ASU football 2024 preview: New blood, bad odds and big pressure
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ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham in November 2023. Photo: Bruce Yeung/Getty Images
ASU enters the 2024 season with much rebuilding left after last year's fresh start under coach Kenny Dillingham.
The big picture: The Sun Devils were picked to finish last of the 16 teams in their new division, per the Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll.
- Still, most pundits expect ASU to perform better than last season.
Reality check: It's not as if they could do much worse.
Flashback: ASU went 3-9 in 2023, scoring an average of 17.8 points per game (124th in college football) and giving up an average of 31.8 points (109th).
- The Sun Devils were plagued with injuries: They used four quarterbacks throughout the season and at one point Dillingham put out an open call for 300-pound-plus students to walk on as offensive linemen just to fill out the field goal unit.
Between the lines: Many of last year's bungles were expected and unavoidable.
- The football program had been clouded by a three-year NCAA investigation into recruiting violations that finally wrapped up this April.
- Multiple coaches were fired in connection to the violations, the NCAA placed ASU on a four-year probation and the team faced a self-imposed bowl ban.
- This led talented players to use new transfer rules to jump ship to less controversial programs and made it harder to recruit new players.
What's next: Dillingham knows this year has to show signs of improvement as the Sun Devil faithful are getting antsy looking for any sign of hope — and he's brought in a lot of new blood to help.
- Former University of Nevada Las Vegas head coach Marcus Arroyo joined the team in December as the new offensive coordinator.
- Dillingham's taken full advantage of the transfer portal, securing a new starting quarterback in Sam Leavitt (Michigan State), defensive back Cole Martin (Oregon), offensive lineman Josh Atkins (Hawaii) and many other players with potential.
What we're watching: The Sun Devils' schedule is arguably easier than the teams they faced in 2023, which could help ASU improve upon its three wins from last season.
- ASU's season opener is Saturday night against Wyoming at home.
- Their first Big 12 matchup is Sept. 21 at Texas Tech, and it's expected to be a hard-fought battle.