Arizona State Reloads Through the Portal as Cutter Boley Inherits a Big 12 Contender
Arizona State turned an unassuming 2025 into an 8-5 finish and a 6-3 mark in the Big 12, riding that momentum all the way to the Sun Bowl before a 39-42 loss to Duke closed the book. The Sun Devils won a league title the year before, and Kenny Dillingham rewarded a program on the rise by signing a contract extension this offseason. The bill for that success has come due through the transfer market. Quarterback Sam Leavitt left for LSU, star wideout Jordyn Tyson is off to the NFL, and most of the two-deep from a year ago is gone. To reload, Dillingham leaned on one of the nation's most aggressive portal hauls, ranked No. 15 nationally and headlined by the top-rated group of transfer receivers in the country.
Offense
Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley steps into the huddle after starting as a redshirt freshman for the Wildcats, where he threw for 2,160 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing nearly 66 percent of his passes. The obvious caveat is ball security: Boley was intercepted 12 times and needs to shed a turnover-prone label to justify the faith placed in him. He has a bigger, more experienced arsenal around him than he ever enjoyed at Kentucky, and the coaching staff has talked about a controlled, quick-passing approach that should protect a young triggerman. True freshman Jake Fette, the crown jewel of the incoming recruiting class, is the name to watch behind him.
This is the strength of the team, and it is no mirage. Omarion Miller arrives from Colorado as the marquee addition, a 6-2 target who caught 43 balls for 808 yards at an 18.0 clip and earned second-team all-conference honors. The comparisons to Tyson started the moment he committed, and Miller has the tools to be a genuine early-round draft prospect who feasts on one-on-one coverage. Boston College transfer Reed Harris is a comparable weapon, a 6-5 mismatch who went for 673 yards and a 17.3 average, while Washington transfer Raiden Vines-Bright adds proven depth after posting 238 yards a year ago. Jalen Moss and Jaren Hamilton round out a room with more firepower than Boley has ever commanded. At tight end, returnee Khamari Anderson and rangy sophomore AJ Ia are important holdovers in an offense that otherwise looks brand new.
The backfield is deep if unproven. Kyson Brown, the opening-game starter in 2025 before a season-ending injury, is back at full strength and should lead the committee. Delaware State transfer Marquis Gillis is a potent addition after rushing for more than 1,100 yards at the FCS level, and the group flashed real depth and burst throughout spring. True freshman Cardae Mack adds to the pipeline. The staff believes the run game can complement the passing attack; it simply has to prove it against Big 12 fronts.
The line was rebuilt almost entirely through the portal. Georgia Tech center Tana Alo-Tupuola is the stabilizer, arriving from one of the FBS's best rushing attacks and bringing much-needed cohesion to the front five. Right tackle Luke Baklenko, a former starter at Stanford who spent last season at Oklahoma, shores up the edge, while Wade Helton is the lone returning starter at guard. Champ Westbrooks and Maki Stewart fill out a group that showed run-blocking prowess in the spring but must sharpen its pass protection to keep Boley upright.
Defense
The defense underwent an overhaul of its own, but the interior is anchored by one of the best returning players in the league. C.J. Fite is an all-conference candidate at nose tackle who logged 29 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, and he is widely regarded as one of the Big 12's premier interior defenders. The edges were upgraded through transfers Jalen Thompson from Michigan State and Emar'rion Winston from Baylor, who combined for more than a dozen tackles for loss at their previous stops and should provide a real jolt to the pass rush. MyKeil Gardner adds size next to Fite on a front the staff considers deep and versatile.
The headliner is Colorado State transfer Owen Long, who led the entire FBS in tackles with 151 and earned first-team all-conference honors. His arrival helps offset the loss of two second-team all-league linebackers. Junior Martell Hughes finally gets a chance to build on his flashes as a reserve alongside Long, and sixth-year veteran Zyrus Fiaseu gives the group a steady, starter-level body. It is a fast, rangy unit the staff believes can rank among the best in the conference.
The secondary is the biggest question, particularly at the all-important nickel spot. Adrian "Boogie" Wilson, coming off shoulder surgery, projects to slide down from free safety into that role after a 57-tackle season, and a clean bill of health would be a major boost. LSU transfer Ashton Stamps, a two-year starter with 16 career pass breakups, helps replace departed corners, while sophomore Rodney Bimage Jr. is a young riser who flashed as a reserve and is ready to start. Kansas transfer Lyrik Rawls was a key pickup at free safety after pacing the Jayhawks with 57 solo tackles, and he pairs with junior Montana Warren to form a duo that should steady the back end. FIU transfer Jessiah McGrew adds ballhawking depth. If injuries hit, though, the depth here could be exposed.
Both specialist jobs went to newcomers, and both are upgrades. Punter Nick McLarty, a big-legged Ohio State transfer, should lift a unit that ranked second-worst in the FBS in net punting a year ago. Placekicker Carson Smith arrives from Austin Peay as an FCS All-American and league specialist of the year who connected on 14 of 17 field goal attempts, giving Dillingham a reliable leg he lacked in 2025.
Overview and Prediction
The talent evaluation looks sharp, and on paper this roster is deeper and more gifted than any Dillingham has fielded in Tempe. The obstacle is twofold. First, the sheer number of new faces on both sides of the ball means chemistry and continuity are unknowns until the games count. Second, the schedule is brutal. The Sun Devils open Big 12 play against Kansas in London at Wembley Stadium, travel to Texas A&M in non-conference, and face a string of tough league road trips. The preseason consensus pegs Arizona State around seventh in the Big 12, but this team looks better than that projection, and the ceiling is a run at the conference race if Boley protects the ball and the secondary holds up. The make-or-break is simple: prove the drop from Leavitt to Boley was not a step back, and a punishing slate may still keep that from showing in the win column.