Kenny Dillingham Discusses Underclassmen, Injury Updates, More

TEMPE -- Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham spoke with media following Thursday's practice in anticipation of the December 31 Sun Bowl bout against Duke - also confirming that no practice will be held on Friday.

To watch the full availability, view below.

Below is a partial transcript of Dillingham's exchange with media - with some added commentary.

;n;l; — ASU Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham yells out to his team as they play against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Opinion of Thursday's Practice

"Thought it was good. Good Energy guys flying around, getting a lot of young guys reps. All the seniors didn't practice day we senior day off. Really focus on the younger guys. Good Energy, good passion, it's a fun day."

Thursday was a "no vets" practice - the underclassmen received nearly all reps, with players such as freshman QB Cameron Dyer and RB Jason Brown Jr. leaving impressive marks on the day.

lnnlk — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Jason Brown Jr. (22) 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

On if More Reps for Underclassmen Will Translate to Better Spring Practices

"I mean, you would hope so. Just gives more reps. It's more reps. And you know, you can feel the energy out here. You know, those guys are flat around they're having fun playing football, and that's why I told my practices, football is fun playing football. How do you feel about your young players? I feel really, really good about the depth of our football team with the youth, really good, especially up front, on both sides. You know, that's obviously in the history here."

Players that already contributed heavily during the 2025 season such as LB Martell Hughes and IOL Wade Helton are expected to factor into the 2026 season - the practices currently being held are setting the stage for positive momentum going into spring practices.

lnn;; — Oct 18, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils linebacker Martell Hughes (18) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Transfer Portal Approach

"Well, I think that the portal is just a numbers game. You got to get a certain amount of numbers. And because the portal opens after early signing day, you can't really if you lose a guy you weren't expecting. It's hard to replace that kid with all high school all high school guys, because a lot of those high school guys were taken up early. So based off of the timing, you know, of the portal window and of the high school signing pay, it almost kind of pushes you more to have to replace all of your transfers with portal kids."

The Sun Devils are sure to add multiple players at multiple positions to supplement the roster on-the-fly - the timing of the portal opening is unfortunate, but it's a necessity in the modern landscape of roster-building.

n;lnn — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) 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

On Jordyn Tyson's Future

"Yeah, I never saw him him post anything, so I'm going to hold off until I see him post anything, just out of respect for him. But he's an unbelievable person, unbelievable player. You know, he's a special, special person. We spoke for 15 minutes last night. I mean, just on the phone. And he's such a great kid. I couldn't be happier for somebody to go achieve success in this game."

feeffw — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) with Zechariah Sample (87) 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

On WR Position

"Yeah, I like our young guys once again. You know, Uriah (Neloms) was a quarterback converted, and I think he's gotten better and better from spring to now. He's like a different player. Cory (Butler Jr.) has gained 15 pounds since he's been here. So I think there's, we're in a really good direction there. Obviously we're gonna have to go get some, you know, some good guys out of the portal that are a little bit older, you know, just because we're young in that group right now. So we got to get some age in there."

There is little to no doubt that another player or two will be added to the room alongside the above mentioned underclassmen, Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton, and Derek Eusebio.

3r3r3r — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jaren Hamilton (16) 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

On Clayton Smith

"I mean, Clayton's only got out here because he's, you know, he just had any surgery, so he's gonna be back out here once he gets he gets back."

klnlk — Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Clayton Smith (10) 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

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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