What TE Khamari Anderson‘s Injury Means for Arizona State Football

On just the second offensive play for Arizona State of Saturday's Union Jack Classic, the Sun Devils took on a massive blow.

After being rolled up on during ASU's first drive, TE Khamari Anderson will miss the rest of the season with a left lower-leg injury.

Anderson was helped off the field following the injury, and ASU would go on to persevere and take home a victory, but what does this mean for Kenny Dillingham's team in the long run?

Carrying On Without Khamari

While the receiving stats may not be worthwhile, Anderson has proved to be a important part of ASU's offensive unit in his two seasons with the program.

Since coming over from Kentucky in 2025, Khamari quickly emerged as the best blocker at the tight end position for the Devils.

Losing another piece of the blocking puzzle hurts an ASU team that was already suffering some injuries on the offensive line, including names like Tana Alo-Tupuola, Wade Helton and Luke Baklenko.

It may be a prime reason why Arizona State's run attack felt less powerful against Kansas. ASU rushed for 133 yards as a team, more than in their visit to Texas A&M, but had 14 more carries.

Their yards per carry? 3.1, which is almost a full yard less than what they posted against the Aggies, a much more intimidating defense in a much more intimidating road environment.

Assessing the Depth Chart: Who's Up?

Without Anderson, the ASU tight end depth looks like this: Sophomore AJ Ia, RS Sophomore James Giggey and RS transfer junior Anthony Miller.

At a glance, AJ la emerges as the new TE1. At six-foot-six, 265-pounds, the Devils have been high on la ever since he committed from Orange County, California, in the Class of 2024.

la has two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown so far in 2026. He is most likely the best athlete in the tight end room. Ia was listed as probable entering Kansas, but would end up playing.

But if you are looking for a more proper replacement in terms of Anderson's blocking, the answer might be James Giggey.

Giggey is just as good at blocking as Anderson, if not better. That is likely why he saw a lot more snaps following the injury.

Where Giggey lacks compared to Anderson, however, is his discipline. Giggey has two penalties against Kansas: a false start before the first play of ASU's second series, followed by a holding penalty that wiped out a first-down run on fourth down. Kansas followed with a punt-return touchdown after the callback. Two major plays for an offense that struggled overseas.

That leaves Anthony Miller, who transferred in from Tulane this offseason. Miller can do a little bit of both catching and blocking, but has yet to have any big-time plays or playing time in maroon and gold. That will now likely change.

ASU went with 12 personnel with Anthony Miller and James Giggey for several plays after the Anderson injury, giving us perhaps a glimpse of how they will operate going forward in blocking scenarios.

What Now?

While Anderson might be done for the year, the upcoming BYE week will help ASU get their offensive line, and roster in general, healthy for their date against Baylor in two weeks.

"I think our defense played with that (toughness). I think our offense tried to play with it, but we're just not showing up at the rate we needed to right now." ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said after the Kansas victory.

A reminder: this is a position group that Dilllingham moved DL Clayton Smith into for a brief stint during August camp, trying to create competition in the group after being disappointed with how the tight ends were performing.

A month later, it is time for them to step up again. Which tight end will emerge from the rest of the pack?

With a million questions to answer in terms of offense, it is likely going to take more than a defensive lineman position change to help the Devils now.

Kenny Dillingham and his carousel of tight ends will return home on Saturday, Oct. 3, to host Baylor for their second Big 12 game of the season. Kickoff time is TBD.

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