Arizona State football unexpectedly loses starter to portal

Ed Woods has started 13 games for Arizona State football in the last two seasons. In 2022 for the Sun Devils, Woods tallied 28 total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and six pass deflections. In 2023 he had 33 total tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception, and four pass deflections.

Ed Woods is transferring from Arizona State football

Wood was lined up to be one of ASU’s most experienced and best defensive players, until this morning… 247 Sports reported that Woods was planning to enter the transfer portal, and this report broke while the team was at practice. Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham called it a curve ball.

“Ed’s a good player,” Dillingham said following practice this morning. “If he does enter the portal, I have a lot of respect for Ed. I really want Ed to succeed in life. Hopefully, that’s here and hopefully, I think I can help him get to where he wants to go. If he’s not here, that is a loss for us. That is a position that we’ve got to go get a guy. That wasn’t one that I expected, to be honest. Up to this point, it’s kind of been what I expected. That was one that would be a curve ball and we’ve got to alter our plan, by one, to replace.”

Teammates speak about Woods’s departure

Not only was this considered unexpected to Dillingham, but several teammates of Woods’ as well.

“Seeing him enter the portal, that kind of hurt us as a group because I felt like we was whole as a group and I felt like everything was coming together as a group,” incoming defensive back transfer Laterrence Welch said following practice. Welch joined the Sun Devils in the winter portal window, coming from LSU.

“It’s crazy, like I figured this morning when I didn’t see him in the locker room, when I didn’t see him in meetings,” Welch continued. “It kind of hurts because he didn’t let us know as a family that he was leaving, but every person got to do what is best for them.”