Breaking Down Arizona State Sun Devils’ Strengths, Weaknesses, & 1 Thing That Could Beat Oklahoma State

The Arizona State Sun Devils have quickly emerged as a team to be reckoned with in the Big 12 Conference.

Coach Kenny Dillingham turned them into Big 12 champions in 2024 and followed that with an eight-win season in 2025. He’s dealing with plenty of turnover this season. But the advantage in the transfer portal is that when you’ve recently won a title, it’s easier to find talent. Their transfer class has been assessed as the No. 15 class in the country. Dillingham and his staff will lean heavily into that group this season.

When the Oklahoma State Cowboys get their crack at Arizona State on Nov. 21, these are the Sun Devils’ strengths, weaknesses and the one thing that could beat the Cowboys.

Strengths

Wide Receiver

The Sun Devils had to work the transfer portal hard this offseason and at this position they pulled some great players. Arizona State snagged Colorado’s best receiver from a season ago, Omarion Miller, who was All-Big 12 second team after catching 45 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. Boston College transfer Reed Harris is a 6-5 red zone target who last year had 39 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Raiden Vines-Bright was at Washington last season and had 24 catches for 238 yards and a score as a true freshman.

The presumed quarterback is Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley. He must count his blessings every day. It’s one of the best groups in the conference.

Defensive Line

One of Arizona State’s two returning defensive starters is up front in C.J. Fite, a potential all-conference selection by season’s end. Fite has played 38 games at Arizona State and is one of the best run stuffers in the league.

Where ASU had to fill in was on the edge and did so with transfers like Michigan State’s Jalen Thompson and Baylor’s Emar’rion Winston. Thompson played more than 1,000 snaps at MSU but the Sun Devils are hoping for more than his 3.5 career sacks in 2026. Winston had three sacks a year ago, but he also had eight run stops, which was sixth among Big 12 edge rushers. He can pitch in on run downs.

Weaknesses

Offensive Line

The line doesn’t have a single returning starter. It does have returning players in tackle Champ Westbrooks, guard Wade Helton and guard Maki Stewart. But the Sun Devils lured in transfers like Tana Alo-Papuloa from Georgia Tech, who should help their run offense be more efficient. Luke Bakleno transferred in from Oklahoma and is the presumed starter at right tackle, though he hasn’t been a full-time starter since he was at Stanford.

This unit has some questions marks, and the Sun Devils need to answer them. The skill position players are too good to not have the protection they need to produce.

Secondary

The Sun Devils have a returning starter in Adrian Wilson, who plays the nickel back. He was a free safety last year, so the move to nickel isn’t a given, but that’s the projection. The other four spots in the 4-2-5 defense are up for grabs. LSU transfer Ashton Stamps seems like a lock to gain one of the starting jobs. But camp is liable to be filled with competition, and the Sun Devils may not know their starters until the week of the opener. That might not be a good sign.

The One Thing That Could Beat Oklahoma State

Owen Long

The former Colorado State Ram is getting his promotion to a power conference program, and he could significantly impact the Sun Devil defense. The first line of his team bio says it all.

He was the FBS leader in tackles per game and total tackles in 2025 at Colorado State (12.6 tackles per game/151 tackles). The next closest player averaged 11.8 per game with 142 tackles.

He’s highly productive and has a good defensive line in front of him. He may not lead the nation. But leading the Big 12 is a possibility.

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