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Kalen Ballage
His role has decreased during conference play, but he helped the Sun Devils tremendously through their first three games of the season. He's proved himself to be a dual threat, accumulating 88 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and five receptions for 67 yards with a touchdown through the air. His most memorable play to date came on a screen pass against Colorado, where he found his way into the end zone from 38 yards out.
He is currently second in carries on the team behind D.J. Foster, but hasn't been able to showcase his skills on kickoff return. The rushing game has struggled the past two games, so Ballage's production has gone down with it, but he's proving himself to be a solid option in short yardage situations. He currently ranks fourth on the team with 208 all-purpose yards too.
Armand Perry
Perry earned starts in the New Mexico and Colorado games, but Kweishi Brown has since wrestled away the starting job. He has 20 total tackles and had his best performance against the Buffaloes with nine tackles. He has also earned his keep on the punt block team, getting his hand on a punt against Weber State and coming close twice against USC.
DJ Calhoun
Probably the least surprising member of this list, Calhoun has come into his own since the Colorado game where he had seven tackles. He improved upon that mark against USC with nine tackles and a sack. As an early-enrollee in the spring, Calhoun had a chance to learn the system and now it's showing. As Carlos Mendoza continues to get healthier, it may become more of a competition at the WILL linebacker position. But if Calhoun continues to improve, it's his starting job to lose.
Christian Sam
Laiu Moeakiola's health continues to be in limbo after he injured his shoulder against UCLA. While he played against USC, it was clear he wasn't 100 percent, only recording three tackles. Sam did an impressive job in replacement of Moeakiola against Colorado at SPUR linebacker with five tackles and a sack. As Mendoza returns to compete at WILL linebacker and Marcus Ball continues to get first team reps at SPUR linebacker, Sam will have to work a lot harder to earn playing time. Five tackles against USC is a solid start to keeping his name in the conversation at one of the linebacker spots.