Marcus Arroyo Talks ASU Bowl Growth and Jake Fette

The Sun Devil OC is ready to usher in an incredibly talented quarterback ahead of spring practices.

Metayer Chamon, TE, (7) walks with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo during ASU fall camp practice on Aug. 2, 2024, at Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe. | Cheryl Evans/Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Marcus Arroyo has been somewhat maligned by the Arizona State fanbase in recent months due to the offense not taking off to the degree that it was expected to in the 2025 season.

Many of the factors behind the development were out of the control of Arroyo, and the 45-year old remains one of the brightest offensive minds in college football.

The veteran coach spoke with media following Arizona State's practice in El Paso, Texas on Sunday ahead of the Sun Devils' season-ending game against the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday.

Jake Fette's Presence is Welcome

Del Valle alum Jake Fette, an incoming Arizona State freshman, throws the ball during ASU practice at Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during Sun Bowl week ahead of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The crown jewel of Arizona State's 2026 recruiting class is from El Paso in an ironic twist of fate - he was able to practice with the team for the first time on Sunday, and Arroyo went at length discussing why the incoming freshman has the potential to be special.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for probably, what, almost two years now. So I came down here... during spring and first round the road, first guys I saw, and had an opportunity to grow a really steady, strong relationship with him and his family and coach Reed on there, and be able to hang on to that a premier player in our eyes, that does everything, plays that position, get all the critical traits and mental makeup it takes for that position to be special."

Del Valle alum Jake Fette, an incoming Arizona State freshman, joins ASU practice at Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during Sun Bowl week ahead of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fette is expected to - at the very least - compete for the starting job during spring and fall practices. The Del Valle high school alum has a chance to be the second true freshman to start in a week one game for the program - he would join Jayden Daniels (2019) in that scenario.

Arroyo went into detail as to why the bowl season is vital for future development, as many scout team players get opportunities to shine, and the practices they are permitted to carry out essentially equate to a full spring practice session.

"I think that's that's that's one of the things in the postseason that I think sometimes gets overlooked within the magnification of everything we do, is that we get an extra three to four weeks sometimes to be able to be around our guys and be around some young players. We're going to play on offense, a ton of young guys... Some have been on scout team, don't get a chance to see them a lot. That's the beauty of postseason. You get 13,14, 15 extra practices, which in our coaching world is a big deal. That's practically a spring ball. And I think if you don't have those in the postseason, those are huge."

ASU football offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo during practice on March 26, 2024, at ASU's Kajikawa Practice fields in Tempe. | Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

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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