Arizona State O-Line Arrangement Could Be Different vs Utah

The Sun Devils might look to rotate extra offensive lineman into games moving forward.

Sep 20, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Max Iheanachor (58) in action against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State offensive line has rebounded from a relatively rough start to the season, as it now sits in the upper half of the Big 12 ranking of units according to Pro Football Focus.

The unit as a whole has been more cohesive as the weeks have gone on, but center Ben Coleman and left guard Jimeto Obigbo have been particular standouts in the first half of the season.

Now, head coach Kenny Dillingham and o-line coach Saga Tuitele are heading to the drawing board to potentially find ways to substitute reserve linemen into games as needed moving forward.

What Dillingham had to say on Monday:

• "We wanted to get Wade (Helton) and (Jalen) Klemm in the game more. We usually play seven offensive linemen. We didn't do that in the first few weeks. I thought our guys were getting tired. You know, we played over 80 snaps back to back games on offense because of the control we've been able to create. So we needed to get those guys on the field more to be fresher later. And I think, you know, one of our drives had those guys in it that score, touchdown. So I think it was good for us to go seven deep. You can see Wade at some center.

• You know, it's harder to move guys in and out of center than it is in and out of guard. So we're just trying to get the best guys in the field bins playing really well right now in center. So it's like, man, do you mess up your center, but you want to get more guys rotating. So it's kind of a, it's, you know, you're kind of stuck in a weird rut there with Wade's probably more of a center. But he's good at guard being a man, but then he want to change centers, so we're kind of, I mean, back and forth with that. I would say, you know, we haven't really settled on a solution, but we'll work on some things this week."

Sep 26, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham looks on against TCU Horned Frogs in the second half at Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images | Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images

Helton transferred to Arizona State from Iowa State alongside his brother, Brent, and was a potential solution to the center predicament that the Sun Devils found themselves in during the offseason.

While Coleman has held down the center position just fine as time has progressed, it would assuredly be a luxury to be able to give the 'best five' some rest while still feeling confident in the group as a whole.

Arizona State offensive lineman Wade Helton (64) warms up with his teammates during a practice inside the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe on Aug. 12, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Helton and Klemm have both received high marks from coaches over the last two months - Klemm projects to be starting at one of the two tackle spots next season, while Helton will likely be the starting center.

The one certainty in the ongoing 2025 season is that coach Tuitele is doing a phenomenal job yet again - the Sun Devil offensive line is in a good shape, now and moving forward.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's clutch-time victory over TCU here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.

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