ASU Transfer Portal: An Updated Look at Who's in, Who's out
For the Arizona State Sun Devils, the transfer portal has been quite active since the beginning of November.
In total, seven Arizona State players have entered the transfer portal since Nov. 1, with four players (not including preferred academic walk-ons) arriving for ASU in 2022.
Some players hold major starting capabilities, while others were simply depth pieces.
However, every player matters with the Sun Devils currently having only six players in their 2022 class that have signed national letters of intent.
ASU head coach Herm Edwards said earlier in December that the transfer portal would again be a major player in Arizona State's ability to build a team for next season, offering this on the matter:
“This portal thing is real. We’re not done by any stretch of the imagination bringing in players,” Edwards. “We have about eight now that have committed to us, high-school kids as well — we’re going in the portal looking for another 12 guys. So this team will look a lot different than it does right now.
"We need some experience at certain positions. We know that. We’ve reached out to a lot of players and there’s some interest and now it’s just a waiting game. You have to recruit them too a little bit, so that’s part of it and we understand that. We’re going to have an opportunity to bring in some guys that can help us.”
Now, as the 2022 recruiting class begins to solidify, ASU expects to see major action in the portal moving forward.
Here's an updated look at who's coming and going from Arizona State via the transfer portal.
ASU Players Leaving
Parentheses indicates the player's new school, all other players have not yet found a new home
WR Junior Alexander; WR Johnny Wilson (Florida State); DB Tommi Hill (Nebraska); DL Jordan Banks; RB DeaMonte Trayanum (Ohio State); WR Geordon Porter (Buffalo); S Cam Phillips
It's notable that the Sun Devils have lost depth in their receiving corps with three pass-catchers leaving the program, although Alexander, Wilson and Porter didn't have extensive time on the field.
Without the benefit of hindsight, the loss that sticks out the most is Hill. ASU will see dominant veterans such as Chase Lucas and Jack Jones leave the secondary, opening holes on the field for anyone to take moving forward. Hill was talented and played well in the small glimpses we saw in 2021, and would have at least battled for one of the starting spots.
The presence of Trayanum in Arizona State's backfield would have been welcomed next year, especially with fellow running back Rachaad White leaving for the pro level.
It's interesting to note that Trayanum transferred to Ohio State as a linebacker, a position he initially played in high school. Did ASU offer Trayanum the opportunity to play the position before he entered the portal?
There's a few questions there that we'll never know the answer to, yet Trayanum was perhaps the most surprising.
Players Arriving to ASU
Parentheses indicate the former school of the player prior to transferring to Arizona State
RB Xazavian Valladay (Wyoming); TE Messiah Swinson (Missouri); LB Rodney Groce (Mississippi State); S Derrick Smith (Illinois)
With the loss of Trayanum, Valladay's arrival could potentially be the most impactful player arriving through the transfer portal. Valladay's smooth running style should help the Sun Devils keep pace out of the backfield along with fellow running backs Daniyel Ngata and incoming four-star recruit Tevin White.
All other transfers are on a wait-and-see basis thanks to the depth at each position. However, each player provides at worse an experienced voice in their respective groups.
If Edwards' estimates of 12 players that have yet to arrive via the transfer portal is accurate, Arizona State should see around eight more players added to this list at some point in time.