Some squads get their shine before the season. Arizona State? They got laughed off the stage last year. After a 3-9 mess in 2023, folks had the Sun Devils bagged, tagged, and tossed in the Big 12 basement before a single snap. But Kenny Dillingham wasn’t having it. He handed the keys to a redshirt freshman named Sam Leavitt and burned every doubter’s prediction sheet to ashes. 11 wins, a Big 12 title, a playoff bid—and now? It just got spicier. Because on July 8, Coach Dillingham dropped a bomb that could flip the Big 12 all over again.

At Big 12 Media Days, Kenny Dillingham didn’t waste time playing coy. As the reigning Big 12 champ and Coach of the Year, he had the mic last—and he made it count. “I think JT [Jordyn Tyson] has really taken what (receivers coach Hines Ward) has said in terms of preparation and what it takes to be successful at the next level and he’s really embodied that,” Dillingham said. And just like that, the secret was out. Tyson—who missed last year’s playoff run with an injury—is officially Sam Leavitt’s go-to weapon in 2025. And that’s a big damn deal. Especially when you consider how ASU’s offense was already a nightmare for defenses without him.

Tyson already put the world on notice in 2024 with 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. But it was what he did on third downs that really made him a certified problem: 18 catches for 300 yards, averaging 16.7 per grab when it mattered most. That’s chain-moving, clock-burning, back-breaking stuff. The kind of player that turns 3rd-and-long into highlight reels. And now he’s healthy. Kenny Dillingham gave big props to his off-season grind: Add 10+ pounds of muscle, a faster 40 time, and the wisdom of Hines Ward in his corner? That’s not just a comeback. That’s a supervillain origin story.

And make no mistake—this ain’t just a “feel-good” comeback tale. Tyson is ranked No. 3 on ESPN’s list of top returning wideouts for 2025. Only behind that certain wide-outs from Alabama and Ohio State. He’s got the route polish, the hands, the separation, and now, the full go-ahead from the Sun Devils’ mad scientist head coach. Dillingham doubled down on Tyson’s growth, saying, “His preparation to be great is something that I’m super proud of and because of that he’s gained over 10 pounds, and he’s a mile and a half faster than he was this time last year because he’s preparing like a pro, and there’s not anybody else better to show you what that looks like than a guy like Hines Ward at that position.” Translation? Tyson’s not just another WR1—he’s BIG12WR1.

The chemistry’s real, and the numbers back it up. Sam Leavitt is SleeperCFB’s No. 1 QB in the Big 12—and his 2024 stat line was nasty: 2,885 passing yards, 24 TDs, just 6 picks. Oh, and he added 443 yards and 5 TDs on the ground. After missing a game against Cincinnati, he came back and cooked—throwing 16 touchdowns with only 2 INTs to close out the season. That’s video-game stuff.

PFF even ranked him and Tyson as the best QB-WR duo in the country heading into 2025. Wasserman and Chadwick from PFF dropped the mic: “Tyson and Sam Leavitt (No. 2 in PFF’s quarterback rankings) form the best quarterback-receiver combo in college football heading into 2025.” The only combo that made the preseason All-Big 12 team together? You guessed it—Leavitt and Tyson. Both are projected first-rounders in next year’s NFL Draft. And here’s the kicker: some folks argue that the only reason Texas won the Peach Bowl was because Tyson wasn’t suited up. Now he’s back? Let the Big 12 beware.

And with Cam Skattebo off to Big Apple, expect more fireworks from this duo. 

Kenny Dillingham is all confident in their defense

Losing safety Shamari Simmons hurts. That DB was a certified game-wrecker. But Kenny D and defensive coordinator Brian Ward aren’t sweating it. The Sun Devils return 10 starters from last year’s nasty unit, and 18 of 22 from the two-deep. That kind of continuity lets you get creative, and Dillingham’s ready to level up schematically. “You could see the comfort in the system,” he said. “It’s going to allow us to be a little more versatile this year.”

Don’t forget: ASU led the Big 12 in rushing defense in 2024 and finished 14th nationally. Anchoring the trenches is DT C.J. Fite, while LB Keyshaun Elliott and safety Xavion Alford bring the boom behind him. On the edge, Prince Dorbah and Clayton Smith return as sack artists, and the unit adds JUCO monster Joshua Shanklin plus Oregon transfer My’Keil Gardner to beef things up.

Linebackers? Deep and violent. Elliott, Jordan Crook, and Zyrus Fiaseu form one of the most physical units in the Big 12. In the back end, it’s Alford and Keith Abney II holding it down, with new blood like endarchy Breedlove and Nyland Green plugging in from the portal. And after Dillingham admitted they struggled to close out passing downs last year, he’s making it personal. “We struggled when we got teams into passing downs. So we’ve worked all offseason on how to create pressure on the quarterback, how to create match-ups with the fronts and how to move the fronts around. So, that’s what I’m excited about.” That’s a coach ready to bring the heat.

The Vegas books are catching up too. Arizona State opens the year as one of the Big 12 title favorites again, sitting at +650. From laughing stock to title talk in 12 months flat? That’s the Dillingham effect.