The Arizona State Sun Devils are at a crossroads. Kenny Dillingham is entering his second year with the program after going 3-9 last season. The Sun Devils will join the Big 12 in 2024. Their biggest rival is surging, and they got crushed in the transfer portal — fun times in Tempe.
That being said, there’s some real talent on this team. Here are the top 10 returning players for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Arizona State Sun Devils’ Top 10 Returners in 2024
10) Josh Atkins, OT
Josh Atkins transferred from Hawai’i this offseason and will start at one of the tackle spots, likely on the left. The Sun Devils will need to keep their quarterback clean this season, and Atkins has the ability to do that after a strong first year as a starter in the Mountain West last year.
9) Leif Fautanu, OC
While much of the offense is inexperienced, and Arizona State will start a transfer at quarterback, the guy in the middle is a three-year starter at center. Leif Fautanu transferred in last season from UNLV and had a strong first year for the Sun Devils. He’s an excellent pass blocker with great size for a center.
Fautanu will likely call a lot of the protections and Arizona State will rely heavily on him in 2024.
8) Shamari Simmons, S
While he was Arizona State’s leading tackler last season and excelled against the run, Shamari Simmons struggled in coverage and gave up several big plays in the passing game down the stretch. That part of his game is still a question mark, especially with a secondary around him made up almost entirely of transfers.
However, he’s a dynamic run-stopper. If he gets better in zone coverage, he’s in for a huge season as the veteran of the Sun Devil secondary.
7) Troy Omeire, WR
Troy Omeire was surrounded by talent at receiver last year, but after some key departures at the position, he’s the guy now. At 6’4″, 215 pounds, he has the size to be a huge red zone threat and will provide a big-bodied target for whichever transfer wins the quarterback battle.
6) Keyshaun Elliott, LB
A transfer from New Mexico State, Keyshaun Elliott made nearly 100 tackles last season. He got better as the season went on and added 18 pressures and three sacks to his stats last year. He was one of the best players on the field in the win over Auburn and transferred to Arizona State this offseason, where he’ll take over as a starter at linebacker.
5) Cole Martin, S
Cole Martin arrives from Oregon, where he had a productive season as a free safety and slot corner. It looks like he’ll play in the slot and in nickel situations with Arizona State, where he’ll add talent to a young secondary. He’s small in stature but a good tackler and played well in limited coverage snaps last season.
4) CJ Fite, DT
As a freshman, CJ Fite excelled at using his big body to clog up holes in the running game, allowing his teammates to make tackles. He also flashed as a dynamic pass rusher for his size. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to develop that part of his game as he looks to take the next step as a sophomore.
3) Alton McCaskill, RB
This is a bit of a projection. Alton McCaskill broke onto the scene in 2022 with a terrific freshman season, racking up over 800 yards and 16 touchdowns with Houston. He entered the transfer portal to much fanfare, landing at Colorado, but only had 14 carries there last season.
If Arizona State is a fresh start and McCaskill returns to his freshman form, he could have a chance to make the All-Conference team.
2) Prince Dorbah, EDGE
Prince Dorbah was one-half of one of the Pac-12’s best-wrecking crews off the edge, registering 30 pressures and six sacks last fall. Now, he’s the guy for the Sun Devils and they’ll expect a lot out of him.
Arizona State likes to move him around the defense, putting him in the position to create one-on-one mismatches as a pass rusher. There are three transfers at linebacker behind him, so it will be key for him to improve as a run defender as well.
1) Cameron Skattebo, RB
Another running back on the list, Cameron Skattebo had nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season, despite not having much consistency around him on the offensive side of the ball. Skattebo was even better as a sophomore at Sacramento State, running for over 1,300 yards in 2022.
Skattebo is in line for a huge senior year if Dillingham can engineer consistency around him.
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