TEMPE — Kenny Dillingham had quite the call up on Saturday for Arizona State football’s young players, who he says need to be counted on.
“I want to see one of these young guys step up and say, ‘Play me,'” the head coach said. “And there hasn’t been enough of that.”
Dillingham said he’s looking for “six to 12” more young players to show their reliability, whether it be redshirt sophomores down to true freshmen.
The true freshmen already with the team should still be enjoying the relaxing parts of high school like prom, as offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo recently noted, so for them to be a bit behind the eight ball mentally checks out.
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“We need more of these guys to know the system good enough to where they’re verbalizing it loud and confident,” Dillingham said. “And I know that doesn’t happen overnight. That’s part of development, but you know, you should never be satisfied with where you’re at. You should always try to push yourself.”
The call to action came after ASU had its first scrimmage of spring camp at Mountain America Stadium, where players have to adjust to a different type of grass from the Kajikawa Practice Fields in addition to the obvious adjustment to stadium lighting.
“I thought it was good juice. I think our guys like football,” Dillingham said of how the team responded. “I just think we have a lot of growth to do. And I know that’s cliche, but man, like we’re going to have to count on some of these guys. Some people don’t even know their names yet and (we) have to count on them. And I want to see more out of that group.”
Which young players have stood out so far for Arizona State football?
Dillingham named tight end AJ Ia (true freshman), linebacker Martell Hughes (true sophomore) and redshirt freshman defensive backs Rodney Bimage Jr. and Plas Johnson as the biggest young players who have jumped out to him through two out of five spring camp weeks.
Ia, who came into camp at a staggering 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, looks the part with how his vertical speed allows him to weaponize the size.
He earned attention when he broke away for an endzone grab in 1-on-1s during the first week of camp, barreling into a media member in the process (she was okay).
“He’s physical, he studies and cares at an elite level,” Dillingham said March 27 of why Ia can make an immediate impact. “And when you’re a guy with that size, that athleticism … you usually play early. Our tight end room is good, and it’s a challenging room to crack, but it’s our job as a staff to get the best players on the field.
“If AJ proves and continues his trajectory, then he may be a guy that we have to get on the field. … He may be a guy that makes me play him.”
The defenders Dillingham named have each already made an impact on the program and are on track to see their roles expanded.
Last season, Hughes blocked a UCF punt that Montana Warren returned for a touchdown, Johnson recovered a gutsy onside kick in the win over BYU and Bimage played as a depth corner utilized mostly in blowouts.
Another true freshman on the offensive side, running back Demarius Robinson, has caught the eye of Arroyo in particular.
“Pound for pound, he’s exactly what we saw on film. His personality, his ability to come out and compete right away,” Arroyo said on Thursday. “You got these 16-, 17-year-old kids coming in mid-semester, they’re drinking through a fire hose.
“And so to have (Robinson) come out or have AJ come out and to be able to be that impactful, that energetic, that powerful to want to compete, that’s exactly how you infuse a program to take it to the next step.”
Wide receiver is one position with room for a freshman to step up after 2024 starters Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall graduated.
The Sun Devils’ 2025 freshman class includes four receivers — Cory Butler Jr., Chance Ables, Harry Hassmann and Uriah Neloms — but the group has been characterized more by flashes while the trio of transfer additions — Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton and Noble Johnson — have earned more of the snaps in the two-deep so far.
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