Arizona State Position Coaches Prepare Team for Sun Bowl

The Sun Devils have several positions of which will be a focus heading into the final game of the season.

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receivers coach Hines Ward against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils are prepared to wrap up the 2025 season in a few days - the program is set to take on the Duke Blue Devils in a rematch of the 2014 Sun Bowl.

This game has frequently been described as a "bridge" between 2025 and 2026, but the coaches who are at the center of this bridge have often become overlooked in the process.

Three position coaches are of particular interest going into Wednesday's game, with various factors backing up the vitality of each.

DL Coach Diron Reynolds

Head coach Kenny Dillingham has frequently echoed the importance of being able to retain the services of Reynolds long-term.

The 30 years that Reynolds has built up in the coaching sphere have shown in his two seasons in Tempe, with the defensive line group not only developing as players, but also as human beings. Reynolds will also be tasked with developing what will be an almost entirely new crop of players within the front four - save for C.J. Fite, who has announced his intentions to return for his senior season.

Ward has a difficult task at hand on his part as well, as star WR Jordyn Tyson is off to the NFL after a pair of incredibly successful seasons in Tempe.

Now, the Pittsburgh Steelers legend is going to be handed the challenge of putting the group that is set to return next season - Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton, Derek Eusebio, and more - in the best positions to succeed in the upcoming game, while also setting the tone for spring practice.

The formula for success at the WR position in Tempe is out there; it's up to Ward to unlock that formula to a wider scale.

Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Malik McClain (12) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TE Coach Jason Mohns

Mohns will be tested in a similar manner to Reynolds, as his two-deep will be departing the program - Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole are at the very end of their collegiate careers.

Mohns will return Khamari Anderson next season, as well as promising freshman AJ Ia, who is in a position to be the starting player at the position in 2026. These two standouts will likely see time on the field on Wednesday, with further reinforcements in 2026 signees Hayden Vercher and Landen Miree set to join the program ahead of a season that will feature much turnover from within the roster.

Arizona State tight end coach Jason Mohns talks to the tight ends during a practice at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe on Aug. 19, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.

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