PHOENIX – A year ago, Arizona State’s football program entered the 2025 season with stability at the quarterback position behind Heisman candidate Sam Leavitt. 

However, after an injury-plagued season and Leavitt transferring to LSU, uncertainty looms over who will be under center Sept. 5 against Morgan State. Still, the quarterback room features four capable names, all of whom head coach Kenny Dillingham said are in the mix to win the starting job in an open competition. 

Dillingham said he plans to name the starter before preparing for Week 1, as a prolonged quarterback competition is a distraction for his players. 

“I don’t believe in a quarterback competition going into Week 1,” Dillingham said. 

Though Dillingham refused to name a public frontrunner for the job, sophomore Cutter Boley brings the most high-level experience. 

The 6-foot-5 transfer from Kentucky threw for 2,160 yards last season with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, showing flashes of excellence but also struggling with decision-making and accuracy. 

Even with the struggles Boley faced in the SEC, Dillingham offers a track record of unlocking quarterbacks’ potential. The Sun Devils’ head coach helped develop Bo Nix at Oregon into an NFL first-round pick and Leavitt into a Big 12 champion quarterback.

While known as a coach who crafts success on the field, Dillingham’s culture is something Boley said he takes to heart, despite competing with his fellow quarterbacks.

“Those are three great dudes,” Boley said. “I couldn’t be more blessed to be in the quarterback room I'm in.”

One of these “dudes” Boley has bonded with is senior Michigan transfer and Arizona native Mikey Keene, who has played at three different schools.

Keene played at UCF from 2021-22 before transferring to Fresno State, where he compiled 8,245 yards passing and 65 touchdowns to 28 interceptions from 2023-24.

In 2025, the quarterback was set to play his true senior year at Michigan but suffered a season-ending injury in the spring. 

Now, Keene returns to his home state after receiving a fifth year of eligibility. 

Since his arrival, Dillingham said he’s had nothing but praise for the veteran.

“Mikey (Keene) was Mr. Consistency throughout camp,” Dillingham said. 

Apart from Boley and Keene, ASU’s last newcomer is  El Paso, Texas, native Jake Fette, who practiced with the Sun Devils at the Sun Bowl last December.

Fette enters college football coming off a stellar senior year at Del Valle High School, where he threw for 2,737 yards with 28 touchdowns to two interceptions. 

The 6-foot-1 dual threat also added 1,105 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground, giving Dillingham another option capable of extending plays with his legs. 

Though three new faces headline the quarterback room, the Sun Devils’ lone returner shouldn’t be ignored. 

Sophomore Cameron Dyer did not play in 2025 due to a knee injury but showed plenty of promise in high school, racking up nearly 7,500 all-purpose yards along with 92 touchdowns at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dyer also fits the Sun Devils’ theme of athleticism from the quarterback position, as his big arm and a 4.59-second 40-yard dash allow him to make plays in multiple ways.

ASU’s second-year QB embraced the competition, knowing that they all have the potential to improve the team in a major way.

“It’s a healthy competition,” Dyer said. “Guys are going out there trying to be the best version of themselves … it’s pushing us to do our best.”

As August practices roll on, how each quarterback builds connections with the offense will be a huge factor in Dillingham’s final decision.

However, Dillingham said he wants the players to make it clear as to who’ll win the job.

“The worst thing as a coach is when you have to make the decision when it’s not clear,” Dillingham said.