Arizona State's Secondary Room Ready to Take Off This Season

The Sun Devils are set to roll out an incredible group on the back-end of the defense in 2026.

Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward runs a drill for his secondary during the first day of fall practice in Tempe, Ariz. on July 30, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils are set to enter the 2026 season with a roster that will look markedly different compared to the season.

One piece of the equation surrounding the drastic changes is at the safety position, as previous starters Xavion Alford and Myles "Ghost" Rowser are now off to pursuing their NFL dreams.

The Sun Devils have retooled accordingly over the previous month-plus, with assistant head coach/defensive passing game coordinator Bryan Carrington joining the PHNX Sun Devils podcast earlier on Thursday to discuss the unit.

Carrington Bullish on Secondary

Arizona State has moved past the losses they faced in the back-end of the defense in recent weeks, as they added Kansas transfer S Lyrik Rawls, Florida International S Jessiah McGrew, LSU CB Ashton Stamps, and many more key contributors in the transfer portal.

Carrington had some incredibly high praise for the group - setting the stage for a step forward in 2026.

"I mean, our secondary looks like a basketball court at this point, and that's kind of like what you want, yeah, no, we got a lot of length out there, you know. And we're like eight deep at cornerback from a scholarship standpoint, similar to we only had five last year, yeah, you know. So we got ideal, prototypical bodies in those rooms, you know. So that's the exciting part, you know.

Oct 12, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers cornerback Ashton Stamps (1) blocks a pass intended for Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Tre Harris (9) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Being at eight-deep in the cornerback room is absolutely massive, while having at least three potential high-end safeties - with the majority of players possessing obvious NFL size being a cherry on top.

Carrington Discusses Modern Roster Building Landscape

The continuously changing landscape as far as roster building is concerned is at the front of mind, with the assistant head coach discussing the strategy he employs in regards to the transfer portal.

"Nowadays you have to stock the pond in college football. If you stock the pond, if you make those cornerbacks look like clones, then nobody can hold you hostage in December, because you still have other bodies in that room when you have outliers, that's how you get yourself in those type of situations. So I'm a big firm believer that nowadays you got to stack the pond. I believe that it's talent all across the country."

This seems to be more or less a reinforcement of the general consensus that has been built off of the culture that head coach Kenny Dillingham has cultivated. Each transfer portal addition is intentional, with the Sun Devils not putting too much of an emphasis on one position over another. This also reigns true in the secondary, where Rodney Bimage Jr. and Wilson are slated to step up as legitimate stars over the months to come.

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Rodney Bimage Jr. (0) against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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