Practice Report From Arizona State's First Spring Session

The Sun Devils kicked off the spring practice on Thursday with a successful output.

Arizona State wide receiver Uriah Neloms (81) runs a drill during football practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on Aug 1, 2025. | Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Spring football is finally here for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The team is working towards ushering the 2026 season, with Thursday serving as the first opportunity for everything to be put together in a structured, on-field manner.

Arizona State head football coach Kenny Dillingham watches as his team practices 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

Follow key notes from the practice below, as well as a small handful of standouts from a roster that looks significantly different compared to 2025.

Key Notes From Practice

• Final-year athlete Clayton Smith took a significant amount of reps on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday. It has been known for close to two weeks now that the EDGE received an extra year of eligibility, and that there would potentially be room for the Texas native to play some wide receiver. There were ups-and-downs on Thursday, but his sneaky twitchiness as an athlete showed out.

• Redshirt freshman Michael "Butter" Tollefson made a switch from quarterback to wide receiver. Tollefson was seen as an intriguing talent at QB, but the addition of Jake Fette likely triggered a change. Tollefson now joins Uriah Neloms and Cory Butler Jr. as intriguing underclassmen at the position.

Del Valle alum Jake Fette, an incoming Arizona State freshman, throws the ball as Arizona State warms up before facing Duke in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• A pair of top-50 offensive tackle prospects in Mason Joshua (Texas) and Ben Lowther (Arizona) attended Arizona State practice on Thursday. The work that OL coach Saga Tuitele has done to overhaul the way the program goes about development, as well as building a regimented culture have to be commended.

Individual Standouts From Thursday

• QB Cutter Boley: The Kentucky transfer did throw a pick six during a later portion of practice, but outside of that the 6'5" field general was exceptionally sharp. Boley looked poised, collected, and comfortable with a plethora of new receivers that he must build new connections with. The ball placement and velocity were especially noteworthy.

• WR Reed Harris and Omarion Miller: The top two players that the program brought in via the transfer portal did not disappoint in their on-field debut in Tempe. The duo truly appear to compliment one another in a seamless fashion - with Miller being the lightning to the thunder Harris provides. Raiden Vines-Bright was also incredibly impressive in his debut after transferring from Washington.

Sep 20, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Omarion Miller (4) pulls in a touchdown reception in second quarter against the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

• LB Owen Long: Long's football IQ translated perfectly into his first practice in serving as the spiritual successor to Keyshaun Elliott. Long led the nation in total tackles last season and was the player that secured the lone interception that Boley threw all day.