One Sun Devils WR Finally Breaks Through in Big Way

The first-year Sun Devil finally capitalized on an opportunity in week five.

Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils are now 4-1 on the season following two narrow wins to open up Big 12 play.

The 4-1 start has largely been due to contributions from the 'big three' on offense (Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, Raleek Brown), along with a dynamic defense that is chalk-full of playmakers.

Various pass catchers outside of Tyson made plays in last Friday's victory over Texas Christian - but one stood above the rest.

That player is Alabama transfer Jaren Hamilton, who has frequently been a standout during both spring and fall camp.

Hamilton's start to the season hasn't gone according to plan, as the talented wideout has been on the doorstep of making plays - from a kickoff return that got called back due to a penalty against Texas State, to a pass interference against Baylor on what surely would have been a touchdown.

Hamilton lined up in the slot on the right side of the field in a drive where the Sun Devils were making progress in moving the ball after intercepting Josh Hoover at their own goal line - the result was a corner route that was run to perfection. The play went for 44 yards and set the offense up for a field goal that tied the game at 17 - in a game where they needed every point they could get.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham was excited to see the big play finally come to fruition and believes that more of that will be seen in the future.

• "Huge for him. Huge for him. The first catch in college football, and that type of setting was huge. So I'm excited to see what that does moving forward, obviously, getting some guys hopefully back this week on the opposite side of the ball could help us too."

Hamilton spoke about how much he had learned from WR coach Hines Ward in the preceding month at ASU on SI's exclusive interview on August 18 - the quote has come full circle and has finally paid dividends.

"I learned a lot, like I said, you know, just staying hungry, just showing up, being a man every day, being about your word, you know, just coming into a building like with a mindset that you know you got to get better every day, no matter where you're at on the depth chart, no matter what accolades you have, you still have to get better every day, because at the end of the day, you know, it's going to come a time where you need to lean on some of those, some of those skills, some of those habits that you created over time."

Hamilton has improved greatly since arriving in Tempe - becoming a polished route runner and clearly having already learned much from his time with Alabama. It truly appears as if this is only the start for the explosive playmaker.

The next opportunity to see Hamilton in action is next Saturday when the Sun Devils travel to face the Utah Utes.

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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