Arizona State adds three new transfers in the trenches

Football season may be over for Arizona State, but Kenny Dillingham and the rest of his coaching staff remain hard at work, scouring the transfer portal for ways to improve their roster. And on Sunday evening, they added three new players via the portal, all three of them coming in the trenches.

First up was offensive tackle Jimeto Obigbo, a transfer from Texas State. Standing at 6'4" and 320 pounds, Obigbo offers elite size. He originally committed to FCS Incarnate Word and became the starting right tackle in his second season.

Obigbo followed the coaching staff to Texas State in 2023, continuing as the starter. He only played in four games this past season due to injuries but is expected to be ready to go by next year. Obigbo, a Texas native, was once high school teammates with the Sun Devils' starting left tackle, Josh Atkins.

Obigbo only has one season of eligibility remaining. He's likely to compete for the right tackle spot, with an expectation that this year's starting right tackle - Max Iheanachor - will consider moving inside to right guard.

Moving to the defense, Arizona State secured the commitment of Oregon transfer defensive tackle My'Keil Gardner. An Arizona native who played at Liberty High School, Gardner was the ninth rated player in the state when he committed to the Ducks ahead of the 2023 season.

Gardner redshirted his first year in Eugene and was expected to have a rotational role this past year. However, an injury in fall camp sidelined him for the year. Head coach Dan Lanning, a mentor for Dillingham, had spoken very highly of Gardner and his departure was considered a big hit.

Listed at 6'2" and 290 pounds, Gardner offers a similar size profile to that of graduating senior Jeff Clark. He joins a defensive line rotation that features CJ Fite, Jacob Rich Kongaika, and Zac Swason all returning, but Gardner has three years of eligibility remaining.

The Sun Devils' third transfer is another offensive lineman: Xander Ruggeroli from Nebraska. The Las Vegas native was the 11th rated prospect in Nevada when he picked the Cornhuskers a year ago, but now he moves closer to home with Arizona State.

Ruggeroli primarily played offensive tackle in high school, but he redshirted this past year at Nebraska. He's unlikely to factor much into the rotation in 2025, with the Sun Devils returning four starters from last season, but Ruggeroli offers valuable depth considering he still has four years of eligibility.

Arizona State remains active in the portal even after these three additions. Things are beginning to move quickly now that the season is over for the Sun Devils, with Dillingham still aiming to add some depth at receiver, cornerback, and defensive end. Make sure to follow our live tracker for up-to-date news.