Head coach Kenny Dillingham has a better idea of the team’s potential as ASU football’s 2025 spring camp comes to a close, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The Sun Devils retained the majority of their offensive starters, but the few pieces they did lose made a gaping hole in the roster. The obvious one is running back Cam Skattebo, the heart of last season's squad, who led his team to a Big 12 title.
Last season, Skattebo racked up over 1,700 rushing yards, over 600 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns. He became the first FBS player since Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey in 2015 to tally over 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a season.
Running backs coach Shaun Aguano has been working to fill the void. Aguano does not believe he'll find Skattebo’s replacement immediately, but he’s ready to see who takes the initiative.
"I wondered how I was going to replace Eno Benjamin, and then I was wondering how I was going to replace Rachaad White, and then X (Xazavian) Valladay and now it’s Cam," Aguano said. "We’re gonna have to find a replacement for a lot of yards and a lot of production, but I think within that group, I’m excited to see what they have, but there is going to be somebody that steps up, because I think they’re that talented."
READ MORE: Life after Skattebo: ASU football backfield prepares for new era
In his seven years with ASU, Aguano has focused on traits he looks for during the recruiting process.
“I’m excited about (it), and it’s just like Cam, the underdog mentality, the toughness that they bring, the mental maturity, all of those things that I look for, if you look at that whole room, it’s like that,” Aguano said.
The Sun Devils recruited Demarious Robinson as well as multi-sport athlete Grayson Rigdon to that room this offseason. They also managed to add standout Army junior transfer Kanye Udoh, who is expected to have a prominent role in Aguano’s backfield. Udoh only spent one week in the transfer portal before deciding on ASU, and Aguano believes he’ll bring a lot to the table.
"I saw the efficiency with him (Udoh) within that scheme," Aguano said. "Is it different from the scheme we run? A little bit, but the efficiency of how he ran the football, his body lean, his explosiveness, those are the things that jumped out for me on tape that I think will transition to our offense pretty well."
ASU also received commitments from four-star quarterback Cameron Dyer, a dynamic athlete who will not join the team until after the spring, and three-star quarterback Michael “Butter” Tollefson. They’ll sit behind redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo has a high opinion of Tollefson, who’s been committed to Arizona State for nearly two years.
Another big recruit for the Sun Devils was four-star tight end AJ Ia. Ia is ranked No. 15 nationally, according to 247Sports. Tight end coach Jason Mohns likes what he sees from Ia.
"I can’t say enough good things about him," Mohns said. "When you see him out there, he doesn’t look like he should still be a senior in high school."
ASU added several receivers to replace Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall, who each made a significant impact last season alongside redshirt junior receiver Jordyn Tyson.
READ MORE: Receiver revamp: ASU's new WR core turns heads in spring camp
ASU added transfers redshirt sophomore Noble Johnson from Clemson, redshirt sophomore Jaren Hamilton from Alabama and redshirt junior Jalen Moss from Fresno State. The other four additions at wideout are all three-star recruits: Cory Butler Jr., Chance Ables, Harry Hassman and Uriah Neloms.
On the offensive line, the Sun Devils brought in nine fresh bodies to keep Leavitt on his feet and support a stable ground game. Offensive line coach Saga Tuitele wants to make the transition as smooth as possible.
"First, it’s about getting them integrated with the boys, with other guys, making sure that everybody is bonding as best they can, and then just bringing them along slowly," Tuitele said. "Have them drink through the firehose absolutely, but also understanding the patience part of it."
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
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Ethan is a sophomore studying sports journalism. This is his first semester at The State Press. He has also worked at Blaze Radio.
