Arizona State Star Plans to Enter Transfer Portal
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TEMPE -- The first official domino in the roster turnover surrounding players that still have eligibility on the Arizona State roster fell on Tuesday morning.
The 8-4 Sun Devils are likely to see linebacker Tate Romney depart the program with one year of eligibility remaining.
The 6'2" redshirt junior linebacker is a native of Chandler, AZ and played for Arizona State running backs coach Shaun Aguano while the coach was the head man of Chandler high school.
Romney started out his collegiate career for Brigham Young after serving a two-year mission for his church - he only appeared in three games in 2022 before entering the transfer portal and becoming one of the first commits under Kenny Dillingham heading into 2023.
Romney played admirably in his redshirt freshman season in 2023 - starting in all but one game, while being fourth on the team in tackles, breaking up four passes, and securing a sack.
The local talent was oft-injured over the last two seasons, and ultimately fell out of the regular linebacker rotation. This was the result of the Sun Devils ushering in New Mexico State transfer Keyshaun Elliott, Arkansas transfer Jordan Crook, San Diego State transfer Zyrus Fiaseu, and 2024 recruit Martell Hughes on top of the injuries Romney battled through.
Arizona State on SI explores Romney's impact made on the program, and the team's outlook at the linebacker position moving forward.
ASU LB Tate Romney announced via his IG that he will enter the tranfer portal.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) December 2, 2025
Romney baffled through injuries while one of ASU’s top backups linebackers in the last two seasons. He’s started games and played well. pic.twitter.com/LV9ngW3xkZ
Romney's Impact on Program
Romney was one of the first examples of an underrated player committing to Arizona State and buying into Dillingham's culture.
The soon-to-be senior praised defensive coordinator Brian Ward during his first season with the program in 2023, and continued to show up for his teammates - even when battling through various injuries.
Romney will always be remembered for the contributions he made to the program over historically memorable seasons.
Arizona State Linebacker Room Outlook in 2026
LB coach AJ Cooper is in a strong position to return a productive room in 2025 even sans Romney, as Martell Hughes is set to slide in as a starting player at the position, while Zyrus Fiaseu will be in play to receive a medical redshirt per Dillingham.
Freshman Isaiah Iosefa is highly thought of from within the Arizona State program in his own right, as well as the potential to add more players at the position via the transfer portal in January.
The Sun Devils are in a phenomenal spot at the LB position.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.