Arizona State's disappointing 2025 encore is all but over. Big questions loom in Tempe

Arizona State entered the 2025 season with high hopes. The Sun Devils won the 2024 Big 12 title in their first year with the conference and parlayed that momentum into the program's inaugural appearance in the College Football Playoff, coming within a heartbreaking overtime loss to Texas of reaching the CFP semifinals. 

The Sun Devils led the nation with 17 returning starters off of that championship team, including quarterback Sam Leavitt -- the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year -- and star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who is viewed as one of the top skill position prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

247Sports' Big 12 team site experts picked Arizona State to repeat as Big 12 champion in their preseason media poll. The AP Top 25 poll voters backed that hype up by voting Arizona State 11th in their initial rankings, six spots higher than any other Big 12 program. 

It didn't take long for the wheels to fall off. Arizona State lost on the road against Mississippi State in Week 2 and subsequently plummeted out of the AP poll. The Sun Devils rebounded a bit once conference play began but an encouraging 2-0 start was quickly derailed by mounting health issues. 

Leavitt suffered an injury in Arizona State's Big 12 opener against Baylor. Though he initially tried to battle through it, he missed a 42-10 loss to Utah and, on Oct. 31, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham announced that Leavitt would undergo season-ending surgery. 

To compound matters, Tyson has been limited with a hamstring injury, which often prove tricky for wide receivers. He was out for Arizona State's Wee 9 loss to Houston and he's listed as doubtful for his team's Big 12 Championship Game rematch against Iowa State in Week 10. 

All of this has Arizona State staring at a 5-3 record, including a 3-2 mark in Big 12 play. A repeat appearance in Arlington is an extreme longshot; a return to the College Football Playoff is a pipe dream. 

With the once-promising 2025 season now all but lost, Arizona State is going to face some big questions as its year winds down. 

What happens with coach Kenny Dillingham? 

It's clear that Dillingham loves Arizona State. He graduated from Arizona State in 2012 while he was coaching at the high school level and broke into the collegiate ranks as an offensive assistant for the Sun Devils from 2014-15. 

It will be hard to get Dillingham out of Tempe. 

"I find it nothing, to be honest," Dillingham said Monday when he was asked about coaching speculation. "What's real is what's in our building, so I am so singularly focused on what's in our building. Nothing is real out there. It's all what gets clicks, what sells, what creates the best reality show in college football in the market you're in. So you better not get lost in the show, and you better be who you are and be grounded."

But, given his recent success and his reputation as a 35-year-old offensive wunderkind, he'll be a hot name in the coaching carousel. 

And there's some major vacancies that already need to be filled. Dillingham's name was linked to LSU not long after the Tigers moved on from Brian Kelly. There's the potential that Penn State and Florida have interest, as well. 

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what's expected to be the wildest coaching cycle college football has ever seen. Arizona State may have to battle to retain his services, whether he's said the right things or not. 

Will Leavitt return? 

Leavitt will have options, whenever he is cleared to play again. He's a draft-eligible redshirt sophomore, which means that he could test the professional waters. 

After a breakout effort in his first season as Arizona State's starter, he entered the 2025 season with decent NFL Draft stock. There was the thought that he could play his way into the first-round conversation with his versatility and athletic ability. 

That stock has likely tanked due to his injury issues. If the NFL is off the table, Leavitt could go the way of the transfer portal. 

Arizona State did well to retain him last offseason. There's no doubt that, regardless of injuries, plenty of big programs would do whatever they can to lure Leavitt away. 

Then, of course, he could always return to Arizona State. He's already a Sun Devil icon, he has a proven track record of success in the offense and he and Dillingham have nice rapport. 

Dillingham said during his appearance on Arizona Sports radio that he has not thought much about Leavitt's future. 

"I haven't even asked him that (about his plans)," Dillingham said. "I just feel bad for him. This season, he's been dinged up all year and he's been battling for our football team. It's unfortunate that he just hasn't gotten any better.   

"I'm more in the, 'Man, I feel bad for you, what can I do for you right now as you go into surgery' before looking into is he going to go pro or those next steps for him. He 100% is a professional quarterback but, for me, I'm more worried about him right now."   

Who steps up on offense? 

Arizona State's offensive issues go beyond the injury bug. The Sun Devils haven't been able to adequately replace do-it-all star Cam Skattebo, who was carving out a starting role in his first year with the New York Giants before he suffered a devastating ankle injury. 

New leading rusher Raleek Brown has done well on the ground, but he lacks Skattebo's versatility. Arizona State doesn't have a healthy player on its roster that can come close to the impact Skattebo had. 

Tyson's injury also underlines the issues that Arizona State has at receiver. Tyson will almost certainly turn pro after this season, which creates a huge hole in ASU's passing attack -- regardless of who is at quarterback. 

Tyson is the only wide receiver on Arizona State's roster with more than 210 yards this season. A lack of impact receivers outside of Tyson was an issue for the Sun Devils last season, as well, though Leavitt and Skattebo were able to cover that up. 

Without Skattebo and Tyson, and with the potential that Leavitt leaves, Arizona State is going to have to identify new stars for its offense in 2026, be that through development, high school recruiting or the transfer portal.