5 takeaways after one week of ASU football's fall camp
The defending Big 12 champion Arizona State football team wrapped up the first week of fall camp with a night workout on Aug. 2 at Mountain America Stadium. It was a break from the norm as the first three days were morning practices at the Kajikawa fields just across Rural Road.
The Sun Devils travel to Camp Tontozona after practice on Aug. 5 and will hold their workouts there Aug. 6-9, with the scrimmage open to the public wrapping up the trip.
"That was our best day. That was awesome," head coach Kenny Dillingham said after drills wrapped up on Aug. 2 at the stadium. "That was a go right there. That was competitive all frickin day. That was a football team. We competed. We had fun. Sports are fun."
Here are some takeaways after the first four practices.
Offense could be something special
The Sun Devils came out on the first day and looked like a polished unit on offense. It looked more like the seventh game of the season than the first day of fall camp. That is evidence that the players were putting in the work during the offseason and also reflects a team with a majority of its starters returning. Quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson were the stars, as expected. Alabama transfer Jaren Hamilton has also had some star moments.
Cam Skattebo may be out of the mix after being drafted by the New York Giants, but offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo has a variety of weapons both in the running and passing games.
Special teams will be much improved
This is an area that can make or break a team's quest for a conference championship, so it's surprising the Sun Devils accomplished what they did in 2024 without being strong in this facet.
The struggles of the kicking game were well documented, and the addition of Eastern Michigan transfer Jesus Gomez addresses that need. He has been consistently hitting attempts from 50 yards or more in practice.
Punter Kanyon Floyd has progressed. Special teams coach Charlie Ragle concedes there is a learning curve for any true freshman, even a punter. He expects Floyd to take a significant step forward in 2025.
Ragle is still experimenting with personnel on the return and coverage teams, but says the personnel he can put there are better than last year.
"The special teams periods today were probably our best special teams periods we've had since I've been here, from a competitive standpoint," Dillingham said. "It's the deepest roster we've had, and you can really see that on special teams. When we tried to go good on good, there was a lot of good. Our special teams should be drastically improved."
Kyson Brown is emerging
The biggest question outsiders wanted to ask was, "Who will replace Cam Skattebo?" People in and close to the program know the Sun Devils have options. While it looks like it will be a running back-by-committee, junior Kyson Brown looks like he is ready to step into that lead role after serving as the understudy a year ago.
Brown had a good spring in 2024, but didn't get to fully showcase his ability simply because Skattebo was such a dominant figure in the offense. Now appears to be his time.
"From where he was when he first got here, he is a different back," Dillingham. "His vision, his patience. We had a run the other day, an inside run, where it was a muddy run. He got behind and patient, patient, squirted out late. So I am excited to see Kyson pull off some runs this year."
Tight ends will have a big role
There is no doubt that this is the most improved position group in the program. The credit goes to position coach Jason Mohns, who has a good mix of players from an experience standpoint. Don't be surprised when there are multiple tight end sets because ASU has the personnel to do so.
"The tight end group is the best since I have been here," Dillingham said. "Love it, the versatility of that group. We're going to be in some 12 (two tight ends), some 13 (three tight ends). We're going to be in the middle, with 13 personnel sometimes, and see what teams do. See how they match us."
Chamon Metayer is the returning starter, but two newcomers have been impressive — true freshman A.J. Ia and Kentucky transfer Khamari Anderson.
Defense has depth
The defense has 10 returning starters, but most of the backups are returning too. That means there is depth at every position. After the most recent practice, Dillingham singled out his young safeties for their improvement. One of those, redshirt freshman Rodney Bimage, blocked a field goal and could be a contributor on special teams as well.
The defensive line has a solid rotation of players, so all are optimistic that the pass rush will be better than it was last season. Defensive end Clayton Smith and tackle Justin Wodtly starred in the most recent practice.