TEMPE, Ariz. – A competition is a contest between rivals.

However, Arizona State junior center Tana Alo-Tupuola said he doesn’t see the team’s open contest at quarterback or on the offensive line as a rivalry. 

Instead, he sees them bringing the team together. 

“In order to be your best version, when you get the pressure put on you, you have to get closer to your teammates,” Alo-Tupuola said after practice on Saturday, Aug. 22. “You have to get closer to the five that's out there, and you have to get closer to the whole room."

With ASU’s season opener less than two weeks away, many questions remain surrounding the quarterback and his protection. Yet throughout fall camp, head coach Kenny Dillingham and offensive line coach Saga Tuitele have experimented with combinations of new faces and returners hoping to make an impact in 2026. 

Alo-Tupuola is one of those new faces. 

After starting four games for Georgia Tech in 2025, Alo-Tupuola transferred to the Sun Devils, where he’s already built a strong relationship with the quarterback room.

“Our relationship off the field is much more than what you see out here,” Alo-Tupuola said. “We're hanging out with each other.”

Alo-Tupuola said he’s formed a close bond with graduate quarterback Mikey Keene, as the two played on the same competition team in practice. 

However, junior quarterback Cutter Boley was among the first players Alo-Tupuola met upon his arrival to Tempe. 

Despite multiple quarterbacks competing for the starting role, Alo-Tupuola said he’s faced no challenge developing an on-field chemistry pivotal for offensive success.  

“It's been good to hear from both sides and just work on the same page,” Alo-Tupuola said. “There's no drop off when one leaves, and there's no rise, or there's no this or that. It's just good work, and our communication is really high right now.” 

While Alo-Tupuola aims to cement his position and relationship with the quarterbacks, a majority of the offensive line remains in competition. 

Though the unit understands tough decisions will have to be made to determine the starters, Alo-Tupuola emphasized the importance of off-the-field bonding and camaraderie over rivalry. 

“You go out there, you go eat together, you just go spend time together and you just bond,” Alo-Tupuola said. “And there's no bad blood between anybody. It's a really mature group. You have to have a really mature group to know that there can only be five players, and everybody wants to be out there.” 

Of the returners on the interior offensive line, sophomore guard Maki Stewart headlines after a standout freshman campaign. 

Despite playing seven games and starting only four, the then-freshman made an immediate impact.

Stewart posted the second-best running blocking grade among Division I true freshmen interior offensive linemen and the 23rd-best overall. 

Tuitele said Stewart has football strength and the skillset to play at the next level. 

"He's got all the potential in the world to go as far as he wants and be as successful as he wants," Tuitele said. "So he's got a ton of potential to play on Sundays, and at what level and where, you just got to see his development. But it's definitely there.” 

With an interior line centered around Alo-Tupuola and Stewart, Tuitele said he expects the duo to make a significant impact and draw attention elsewhere. 

Junior Champ Westbrooks and sophomore Rop Lapuaho are names in the mix to start. 

Despite Lapuaho’s lack of experience, only having played on the scout team, Alo-Tupuola believes he’s stepped up in fall camp. 

“There's been no jump off there,” Alo-Tupuola said. “ He's young. He's ready. He's aggressive. It's just everything you need as an offensive lineman.” 

Alo-Tupuola’s praise is mutual, as Lapuaho has taken first-team reps at left guard in practice. 

While the interior offensive line has progressively come together, the tackle position features two big bodies who have taken the first-team reps in practice. 

Senior Luke Baklenko, left tackle, and fifth-year Jalen Klemm, right tackle, appear to lead each position's respective battle with under 14 days until the opener. 

Baklenko enters his first season as a Sun Devil after transferring from Oklahoma, where he played 12 games and posted a 71.1 pass block grade – 10th best among SEC tackles with at least 75 pass block snaps – on the Sooners’ march toward an NCAA College Football Playoff berth.

Across the line, Klemm brings experience within Dillingham’s system and sits on the team’s Pat Tillman Leadership Council. After suffering a stroke before ASU’s fall camp in 2024, the offensive lineman worked his way back, playing special teams in 2025 and now aiming for a starting role. 

Still, with more players competing than available starting spots, Alo-Tupuola said it’s crucial each player comes prepared to practice and wants it more than the others. 

“Competition's great everywhere, even in life. If you want something, you got to go get it,” Alo-Tupuola said. “Somebody else gonna want it. Somebody else is going to want your money. Somebody else is going to want your spot. So you got to come in here every day with a great attitude. Like you're blessed to come in here, and you get to do this instead. You have to.”