Why Arizona State Had a Successful Offseason

Just over three months remain until the Arizona State Sun Devils kick off the highly anticipated 2025 season - one in which the program is looking to replicate the magic that was found in a 2024 season that resulted in a spot in the College Football Playoff.

As the off-season is inching towards ending, ESPN college football analysts Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg ranked every power four program by how successful the period ended up being for each one.

Arizona State came in as having the second best offseason in the entire Big 12 conference.

More below:

What went wrong: "There's not much to nitpick about how the Sun Devils' offseason has played out. The name of the game this offseason was talent retention, and Dillingham succeeded in keeping this crew together. Five players who started 10-plus games in 2024 moved on, and all of them were seniors. In fact, only two of their outgoing transfers (WR Troy Omeire and TE Markeston Douglas) earned starts last season."

While the program will surely face questions as to the viability of the offense minus Cam Skattebo, Dillingham has done a masterful job at both player retention and finding quality fits through the transfer portal. There truly aren't many holes that can be poked into the work done this spring.

What went right: "Dillingham must be thrilled with how everything is setting up for Year 3. Arizona State brings back a ton of experience from its CFP squad, including 25 players with starts last season.

You didn't hear rumors about Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson or other returning starters testing the open market. The Sun Devils brought in Udoh to team with Kyson Brown and landed a trio of talented receivers in Hamilton, Moss and Noble Johnson (Clemson) to replace departing seniors.

They also added help in the secondary, but for the most part, the Sun Devils were looking to boost depth. They've got more than enough to chase another Big 12 title and are eager to run it back."

One of the major quips with last season's squad was the secondary's propensity to allow explosive plays despite creating positive chaos for the team as well. The secondary will look to be more consistent in coverage this season in what could be the best Arizona State defense in years.

Only Texas Tech was ahead of the Sun Devils in terms of who had the most successful run over the last several months - the two teams are set to duel in Tempe on October 18.

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