Arizona State Star Officially Ruled Out for Season

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) are set to enter the final three games of the regular season this coming week when they welcome the West Virginia Mountaineers to Tempe this coming Saturday.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham spoke with media in his weekly scheduled press conference on Monday - covering numerous game-related topics, while also giving an incredibly unfortunate update regarding a star player that has been out for an extended period of time.

What Dillingham had to Say on Xavion Alford

"I mean, X, unfortunately, is going to be out for the year. I mean, we were trying to get them back. But, you know, that's a kid who's been a staple of this program, you know, since, since we got here as a staff, he's one of the heartbeats in the program, so it just pains me that he's not gonna be able to make it back. But, you know, I'll update that more and get more specific on that later. But yeah, it's just sucks for him. But you know, he's a great kid, great competitor. I think whoever chooses that they want him part of their team at the next level is going to get a guy that they're, you know, very, very, very happy with. So nothing, nothing positive from there."

Alford's season ends after just two games played. Dillingham had previously been hopeful that the star safety would return this season after the third-year Sun Devil was injured before the season and wasn't able to fully ease in in the first games of the season. The head coach was also noncommittal when it came to questions surrounding whether Alford will return to Tempe for the 2026 season or will opt to head to the NFL draft.

Dillingham Updates Other Injury Statuses

The head coach confirmed that both edge rusher Prince Dorbah and linebacker Tate Romney will return this week after previously alluding to each being able to make it back after missing the win over Iowa State on November 1.

It also remains apparent that WR Jordyn Tyson will be more likely to return for the November 22 road game against Colorado compared to this week. No other major updates were given, so it can be assumed everything else is business as usual.

Arizona State is set to face West Virginia at 11 A.M. MST on Saturday morning, with the game set to be broadcast on TNT.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here

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