Arizona State football finished the 2022 season with a disappointing 3-9 record. The team missed a bowl and earned wins against Northern Arizona, Washington and UCLA and fired its head coach midseason. The final straw came after a 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan during non-conference play. With changes everywhere, Arizona State will hope to show improvement in Year 2.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Sun Devil’s win total at 5.0 with the under juiced to -160. Arizona State also is +12000 to win the Pac-12, which ranks only ahead of Colorado and Stanford. With that said, let’s dive into Arizona State’s season preview.
2023 Arizona State Football Predictions & Season Preview
2023 Arizona State Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Arizona State finally fired Herm Edwards last year after accepting below-average play for an extended period of time. To replace him, it brought in former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who has already made strides on the recruiting trail.
Dillingham hired Beau Baldwin as his offensive coordinator. Baldwin previously coached Cal Poly from 2020 to 2022. Dillingham also hired Brian Ward as defensive coordinator, who occupied the same role with Washington State last year. Even with new faces, this coaching staff should be lightyears ahead of whatever Edwards was trying to do.
2023 Arizona State Football Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
The Sun Devils have a few options at quarterback this year after letting Emory Jones walk. They return three-year player Trenton Bourguet, who completed 145 of his 203 pass attempts last year (71.4% completion percentage) for 1,490 yards (7.3 yards per attempt), 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Bourguet does not appear to have great mobility. He only rushed for 10 yards on 24 carries.
However, he played injured for part of last year and took seven sacks. Despite Bourguet returning, Arizona State went out and added competition.
Drew Pyne comes over from Notre Dame after a mediocre 2022 season. Pyne completed 164 of his 254 passes (64.6%) for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Pyne also is not the best mobility with 108 rushing yards on 47 attempts last year. Pyne did take 15 sacks and at least appears a little more mobile than Bourguet.
Finally, Arizona State added 4-star recruit and top-100 player Jaden Rashada. While he may not be ready to start immediately in 2023, there is a decent chance Rashada sees the field sometime this season. Arizona State dealt with average quarterback play, so there is a chance for it to be better. However, this looks like one of the more volatile positions on the roster.
Running Back
The Sun Devils lost their leading rusher Xazavian Valladay this off season. They also lost change-of-pace back Daniyel Ngata. With so much production gone, Arizona State turned to the transfer portal, bringing in DeCarlos Brooks (Cal) and Cameron Skattebo (Sacramento State).
Skattebo might not be a household name, but he is 5-foot-10, 222 pounds, and won Big Sky offensive player of the year after rushing for 1,382 yards and catching 31 passes last year. He was also third team all-Big Sky in 2021. Brooks is 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, and rushed 59 times for 250 yards and one touchdown last year. He also caught eight passes for 18 yards without a drop. Both backs have been hyper efficient throughout their careers, averaging over 4.0 yards after contact per attempt.
From there, Arizona State returns third leading rusher Tevin White, but he accounted for just 14 carries and 67 yards. White is 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, and came to Arizona State as a 4-star recruit in the 2022 cycle. Valladay accounted for over 1,000 yards last year, but his efficiency metrics were middling. It is possible there is not much of a drop off here.
Wide Receiver
The Sun Devils return their top 2 receiving options in Elijhah Badger and Giovanni Sanders ahead of 2023. Badger is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and caught 70 passes for 863 yards and seven touchdowns last year. He played out wide 75.7% of the time and his 2.27 yards per route ranked 12th in the Pac-12.
Sanders is 6-foot-0, 185 pounds, and caught 40 passes for 500 yards and one touchdown last year. He played in the slot 93.7% of the time and his 1.68 yards per route ranked 32nd in the conference. The third receiver position should be up for grabs with Bryan Thompson gone.
The main in-house candidate should be Andre Johnson. Johnson is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and caught 15 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown last year. He will now enter his fourth year in the program.
With that said, Arizona State added five transfer wide receivers in Xavier Guillory (Idaho State), Troy Omeire (Texas), Melquan Stovall (Colorado State), Jake Smith (USC) and Jordyn Tyson (Colorado) this offseason. Guillory is 6-foot-2, 197 pounds, and comes over from Idaho State, where he caught 52 passes for 783 yards and four touchdowns last year.
Omeire is 6-foot-3, 221 pounds, and caught just one pass last year. He originally came to Texas as a 4-star recruit in 2020 before battling injury. Stovall is 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, and will now be at his third school after starting with Nevada and transferring briefly to Colorado State last year. His best season became in 2021, where he caught 55 passes for 641 yards and one touchdown.
Arizona State also took a gamble on Smith, who previously played at Texas and USC. Smith is 6-foot-0, 200 pounds, and last played in 2020. He did not see the field for USC, but he caught 23 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in his most recent season with Texas before injuries took a toll. Finally, Tyson caught 23 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns last year. Tyson played out wide 80.2% of the time and his 2.79 yards per route paced the Pac-12. 2020 4-star recruit Chad Johnson Jr. also remains with the program for depth. Overall, this receiver room should be much better in 2023.
Tight End
Arizona State returns its top 2 tight ends in Jalin Conyers and Messiah Swinson. Swinson played 490 snaps, while Conyers checked in at 314. Swinson is 6-foot-8, 255 pounds, and blocked on 55% of his snaps. He also caught 15 passes for 185 yards, which is decent for a tight end. Conyers is 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, and blocked on 34.7% of his snaps.
Conyers ended up third on the team in receiving with 38 catches for 422 yards and five touchdowns. His 2.13 yards per route finished in elite territory last year. Between the two of them, Arizona State’s tight end room should be solid this year.
Offensive Line
Arizona State’s offensive line lost left guard Chris Martinez, center Ben Scott, right guard Des Holmes and left guard LaDarius Henderson. Because of Henderson’s injury last year, the Sun Devils now have two returning players with some snaps under their belt. Isaia Glass (41.5) returns at left tackle after 724 snaps last year. He struggled in his first year as a starter, but another year in the program should help him here.
They also return right tackle Emmit Bohle (66.4), who played well on 661 snaps last year. Bohle originally played at Northern State, but successfully made the jump to power five level last year. They also have Ben Bray (55.0) back, who could play any of the interior positions. Bray played 143 snaps last year across all three interior offensive line positions.
In addition to these three returners, Arizona State added four transfers in Ben Coleman (68.7), Leif Fautanu (60.9), Aaron Frost (68.0) and Bram Walden. Coleman comes over from Cal, where he started the last two years between left tackle and left guard. Fautanu comes over from UNLV, where he also has two years of starting experience at center. He should have a great chance to start here.
Frost comes over from Nevada, where he started for three straight seasons. Frost missed last season with a preseason injury but should be ready to go ahead of 2023. Walden comes over from Oregon after playing eight snaps last year. He was a 4-star recruit in the 2021 class and a top-100 player. It is hard to envision this offensive line getting worse after the talent acquisition this offseason.
2023 Arizona State Football Season Preview: Defense
Arizona State ranked 119th on defense in 2022. This included the 123rd-ranked run defense, 58th-ranked pass rush and 108th-ranked secondary. This defense will look completely different in 2023. Multiple starters departed, and Arizona State brought in 13 transfers on this side of the ball.
Defensive Line
On the edge, the Sun Devils lost Joe Moore and Travez Moore this offseason. Luckily, they return 454 snaps from Anthonie Cooper. Cooper finished with 21 tackles and a pair of sacks last year in his rotational role. The other edge position should be held by Michael Matus, who returns from injury after missing all 0f 2023. Matus played 528 snaps in 2021 and logged 16 quarterback pressures.
The team also returns BJ Green, who played exceptionally well on his 314 snaps last year. He ranked second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss. From there, Arizona State added a couple transfers. Clayton Smith comes over from Oklahoma, where he played 66 snaps last year. Smith is a 4-star recruit from the 2021 class. Ian Shewell also comes over from New Mexico, where he played 314 snaps last year. He should serve as more of a depth role.
On the interior, the Sun Devils lost Tautala Pesefea Jr. and Nesta Jade Silvera. Their most experienced returner looks like Matthew Pola-Mao, who played just 36 snaps last year. Transfers could completely replace this position. Dashaun Mallory comes over from Michigan State, where he played 742 snaps over the last four years.
They also added Wisconsin transfer Tristan Monday, who did not see the field last year. He is from the state of Arizona, so this transfer makes sense. Samuel Benjamin comes over from Idaho State after functioning as a reserve last year. With so many talented players joining the program, a slight step forward should be expected from the defensive line.
Linebacker
Arizona State all of its notable contributors at linebacker, including Merlin Robertson and Kyle Soelle. Neither were particularly good, so this could be an example of addition by subtraction. Arizona State does return Will Shaffer after 79 snaps last year. He has received some hype, but it is possible that the Sun Devils rely entirely on transfers here. Travion Brown comes over from Washington State, where he started and played 415 snaps last year. This will be his fifth season of college football.
Tate Romney comes over from BYU after playing five snaps last year. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he plays a linebacker/safety hybrid role. Finally, Arizona State added Kansas State transfer Krew Jackson after 21 snaps last year. Again, the bar Arizona State has to eclipse to be better is very low here. It is possible that new players and coaching get them there.
Defensive Back
At corner, the Sun Devils did not lose any of their main contributors. On the outside they should rely on Ro Torrence and Ed Woods. Torrence played 572 snaps last year and led the team with eight pass breakups. He also logged an interception and 36 tackles. Woods only played 374 snaps, but he proved productive on the limited opportunity. He broke up six passes and logged 28 tackles.
In the slot Jordan Clark should maintain his role after 620 snaps last year. He broke up four passes, notched two interceptions and made 47 tackles. For depth, Arizona State added Demetries Ford in the transfer portal. Ford comes over from Austin Peay, where he started for two seasons at nickel corner.
At safety, Arizona State lost Khoury Bethley, but it returns Chris Edmonds. Edmonds played 697 snaps last year, breaking up three passes, notching three interceptions and logging 50 tackles. His counterpart projects to be USC transfer Xavion Alford. Alford did not play last year due to injury, but he saw 269 snaps for the Trojans in 2021.
Arizona State also added Roman Rashada from Ole Miss. He originally comes from the junior college ranks and did not see the field with Ole Miss last year. Finally, the Sun Devils added Shamari Simmons from Austin Peay. Simmons played both safety positions and has two years of starting experience to his name. With so many new faces, Arizona State should be able to piece together its second safety.
2023 Arizona State Football Predictions, Win Total & Schedule
Arizona State Football 2023 Schedule
The Sun Devils play a non-conference schedule consisting of Southern Utah, Oklahoma State and Fresno State. With Fresno State losing so much this offseason, Arizona State should be expected to go 2-1 in its non-conference. Within Pac-12 play, it draws USC, Washington, Utah, UCLA and Oregon. All things considered, this looks like a middling schedule in terms of difficulty.
Arizona State Football Win Total Predictions & Futures Bet
The Sun Devils over/under 5.0 wins is juiced to -160 towards the under. With a 2-1 start likely, Arizona State realistically needs to pick up three other wins against Cal, Colorado, Washington State and Arizona just to push. Eaven with the -160 juice, the under remains the strongest available play here.
Best Arizona State Football Win Total Prediction: Under 5.0 Wins (-160 at DraftKings)
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arizona Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
- Clemson Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida State Season Preview & Predictions
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- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
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- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
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- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan State Season Preview & Predictions
- Minnesota Season Preview & Predictions
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- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Nebraska Season Preview & Predictions
- Notre Dame Season Preview & Predictions
- Ohio State Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- Oregon Season Preview & Predictions
- Oregon State Season Preview & Predictions
- Penn State Season Preview & Predictions
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- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
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- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
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- UCLA Season Preview & Predictions
- USC Season Preview & Predictions
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