Arizona State knows what it takes to enter a season as a dark horse and actually make something happen.
FOX Sports has named the Sun Devils a “dark horse” team for 2026, and head coach Kenny Dillingham has already shown he can turn that kind of chance into a conference title. That’s exactly what Arizona State did in 2024, when the Sun Devils won the conference and reached the College Football Playoff.
This year’s team won’t look the same. Running back Cam Skattebo and quarterback Sam Leavitt were both major pieces of that 2024 run, but neither is playing for Arizona State now. Dillingham will have to find a way forward without them.
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Fortunately, he’s already started reloading. Arizona State brought in two of the top four receivers available in the transfer portal, adding Reed Harris from Boston College and Omarion Miller from Colorado. The Sun Devils also landed four-star quarterback Cutter Boley from Kentucky.
Miller could be one of the most important additions. The wide receiver broke out in a big way at Colorado last season, becoming the team’s top target. He finished with 45 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
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When Miller entered the transfer portal, he was rated the fourth-best receiver available. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver also brings experience with him. During his three years at Colorado, Miller totaled 1,258 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now, he’ll get the chance to make his mark at Arizona State.
The Sun Devils have some intriguing games ahead, including a Week 2 trip to Texas A&M and a Week 7 matchup at Texas Tech. They’ll also close the regular season against Arizona in Week 13. Those games could give Arizona State some real chances to show whether it can compete at a high level again.
Dillingham has already done it once. Now he’s trying to do it with a new group of players, and the transfer portal has given him lots of talent to shape his roster.