5 things to watch for at Arizona State's spring game

Arizona State has reached the end of their spring practice timeline, culminating in what's being dubbed their Football Fan Fest. Unlike the previous two seasons, which took the form of a traditional spring game, it sounds as if this will be a more typical practice that's open to the public.

Still, with this being the final day of spring ball, it's the last time we'll see these players in action until Camp Tontozona in the summer. With that in mind, here are five things we're paying close attention to.

Running back rotation

The biggest question for the Sun Devils this upcoming season is how they replace Cam Skattebo, who accounted for a majority of their offense last year. They turned to the portal, landing Army transfer back Kanye Udoh, but he wasn't guaranteed the starting job.

So far through spring practices, Arizona State has held a fairly open competition at the position. Udoh has gotten plenty of work, but so has Kyson Brown, Skattebo's top backup last year. Brown is more of an outside runner, while Udoh excels between the tackles and getting downhill.

Additionally, the Sun Devils have gradually ramped up Raleek Brown's workload as he nears a return from his injury that sidelined him for most of last year. A smaller, more slender player, Raleek Brown is pure speed and agility with tons of potential in the passing game.

Arizona State has also seen promising flashes from redshirt freshman Jason Brown and true freshman Demarius Robinson, though it seems unlikely that either will see significant playing time in 2025 with the aforemetioned three upperclassmen competing at such a high level.

Early indications suggest that Kenny Dillingham may be looking at a three man committee betwen Udoh, Kyson Brown, and Raleek Brown. That said, this spring game could help change things.

Cornerbacks in tight competition

Arizona State returned both of their starting cornerbacks in Javan Robinson and Keith Abney, but that didn't stop them from bringing in transfers Nyland Green and Kyndrich Breedlove, both from Purdue. Breedlove has primarily been competing with Montana Warren in the slot, but has gotten some reps on the outside as well.

There's also a few younger cornerbacks already on the roster who have been keeping this competition tight. Rodney Bimage has been, by far, the most impressive one this far. Bimage seemingly makes a play in every practice, prompting defensive coordinator Brian Ward to speak very highly of him earlier this week.

The challenge for Arizona State is figuring out how to divvy up the snaps. Robinson and Abney were both really good last year, but Bimage is working hard to earn snaps, while Green and Breedlove are also looming. It's a good problem to have, but it's a problem that needs to be solved.

Receivers' last chance to impress

One of Arizona State's top priorities in the winter window of the transfer portal was adding receiving options behind star Jordyn Tyson. One addition, former Fresno State receiver Jalen Moss, has quickly cemented himself as the second receiver on the depth chart.

After Moss, though? The situation remains very fluid.

Malik McClain has the advantage of having been with the team last year, but he hasn't flashed all that much in spring practices. Alabama transfer Jaren Hamilton has turned plenty of heads with his blazing speed, but drops have been an issue. Clemson transfer Noble Johnson has had the biggest high's, but consistency has been lacking for him.

The Sun Devils also have two true freshmen in Cory Butler and Harry Hassmann that have looked better than expected - as well as last year's walk-on Derek Eusebio - but the coaches would likely prefer to find a more experienced option.

This has led the Sun Devils to exploring the spring window of the portal for another receiver, and they recently held a visit with former Idaho star Mark Hamper. Notably, Hamper played high school ball with Sam Leavitt, and would almost certainly claim that third starting spot if he came to Tempe.

This final day of spring practice carries great significance for these receivers, as they hope to make one final case for Arizona State to stick with their current crop of talent instead of bringing in someone else.

Special teams improvements?

Easily the Sun Devils' biggest weakness from last year was their special teams, where they used three different kickers (to no avail) and saw freshman punter Kanyon Floyd struggle at times. The coaching staff sought to rectify this, bringing in Eastern Michigan kicker Jesus Gomez via the winter portal.

So far in spring practices, Gomez has looked to be a massive upgrade. He hasn't been completely perfect, but Gomez has hit several field goals from 40+ and even 50+ yards out. All in all, Gomez has looked like a very reliable kicker.

Floyd, meanwhile, has shown a significant uptick in consistency. While the Sun Devils haven't developed too much time to punting in practice, Floyd has appeared to have improved hangtime and greater overall control, which would be big for his development going into this season.

Consistency for Sam Leavitt

Sam Leavitt has been a major benefactor of a national hype machine around him this offseason, with many national analysts listing him as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. The general consensus seems to be that he's also the best quarterback in the Big 12.

So far, Leavitt's performances in spring practices haven't reflected that.

Interceptions and tipped balls have been more common than they were a year ago, and Leavitt has had instances of holding the ball too long or finding the open man too late.

It's hardly an indictment of Leavitt, though. As mentioned before, he's working with an almost entirely new receiving corps outside of Tyson and tight end Chamon Metayer. Developing chemistry with new receivers takes time (hence the interest in Hamper).

On top of that, Leavitt is working with a new center. Ben Coleman moved from left guard to center, replacing Leif Fautanu, and has had some issues with snapping the ball consistently. Coleman has gotten better, but the initial struggles definitely impacted Leavitt.

Nevertheless, Leavitt flashed elite potential last year and has Sun Devil fans excited about his prospects in 2025. A strong finish to the spring ball period on Friday would be a nice cap on the hype train for him.