ASU’s tough stretch isn’t letting up. After a frustrating 2025 campaign, the Sun Devils are now without their top offensive lineman, as starting left tackle Josh Atkins has officially hit the transfer portal. For head coach Kenny Dillingham, it’s a blow that cuts deeper than a typical roster loss, and his public endorsement revealed how much this departure actually stings.

“Someone is going to get a baller!!” Coach Dillingham wrote on X as he shared the news of Atkins entering the transfer portal.

As upbeat as the message sounds on the surface, it also reveals Dillingham’s sense of loss. He knows exactly how much potential his 2025 team captain brings. Atkins was the stabilizing force of ASU’s offensive line, logging 39 straight starts, wearing the captain’s patch, and delivering some of the strongest performances in the Big 12 Championship win over Iowa State. It was one of the top marks by any Big 12 tackle in a postseason game. While he spent two seasons as ASU’s rock up front with 39 straight starts, he had already made his mark earlier at Hawaii as well. So when Dillingham praised him, it was a genuine recognition of what the left tackle meant to the program.

But beyond emotion, Dillingham’s endorsement serves two purposes. First, it elevates Atkins’ value immediately. A public stamp of approval from one of college football’s fastest-rising young coaches tells every program in the country that Atkins can step into a lineup tomorrow and upgrade it.

At the same time, the message works in Dillingham’s favor, too. In the transfer portal era, players watch how coaches treat departures. By celebrating Atkins on his way out, Dillingham signals to current and future recruits that ASU values its players as people, not just roster pieces. It shows a culture where even if things aren’t going ASU’s way, the Sun Devils are building the kind of program where loyalty runs both directions, and where players feel valued long after they leave the building. That’s the kind of environment recruits gravitate toward, especially during turbulent seasons.

Still, losing Atkins is a significant setback for ASU. But Atkins’ next path doesn’t seem short on options. With one year of eligibility left and a Power Five resume to brag about, he becomes an instant prize in the portal. While big-league programs needing a steady, experienced tackle will come calling, Group-of-Five teams searching for a day-one upgrade up front will be right behind them. To cap it off, with his roots in the region, Texas-area schools jump out as natural fits.

However, Kenny Dillingham’s ASU didn’t sit quietly, and their 2026 recruiting push tells its own story. With talents like four-star tackle Jarmaine Mitchell on the way, the staff is clearly stacking depth and preparing multiple routes to reload the line. And that’s backed up by Dillingham’s three years in Tempe, where the head coach consistently boosted recruiting momentum.

While Dillingham transformed ASU from a 3–9 team into an 11–3 squad in 2024, capped by a CFP appearance, their 2025 season didn’t meet expectations, and that may be fueling portal losses like this one. Now, as transfer speculation heats up, the uncertainty surrounding their injured quarterback only adds to the program’s growing concerns.

Will Kenny Dillingham’s QB return or not?

After months of transfer-portal speculation, Sam Leavitt’s Arizona State future just got a lot murkier. The quarterback was absent from the team banquet on Sunday. Here, Kenny Dillingham didn’t shy away from the moment, telling the audience he “wished him (Leavitt) well in whatever his future may hold.” But ASU insider Chris Karpman criticized the quarterback’s absence.

“Sam Leavitt should have been at the banquet to convey respect and appreciation for his teammates and coaches. It’s a bad look for him.”

Following that, Leavitt’s future with ASU remains in question, as rumors of a transfer have been swirling for months. Last month, On3 reported that Leavitt was expected to enter the portal before the 2026 season, with reps already scouting opportunities for him. Money and football both factor into the story.

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While Leavitt’s $1.8 million NIL portfolio makes him financially secure, AD Graham Rossini has promised to do “whatever it takes to build a great team.”

Now, losing the QB would be a major blow for Dillingham and the Sun Devils. Despite an injury that sidelined him for much of the season, Leavitt still racked up 1,628 yards with 10 TDs this season.

While nothing is official yet, only time will tell the truth.