Arizona State Defensive Line Group Shining in Spring

There are several players that have answered the call to action in spring thus far - follow those names below with ASU on SI.

Interior Line Headlined by Senior

C.J. Fite spent several weeks weighing whether he should go pro or remain at school for his senior season - eventually opting to come back for one more dance. While the All-Big 12 performer hasn't been extremely active on the field to this point due to injury recovery, his leadership has been indispensable during the offseason.

My'Keil Gardner recently returned from an Achilles tear that occurred in August, while Zac Swanson is waiting in the wings to come back in a full capacity. In the meantime, Blazen Lono-Wong has stepped up on several occasions during practices.

While the interior line is very talented, question marks remain outside of Fite's presence - will they be able to anchor a top run defense in the Big 12 once again?

Edge Rushing Group Injected With New Talent

There have been two definite impact players off the edge during spring - Michigan State transfer Jalen Thompson and freshman Julian Hugo. Thompson has prior familiarity with Reynolds and has integrated well into Brian Ward's defense, typically being the player in the backfield most often. Hugo - much like many others in the 2026 class - has put an output forward that fairly exceeds the average true freshman.

Emar'rion Winston, Roman Pitre, and Kirt Vakalahi have all shown moments of brilliance as well, with Pitre being particularly disruptive on Thursday. The reintegration of Clayton Smith into the defensive line has added a jolt to the unit in what feels like an encapsulation of all the work the staff has done in recent years.

While there remains an emphasis on "team rushes" from Reynolds' perspective, several individual standouts offer hope that this group will be even more dynamic than the 2025 campaign.