TEMPE, Ariz. - On any given day in the offseason, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham spends countless hours working with players and staff, recruiting possible players for future seasons and taking time to talk about his team with the media.

So, when the Sun Devils hosted their first open practice of 2026 on Saturday, March 28, a large crowd of ASU fans made their way to the Kajikawa Practice Fields in Tempe to watch Dillingham and the Sun Devils for the first time this year.

“In March, people are still excited about ASU football,” Dillingham said. “That’s pretty cool.”

While familiar faces from last year’s 8-5 Sun Devils squad continued to make their mark, ASU’s new additions were on display for the first time on Saturday.

That group, complete with incoming transfers and newly signed freshmen, makes up about half of the Sun Devils who took the field on Saturday.

Challenges are bound to come with roster turnover, but Dillingham is starting to see the new arrivals find their footing alongside the returners, just five practices in.

“I think our guys are very serious about football,” Dillingham said. “I think it’s very competitive.”

The ASU position room that received the largest facelift from last season is the quarterbacks, with redshirt freshman Cam Dyer being the only Sun Devil signal caller who spent the 2025 campaign in Tempe.

Alongside Dyer, ASU features three new faces under center: sophomore Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley, senior Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and true freshman Jake Fette.

The fight for who will take the snaps in the season opener on Sept. 5 is one of many position battles currently taking place at the Sun Devils’ spring practices.

Dillingham is embracing the added competitiveness of various position battles across the depth chart. 

“We’ve got a ton of position battles,” Dillingham said. “Almost every position has a position battle.”

ASU’s new-look wide receiver core under associate head coach Hines Ward contains the most highly-touted newcomer on the squad, senior Omarion Miller.

However, the depth chart for the Sun Devils’ pass-catchers isn’t as clear-cut, as the departures of Jordyn Tyson and Malik McClain, ASU’s top two leaders in receiving yards in 2025, leave room to wonder who might get the targets for the Sun Devils.

ASU’s tight end group finds itself in a similar situation. Without Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole, who both used their last year of eligibility in 2025, the Sun Devils’ current tight ends only accounted for six catches and 34 yards last season.

Despite the major uncertainty at the position, Dillingham enjoyed the energy the tight ends showed on Saturday.

“I thought they had a good day,” Dillingham said. “I challenged them on day three or four, and they responded really well.”

On the defensive side of the ball, ASU’s toughest task will be filling in the gaps left by departing defensive backs Keith Abney II, Javan Robinson and Myles “Ghost” Rowser, three of the Sun Devils’ seven leading tacklers in 2025.

This year’s secondary room is youthful, with 10 of the 15 defensive backs at camp being underclassmen.

Sophomore defensive back and Florida International transfer Jessiah McGrew made one of the highlight plays of practice, turning a Boley overthrow into the lone interception of the live scrimmage at the end of practice.

Along with McGrew, freshman defensive back Zeth Thues continues to impress Dillingham and his staff at practices.

“Zeth (Thues) is a guy who’s been really, really consistently showing up on tape,” Dillingham said.

While Tempe will become home for everyone on the ASU roster, Phoenix native Thues held a home-field advantage as opposed to his teammates on Saturday.

The Thues family, donning custom T-shirts complete with name and number on the back, showed up in full force for Saturday’s practice, something Dillingham stated as a huge benefit for players staying in Arizona.

“If you’re from in-state and you decide to come here, it’s obviously easy for family to come out here, watch you and be a part of your journey,” Dillingham said.

Freshman defensive lineman Julian Hugo also continues to be a standout performer for Dillingham and his staff.

“Julian Hugo’s showing up,” Dillingham said. “He’s showing up over and over again.”

However, amid countless position battles and a fight for playing time, Dillingham continues to ensure that the Sun Devils are able to enjoy their time during spring camp.

“It’s football in the spring,” Dillingham said. “It’s fun to be out here.”