Arizona State Making Mark In Texas

Kenny Dillingham's passion, ingenuity, and desire to win are unmatched. The Arizona State head man is entering year three with the program in an expanded capacity, and has overseen a transition from a program stuck in no-mans land to one that could potentially play in the College Football Playoff on a consistent basis.

A significant piece of the equation has been the success that Dillingham and the coaching staff has had in the state of Texas as a whole - from transfers to high school recruits.

The focus today is on players on the roster that hail from East Texas - more from the Marshall News Messenger below:

"Clayton Smith was one of the most touted football recruits in the country in the Class of 2021 coming out of Texas High School in Texarkana. The No. 38-ranked recruit nationally and No. 2 edge rusher by 247Sports Composite, the four-star prospect landed at the University of Oklahoma. After playing in eight games and making eight tackles with two tackles for loss in two seasons with the Sooners, Smith entered the transfer portal and ended up at Arizona State."

"Now, in two seasons with the Sun Devils, Smith has played in 25 games, made 54 tackles, nine sacks, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five pass deflections."

"Smith is one of two East Texans on the defensive line for the Sun Devils as he’s joined by Tatum’s C.J. Fite."

"Another East Texan that plays on the Arizona State defense is defensive back Montana Warren, who played at Elysian Fields, Marshall and Henderson in high school. Smith said he played against Warren in high school and Fite in middle school. “Those guys are like family,” Smith said."

The success in the state of Texas has extended to the 2026 recruiting class - where four star phenom QB Jake Fette headlines a class of seven players from the state that are currently committed to play in Tempe.

As for the season that is currently at hand - Smith and Fite will both play integral roles on the defensive line. There are very few players on the Arizona State roster that have higher ceilings than that pair does.

Read more on projecting the 10 best players on Arizona State's roster going into the new season here, and on Sam Leavitt being selected as the Big-12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year here.

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