clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

ASU Football: Updated Transfer Portal Tracker

Dillingham making moves every day.

Syndication: Arizona Republic Alex Gould/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

If you are having a hard time keeping-up with all of the transfer portal news for ASU football, this is the place to be. Roster turnover continues to happen every day, and House of Sparky will do its best to monitor all incoming and outbound transfers from the program.

For information on commits or signees in the 2023 high school recruiting class, click here.

This post is updated as of 2/7.

Recent Inbound transfers:

Clayton Smith - EDGE - Queen City, Texas (Oklahoma)

Trickling in late in the transfer window is Clayton Smith, perhaps Kenny Dillingham and Brian Ward’s most talented defensive acquisition from the transfer portal. Smith was a consensus top-50 prospect in the 2021 class by recruiting services. He was Rivals’s no. 2 edge prospect in the class.

He struggled to find consistent playing time in Norman, finding minutes in just eight games, and recording 8 tackles (1 for loss).

Previous Inbound transfers:

Shamari Simmons - Defensive Back - Lineville, Alabama (Hutchinson CC / Austin Peay)

Simmons was a standout-defensive back in JUCO for two years before transferring to Austin Peay, where he played in 16 games in two years. In 2022, he intercepted three passes and two pass breakups, securing himself a All-ASUN Conference Award.

Xavion Alford - Safety - Pearland, Texas (Texas / USC)

Xavion Alford received playing time as a true freshman at Texas in 2020 before transferring to USC in 2021.

Alford played in 11 games (he started in 2 games) at USC as a safety and on special teams in 2021, collecting a team-high 3 interceptions (2 of which came against ASU), along with three pass-breakups. He did not appear in 2022 due to a medical procedure.

In 247Sports’s 2020 recruiting class, Alford was the No. 8 safety overall.

Troy Omeire - Wide Receiver - Sugar Land, Texas (Texas)

From our colleagues at Burnt Orange Nation:

“A rare flip from Texas A&M to Texas, Omeire was a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 241 player and the No. 43 wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

“One of the standouts of preseason camp in 2020, Omeire appeared poised to outperform those rankings and potentially become the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, but an ACL injury sidelined him for the season. Upon his return in 2021 under the new coaching staff, Omeire suffered another injury to the same knee and missed the season. Finally healthy this season, Omeire appeared in three games and had one reception for seven yards, but wasn’t able to break into the rotation.

Dario Longhetto - Kicker - Newbury Park, California (Cal)

Another Charlie Ragle import, Dario Longhetto will compete with recently-committed high school prospect Carston Kieffer. In three seasons as a starter at Cal, Longhetto made 26-of-36 attempts (72.2%) and 71-of-73 extra points (97.2%). From beyond 50 yards, He was 3-for-5.

Dashaun Mallory - Defensive Tackle - Bolingbrook, Illinois (Michigan State)

Mallory was tabbed as the No. 2 defensive tackle prospect in Illinois by 247Sports coming out of high school, and comes to ASU as a graduate transfer. At Michigan State, Mallory played in 27 games, while starting in a handful of those appearances. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound tackle recorded 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Bram Walden - Offensive Tackle - Scottsdale, Arizona (Oregon)

Walden bolsters an already-impressive group of offensive linemen that are transferring into the ASU program. A Scottsdale-Saguaro graduate, Walden was the No. 2 prospect overall in Arizona from the 2020 recruiting class, and a four-star recruit. He was also listed as the No. 85 prospect in the country by 247Sports.

Standing at 6-foot-5, Walden has put on over 30 pounds in two seasons at Oregon. He is the fourth offensive lineman to join ASU from the transfer portal in December.

Xavier Guillory - Wide Receiver - Spokane, Washington (Idaho State)

In three seasons at Idaho State, Guillory caught 91 passes for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns. His season-highs all came in 2022, with 52 receptions, 785 yards and four scores.

Aaron Frost - Offensive Tackle - Long Beach, California (Nevada)

Frost was a two-time Second-Team All-Mountain-West selection in five seasons at Nevada, though he missed all of the 2022 season with a knee injury. He spent the majority of his snaps at right tackle.

Leif Fautanu - Offensive Lineman (interior) - Honolulu, Hawaii (UNLV)

Fautanu started 28 games at center for UNLV over the last three seasons.

Melquan Stovall - Wide Receiver - Gardena, California (Colorado State)

Stovall, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound receiver, combined for 1,170 yards and a touchdown on 121 receptions in four seasons at Nevada and Colorado State.

Sam Benjamin - Defensive Tackle - Marana, Arizona (Idaho State)

In 2022, Benjamin recorded six total tackles and a pass deflection at Idaho State under Charlie Ragle and Vince Amey.

Maxwell Iheanachor - Offensive Tackle - Los Angeles, California (East LA College)

Iheanachor was another player who visited last week and signed Wednesday. The juco product is currently listed as the No. 2 offensive-line prospect in California by the 247Sports Composite.

Drew Pyne - Quarterback - Junior (Notre Dame)

“According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Pyne visited Tempe over the weekend and clicked with coach Kenny Dillingham. He also noted how Dillingham’s role in developing Bo Nix at Oregon played a role in his decision as well.

Pyne went 8-2 in 10 starts at Notre Dame last season, taking over the lead role after Tyler Buchner was injured in a 26-21 upset loss at home to Marshall that dropped the Fighting Irish to 0-2.

Pyne threw for 2,021 yards and 22 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions, leading Notre Dame back into the top 25.” - Dylan Wilhelm, House of Sparky.

Kyle Scott - Offensive Lineman -Sophomore (Riverside Community College)

Scott served as the starting right tackle for a Riverside squad that went 12-1 in 2022. With Isaia Glass and Emmitt Bohle looking like they will return to ASU, there will be competition at tackle barring a positon change.

Elijah O’Neal - EDGE - Sophomore (Butte Community College)

O’Neal is a three-star transfer prospect, and the No. 2 edge-rusher in California. The 6-foot-4-inch, 240-pound linebacker was recruited by A.J. Cooper.

Ben Coleman - Offensive Lineman - Junior (Cal)

Coleman will be a prime candidate to fill LaDarius Henderson’s spot on the offensive-line, as Coleman has started 16 of his 22 games at left guard.

Travion Brown - EDGE - Junior (Washington State)

Brown joins his linebackers coach (A.J. Cooper) and his defensive coordinator (Brian Ward) as a Cougar-turned-Sun Devil this offseason. In four years at Wazzu, Brown tallied 119 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced-fumble and an interception.

Prince Dorbah - EDGE - Sophomore (Texas)

Dorbah, a four-star prospect out of high school, played five games for the Longhorns in 2022, but never broke stride. The 6-foot-3-inch, 243-pound pass-rusher from Dallas is yet to record his first collegiate sack. He was rated No. 190 in the 2020 ESPN Top-300.

Cameron Skattebo - Running Back - Sophomore (Sacramento State)

After losing X Valladay and Daniyel Ngata, ASU is starting to bolster its running back room. Skattebo is a nice addition to the position group that already saw the addition of DeCarlos Brooks. Skattebo, the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, combined for 12 all-purpose touchdowns and 1,373 rushing-yards.

Jake Smith - Wide Receiver - Junior (Texas / USC)

Smith, a consensus four-star prospect out of high school, was the No. 49 prospect in the 2019 class. In two seasons at Texas, Smith caught 48 passes for 568 yards and nine touchdowns. He did not play in 2021 at USC due to a foot injury, and he stepped away from the team in 2022. According to Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource, he is completing his degree and will be classified as a graduate transfer.

Smith was also the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2018 at Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep.

Tate Romney - Linebacker - Freshman (BYU)

Another Valley-raised Cougar is coming home. Romney served a full mission for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2020-2022, so this past season was his first collegiate experience. The Chandler-product was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and he took a redshirt-year in 2022 after appearing in just three games.

DeCarlos Brooks - Running Back - Junior (Cal)

Aguano and Dillingham strike again with another Chandler Wolves legend. Brooks was another member of the Chandler class of 2019 that won three-straight state championships, and he contributed 55 total touchdowns on 4,317 all-purpose yards.

In 2022 at Cal, Brooks took 59 carries for 250 yards (4.2 yards per-carry) and one touchdown.

Jacob Conover - Quarterback - Sophomore (BYU)

There is no doubt that running backs coach Shaun Aguano had some pull on this one. Conover won three-straight state titles at Chandler with Aguano as head coach. He was tabbed as a four-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite ranking, and went to BYU over offers from Alabama, ASU, Ole Miss and more.

At BYU, he completed 5-of-11 passes for 45 yards in two games over the span of two seasons.

Josh Carlson - Punter - Junior (New Mexico State)

Carlson fills the vacant punter position by way of New Mexico State. As an Aggie in 2022, Carlson averaged 40.5 yards per-punt, and added 15 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Slater Zellers - Long Snapper - Senior (Cal)

Zellers brings four years of long-snapping experience from Cal, a sweet name and a rocking head of hair to Charlie Ragle’s special-teams group.

Krew Jackson - Linebacker/Safety - Freshman (Kansas State)

To the naked eye, Jackson’s 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound frame is reminiscent of former Sun Devil and current USC linebacker Eric Gentry. Jackson, a Queen Creek-native, was ranked as the No. 14 prospect, as a safety, in Arizona’s 2021 class, according to Rivals.

At Kansas State, he recorded a sack and an interception while appearing in just three games.

Tristan Monday - Defensive Lineman - Freshman (Wisconsin)

Monday, a Scottsdale native and graduate of Saguaro High School, recorded 11 sacks at Saguaro before committing to Arizona. After visiting Madison, Monday flipped to Wisconsin, where he was buried down the depth chart during the 2022 season.

The former three-star stands at 6-foot-4-inches and 240 pounds.

*****

Outbound transfers

Isaiah Johnson - Cornerback - Redshirt Sophomore

Johnson was the highest-recruit on the team in 2022, and often impressed when he received snaps, but inconsistencies in the offseason have prevented Johnson from breaking into an everyday-starter role. The former No. 12 prospect in California, Johnson should get Power-Five opportunities should he not return.

*Johnson withdrew his name from the transfer portal

Connor Soelle - Linebacker - Graduate Transfer (Committed to Oregon)

The expectation was that Connor Soelle would fill-in at his brother Kyle’s starting-linebacker spot upon Kyle’s exit, but it appears that the Soelle brothers will both be leaving the program at the same time. Connor Soelle was a special teams mainstay the last two years in Tempe, and he also recorded 13 solo tackles as a reserve linebacker in 2022.

B.J. Green II* - Defensive Lineman - Junior

Green was potentially the defensive lineman with the highest motor for the Sun Devils the last two years. Green combined for 7.5 sacks in the last two years. As a walk-on true freshman in 2021, Green led the ASU defense in sacks with five.

*Green withdrew his name from the transfer portal

Emory Jones - Quarterback - Senior (Committed to Cincinnati)

With one year of eligibility remaining, Jones decided to enter the portal in an attempt to find a secure starting job elsewhere. With Trenton Bourguet staying, and the Jacob Conover coming back to the Valley, that job security does not exist in Tempe.

Jones started seven games for the Sun Devils in 2022. His concussion against Washington opened the door for Bourguet to get reps, in which he largely impressed. Following the 15-14 loss to Stanford, Jones was benched.

He threw for 1,533 yards on a 62.8% completion-rate with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. On the ground, he ran for four scores. He enters the portal as a graduate transfer

Ben Scott - Center - Senior (Committed to Nebraska)

Scott was a three-year starter for the Sun Devils, playing every game each of the last three seasons up until an injury that kept him on the sidelines against Oregon State. Coming into the 2022 season, Scott was selected to the All-Pac-12 Third Team.

Eddie Czaplicki - Punter - Junior (Committed to USC)

Czaplcki’s exit sits right near LaDarius Henderson’s at the top of the list for most impactful. It was announced Tuesday that Czaplicki earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors. On Wednesday, he announced he was leaving ASU.

Cam Johnson - Wide Receiver - Graduate transfer (Committed to Northwestern)

Johnson simply never seemed to crack the two-deep on the depth chart, and only saw a few snaps per game in the receiver rotation. In 2022, he caught 10 passes for 84 yards.

Joe Moore* - Defensive End - Junior

Moore is one of the most talented Sun Devils to be entering the portal this offseason. Coming to Tempe as a four-star recruit, expectations were high for Moore, who slowly improved as a Sun Devil, but he never seemed to reach his true potential.

In two full seasons, he recorded three-and-a-half sacks and 30 total tackles.

*Moore committed to Washington shortly after entering the portal, but he will no longer be attending the school. He remains in the portal.

John Ferlmann - Long Snapper - Sophomore (Committed to Ohio State)

After I completely jinxed it in a previous article, Ferlmann entered the portal Monday evening.

Gage King - Long Snapper - Junior (Committed to UCF)

King primarily spent his time in Tempe as a scout-team long snapper.

LaDarius Henderson - Left Guard - Graduate Student (Committed to Michigan)

Henderson’s exit is by-far the most consequential portal entry for ASU so far. In 32 games at ASU, he established himself as the offensive line’s strongest draft prospect, even with teammates such as Cohl Cabral, Kellen Diesch, Dohnovan West and more.

The Texas-native never returned to action this year after sustaining a finger injury against Washington that required surgery. He carries one more year of eligibility.

Omarr Norman-Lott - Defensive Lineman - Junior (Committed to Tennessee)

Nobody knows the portal quite like Norman-Lott, who returned to ASU last offseason after a short stint in the portal. This season, he matched his sack total (2) from 2021, but his tackle count was basically halved from 30 to 14, though playing defensive-line can be a thankless task on the stat sheet.

He has three more years of eligibility.

Jace Feely - Kicker - Sophomore (Committed to Colorado)

Feely, the son of former NFL-kicker Jay Feely, lost the kicking competition to Carter Brown in fall camp, and never received any meaningful playing-time in Tempe. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Daniyel Ngata - Running Back - Sophomore (Committed to Washington)

Let’s be honest, Ngata never received a true opportunity to shine as the lead-back in Tempe, and he probably can get that chance at another power-five school.

In three seasons as a Sun Devil, Ngata tallied 689 yards-rushing on 5.1 yards per-carry and six touchdowns. His freshman year in 2020 saw the emergence of transfers Rachaad White and Chip Trayanum, to which Ngata took the back seat in the rotation. That dynamic remained the same in 2021. This season, the running game was centered around Wyoming-transfer Xazavian Valladay.

He just never got over the hump on the two-deep like he was expected to. Ngata’s departure shouldn’t surprise the majority. Ngata’s name is yet to officially enter the portal, but it was quietly reported Thursday, and he has removed ASU-related content from his social media.

Anthonie Cooper* - Defensive End - Junior

Anthonie Cooper leaving for the transfer portal was a little more surprising. Cooper, a Glendale-native, showed flashes of bright spots amid an ever-struggling front-seven in 2022. This past season, he was tied for the team lead in sacks with 2.5, a slight step-down from his 3.5 sacks last season.

The former three-star should get power-five opportunities.

*Cooper withdrew his name from the transfer portal on Monday 12/12.

Paul Tyson - Quarterback - Graduate Transfer (Committed to Clemson)

Tyson, who transferred to ASU in the spring, is allowed to use another penalty-free transfer because he is classified as a graduate student. He battled for the presumed starting quarterback job in the spring, but that competition between Tyson and Trenton Bourguet was upended by the summer-arrival of Emory Jones

Finn Collins - Quarterback - Sophomore

Collins, a three-star quarterback, never broke through into the top-3 spots on the quarterback depth chart.