Throughout Sun Bowl preparations, Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham has referred to this window of time as the bridge from 2025 into 2026.
It’s true every year for every program that isn’t in the College Football Playoff, but it’s especially true for ASU, which will be without several key contributors preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Defensive lineman C.J. Fite is ASU’s biggest example of a player spurning NFL draft consideration to not only return, but also to play in the bowl game.
Several others will be unavailable due to the transfer portal, an aspect that every program now has to deal with.
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Sun Bowl opponent and ACC champion Duke, however, appears to be an exception. Quarterback Darian Mensah, who reportedly plans to return to the Blue Devils next season, has been the biggest billboard of that.
Duke coach Manny Diaz said on Dec. 18 that outside of three players declaring for the draft, “everyone … has practiced fully, and our expectation is that everyone who is practicing we expect to play.”
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils are getting closer to an offseason that will be without most of the continuity they benefitted from last offseason, needing young guys to step up and show they can be counted on throughout practices and into the Sun Bowl.
Just about every position has had a freshman flash in practices, whether it be wide receivers Harry Hassmann and Uriah Neloms, cornerback Joseph Smith, tight end A.J. Ia or (redshirt) running back Jason Brown Jr. to name a few.
We’ll take a more thorough look at the Sun Bowl quarterback plan as it gets closer, but this has also provided ample practice opportunities for true freshman Cam Dyer, who was cleared from an ACL tear just ahead of the win over Iowa State.
So with plenty of chances to catch a glimpse of the next generation of Sun Devils when the game kicks off on Dec. 31, who falls into the double-digit list of players we won’t see?
Which ASU Sun Devils are not expected to play in Sun Bowl vs. Duke?
This list won’t include players who have been ruled out for the season due to injuries, such as safety Xavion Alford (undisclosed), offensive lineman Ben Coleman (bicep), running back Kyson Brown (ankle) and linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu (foot).
Due to NFL draft preparations:
— WR Jordyn Tyson, CB Keith Abney II, RB Raleek Brown, TE Chamon Metayer, RT Max Iheanachor, LB Keyshaun Elliott and DE Clayton Smith (also underwent knee surgery to be ready for draft).
Key transfer portal departures:
— QB Sam Leavitt, LT Josh Atkins, CB Javan Robinson, LB Tate Romney and WR/PR Zechariah Sample.
Will play despite NFL draft plans:
— LB Jordan Crook and DL Justin Wodtly; may play but TBD: S Myles “Ghost” Rowser.
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