3 Things to Monitor in Week Three of ASU Spring

The third week of spring practices are set to be underway for the Sun Devils on Tuesday - here are things ASU on SI will be watching.

Defensive lineman C.J. Fite (99) runs through drills with the defensive line at Sun Devils spring football practice at Kajikawa Practice fields on April 1, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. | Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Week three of Arizona State spring practices is slated to head into full motion on Tuesday morning - as the 2026 team continues to prepare for the massively consequential season that is to come.

Kenny Dillingham wasn't extremely thrilled with the output he saw from his team last Tuesday, but the efforts gradually ramped up as the practices went on during the week - Arizona State on SI brings three topics of focus into light in the days ahead below.

Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham reacts during the first quarter against Iowa State in the Big-12 showdown at jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

C.J. Fite's Return

The senior defensive tackle missed most of the first two weeks of spring due to an undisclosed injury - he officially made a triumphant return on Saturday night.

CJ Fite is back on the field for Arizona State spring practice. pic.twitter.com/rbJsR7xVWB

— Anthony Totri (@Anthony_Totri) March 29, 2026

The hype around Fite is palpable heading into the 2026 season, as the Texas native made an excruciating decision to forego the 2025 NFL Draft to return to school for one more season. He now returns as both the lone 2025 member of the Pat Tillman Leadership Council and as the unquestioned anchor of Brian Ward's defense.

It will be fascinating to see how Fite looks this week after missing time due to injury, as well as the star player leading by example on the field - particularly in position drills.

Jul 8, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Arizona State defensive lineman C.J. Fite answers questions from the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Cameron Dyer's Growth

Dyer is returning for his second season as a Sun Devil after redshirting during the 2025 season. The New Mexico native served as the backup to Jeff Sims over the final five games of the season - displaying a drastic amount of growth in that brief period of time after being fully cleared from ACL surgery recovery.

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Cameron Dyer (13) against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dyer entered the spring seen as a player that has an "outside" chance of becoming the starting player at the position - alongside true freshman Jake Fette - but has continued to flash moments of brilliance despite not receiving as many reps on the first team as other competition.

Dyer is coming off of his best practice of spring on Saturday - can he continue the positive momentum this week?

Likely Ramping up of Physicality

Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils tight end AJ Ia (14) 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

This is going to be an anticipated uptick in physicality this week, as it is now week two that the team is wearing full pads in.

There are several newcomers that are still getting acclimated into the system and team culture - it appears that virtually everyone is getting more comfortable by the day. This coming week seems to be crucial for setting the overall tone for the team heading into the summer.