a really good reset for me.”
Wednesday featured the release of ASU’s official depth chart for Week 1, naming Kyson Brown and Raleek Brown as the team’s primary running backs.
Much discussion centered around the replacement of former Sun Devil running back Cam Skattebo, who the New York Giants drafted 105th overall.
One of the Sun Devils’ biggest transfer portal splashes was former Army junior running back Kanye Udoh, who averaged 6.2 yards per carry and rushed for over 1,100 yards last season.
Before making his ASU debut, Udoh must fully grasp the playbook, a process Arroyo compared to “ordering food in some other country in another language.”
Ultimately, Udoh slots in as the No. 3 option in the Sun Devils’ running back room behind the Brown duo, who secured the majority of playing time in fall camp.
“Both of those guys have the tools that work in our offense,” Arroyo said. “You’ve gotta be a switchblade in that backfield.”