It’s going to be a very busy offseason for Arizona State football as many of its most important players are out of eligibility or will head off to the NFL, a far cry from last offseason when it returned 17 of 22 starters.
With the transfer portal officially opening in less than a month — and it being the only window instead of there being an additional one after spring camps — early signing day on Wednesday marked an important step in learning what rosters will look like.
Linebacker Tate Romney and offensive lineman Joey Su’a have already announced their intentions to enter the portal, although they cannot officially do so until it opens on Jan. 2.
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As for the 2026 class of incoming freshmen, ASU lost two commitments in recent days between wide receiver Cooper Reid (TCU) and defensive lineman Ronald Derrick III (Northwestern).
The Sun Devils did, however, add three prospects with higher overall grades than either of Reid or Derrick — offensive tackle Jarmaine Mitchell (No. 1 JUCO prospect), defensive lineman Kirtland Vakalahi (No. 3 JUCO prospect) and safety Davis Kinney (previously committed to Northwestern) — in the same time frame.
All 19 of the 2026 commits put pen to paper on Wednesday as the early signing period first opened.
The Sun Devils also reportedly remain in contention for three-star cornerback Josiah Vilmael, a Houston-area high school teammate of Kinney. Vilmael said he plans to sign on Friday.
With the influx of as many as 20 new players, here’s a look at where they still need the most help — with the caveat that there will likely be more transfer departures than just Romney and Su’a:
Arizona State football transfer portal needs:
Starting with the big one, even if Sam Leavitt doesn’t depart for the NFL or via the transfer portal, it’d be a good idea to bring in a veteran quarterback with college experience as his QB2 instead of relying on would-be redshirt freshman Cam Dyer or true freshman Jake Fette.
If Leavitt does leave, ASU joins the starting quarterback market. But no matter who’s under center, there are areas all around the offense that need to get sorted out.
The top lineman in snaps at each of the five positions will be gone, including at center where Ben Coleman got the majority of snaps before going down for the year in the sixth game at Utah.
From then on, ASU kept its centers paired with quarterbacks for the most part, similar to what you’d see in some pitcher-catcher pairings in baseball. Makua Pule snapped to Leavitt and Wade Helton to Jeff Sims, dating back to the latter’s Utah start.
While he wasn’t in the mix before Coleman’s injury and all the center swapping took place, Pule remained in a guard role over the final few Sims starts.
ASU could bank on Pule and Helton starting at two of the three interior spots if it doesn’t find experience in the portal to be had, but it would be banking on the two taking lengthy strides to be ready for more full-time roles.
Mitchell and potential tackle holdovers Jalen Klemm and Champ Westbrooks could make for a solid four-man rotation at tackle if there’s another player added in there with a proven playing reputation.
The wide receiver room will need more frontline talent with Jordyn Tyson almost assuredly gone, as there wasn’t a ton of separation displayed in the games without him.
There was a lot of confidence from coaches in Jaren Hamilton’s long-term potential, but that only manifested itself in game with six catches on the year and a few pass interference penalties drawn. Relying on him to be the most talented one in the room would be asking a lot.
The Sun Devils will graduate almost their entire defensive front, but there are young players ready in the wings to step up and get more reps. Ramar Williams and Albert Smith III are two examples on the line, and Martell Hughes has certainly had his share of highlight moments at linebacker.
Nevertheless, it’s a group that is on the young side and can use some more depth.
The secondary could lose all of Myles Rowser, Xavion Alford, Keith Abney and Kyndrich Breedlove, so frontline experience would be helpful to get if it can be found.
Perhaps there are no bigger needs — barring a potential Leavitt departure — than the ones in special teams, where ASU will need a new kicker and long snapper, and could use a new punter as well.
Kanyon Floyd’s 40.6 yards per punt ranked 123rd among 148 punters with at least 10 boots on the season, per PFF. His backup, Matt McKenzie, was 148th at 35.2 yards per punt. Both were in the bottom 5 for net yardage, indicating the coverage was among the worst in the nation too.
Kicker Jesus Gomez was largely a revelation and one of eight Power Four kickers to make 21 field goals, but he was always just a one-year addition.
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