For Kenny Dillingham, 2025 is crunch time at Arizona State. After two seasons, it’s make-or-break. Last year’s 11-3 run for the Big 12 champs? That magic’s going to be tough to repeat. Dillingham’s lost key guys like RB Cam Skattebo and WR Jake Smith to the NFL Draft. But hey, he still has QB Sam Leavitt holding the fort. Leavitt’s already got NFL scouts buzzing, and his right-hand man is set to make his Arizona gig smoother. The Sun Devils are in the spotlight, thanks in part to Dillingham’s RB Skattebo and his wild Pro Day stunt.

Leavitt is all set to leave no stone unturned to gift Dillingham a fabulous season. So much so that he often gives himself a reminder on how to improve himself. There are seven words written on a whiteboard that is affixed on the QB’s refrigerator. It reads, “How great do you want to be?” Now that’s what you call motivation. He has one of the biggest tools—the strong, accurate right arm that has produced 2,663 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. And how could we forget the mobility factor? It helped Leavitt rack up 543 rushing yards. His best feat came as he brought some main character energy, throwing for 222 yards on 24-of-46 passing with 1 interception in the 2024 Peach Bowl. Ever since then, he has been getting compared to NFL-level dudes. 

On the March 22 episode of the Arizona Sports podcast, analyst Jesse Morrison came with a bold take on Kenny Dillingham’s QB. “I think he’s playing one more year at ASU, gonna be a first- round pick. That’s my opinion.” However, he will be fortunate to get help from Sun Devils’ WR Jordyn Tyson. As per co-host Jeremy Schnell, “We could see that, and someone that’s going to help with that is Jordan Tyson.” Pro Football Focus even had Tyson third on a list of returning wide receivers in college football.

The breakout receiver’s numbers do all the talking. Tyson is coming off a redshirt sophomore season in which he had 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games. He is just behind Ohio State’s WR Jeremiah Smith in terms of receiving yards. Now Schnell’s co-host, Damon Allred, too, talks highly of Tyson. “When we talked about Jordan Tyson’s NFL aspirations, I would kind of say he doesn’t look like an NFL receiver to me just in terms of the size. You can’t say that anymore.”

Last season, Dillingham’s WR fell prey to a season-ending injury in Arizona State’s Week 14 clash with Arizona and underwent surgery. However, he has put in a lot of effort to build a bigger frame for himself. “He is much bigger this season; he looks like an NFL receiver when you’re up close with him. And I think we’re going to see that in how the offense is run as far as the routes he put in, you know maybe more physical routes. Obviously we know how good he is as a run blocker too. So I think that it could really help the team just to have him more in peak physical shape.” A physical team is Dillingham’s clear goal. And despite the side-eyes at Skattebo’s Pro Day move, Dillingham’s support shows he’s got his players’ backs, no matter the play.  

Kenny Dillingham’s solid defense for Cam Skattebo’s unique approach 

Now Pro Day is a big event for the players making it to the NFL. It’s like the best platform to launch their talents in front of their NFL suitors. Unlike most prospects who follow the traditional route of participating in the Big 12’s pro day, Skattebo chose to keep things private. Dillingham’s RB opted for a private workout at the Sun Devils’ camp. With this, he wanted to put the focus solely on individualized showcase over the standardized pro-day format. Well, this was somewhat expected considering his previous moves.

At the Combine, Skattebo participated in only select drills. He opted out of key tests such as the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and bench press. Rather, Dillinham’s star RB chose to showcase his lower-body explosiveness and athleticism by doing a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. Instead of going against Skattebo, the HC was busy covering him up. 

“There are competitive people, and then there are people who want to be the best at everything. They want to be the center of everything. I mean, the contact, balance, the grit—all that stuff is what separates him. And I just can’t wait. Some team is going to draft him. Some team’s fan base is going to get really excited about drafting him. There’s gonna be a lot of jerseys sold and a lot of touchdowns.” That’s how Kenny Dillingham gave Skattebo’s Pro Day choice a pass. Now, his priority? Building that Leavitt-Tyson chemistry into a full-blown offensive weapon.