Arizona State Sun Devils

Head coach: Herm Edwards, fifth season (25-18)

2021 season: 8-5, 6-3 Pac-12 Series with CU: Sun Devils lead 9-3

Who: Arizona State Sun Devils at Colorado Buffaloes

When: Saturday, Oct. 29, time TBA Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

QB Emory Jones: A 12-game starter at Florida last year, he’s a dual threat much like ASU’S former quarterback, Jayden Daniels. Last year, Jones completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,734 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while rushing for 759 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

LB Merlin Robertson: A sixth-year senior, he posted 64 tackles, and three interceptions a year ago. In his career, he’s piled up 237 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and five passes deflected.

DL Nesta Jade Silvera: He was a twoyear starter at Miami before transferring this offseason. In 11 games last year, he had 38 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. In four years with the Hurricanes, he had 105 tackles and 16 tackles for loss.

LB Kyle Soelle: Another sixth-year senior, he led ASU with 88 tackles last season. He also had eight tackles for loss, one sack and four pass breakups.

Entering his third year as a starter, he’s one of the team leaders.

RB Xazavian Valladay: Transfer from Wyoming was first-team All-mountain West in 2019 and 2020 and second team last year. He posted two 1,000-yard seasons at Wyoming (2019, 2021) and racked up 3,281 yards and 19 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Cowboys. He also caught 51 passes.

• Donnie Henderson takes over as defensive coordinator. His 40-year career includes a previous stint as a defensive backs coach at ASU, from 1992-97. He worked with current CU head coach Karl Dorrell in 1994. Originally hired as a consultant last year, he wound up serving as the interim defensive backs coach before being promoted to coordinator after Pierce resigned.

• Glenn Thomas was hired as the new offensive coordinator. The 44-year-old has been coaching for more than 20 years, most recently as the offensive coordinator at UNLV the past two seasons. UNLV averaged just 17.3 points per game in 2020 and 20.8 last year. He’s also been a co-coordinator at Baylor (2017-19) and coordinator at Temple (2016). At each of those stops, he also coached quarterbacks. Thomas’ career also includes seven seasons with the NFL’S Atlanta Falcons (2008-14), first as an offensive assistant and then three seasons as quarterbacks coach.

• ASU led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (20.8 points per game) and total defense (386.0 yards per game) last year. They also led the Pac-12 in scoring defense in 2020 (23.3).

• Former Colorado receiver/cornerback Tarik Luckett joined ASU as a junior college transfer in the offseason. Luckett played two seasons at CU, shifting from receiver to cornerback (where he made two starts) as a true freshman in 2019. He spent last year at Cisco Community College in Texas.

• Left guard Ladarius Henderson is one of only two returning starters on the offensive line, but he’s one of the best in the Pac-12. The other returner is Ben Scott, a two-year starter at right tackle who spent the spring playing center.

• Sophomore D.J. Taylor is one of the best returners in the Pac-12. He averaged 21.0 yards on kickoff returns last year and 13.6 yards on punt returns.

• Redshirt sophomore Daniyel Ngata will challenge Valladay for the starting spot at running back. If both are healthy, the Sun Devils should have a good 1-2 punch. He was the third back last year and gained 309 yards and four TDS on only 56 attempts (5.5 average).

• Since 2011, the first season of the Pac-12, ASU has a turnover margin of plus-76, second in the conference to Oregon (plus-86). In that time, the Sun Devils have had negative margin just once, in 2016. Last year they were even.

• After losing its first seven meetings with ASU, CU has won three of the last five, including the last two in Boulder (2016, 2018).

If there’s team in the Pac-12 that could challenge Colorado for the most tumultuous offseason in the portal, it’s ASU. The Sun Devils lost 20 players, including three-year starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (LSU); three starting wide receivers in Ricky Pearsall (Florida), LV Bunkley-shelton (Oklahoma) and Johnny Wilson (Florida State); their top returning running back, Deamonte Trayanum (Ohio State to play linebacker); starting linebacker Eric Gentry (Southern California); and one of the best defensive tackles in the Pac-12, Jermayne Lole (Louisville).

Several quality depth players left, as well. The Sun Devils did, however, add 13 players, including Jones, Silvera and Valladay – who are all expected to make an immediate impact.

In addition, offensive linemen Des Holmes (Penn State), Chris Martinez (San Diego State) and Joey Ramos (Iowa State) are expected to compete for starting jobs, as is tight end Messiah Swinson

(Missouri).

Receiver Cam Johnson caught 120 passes in the last three years at Vanderbilt and will fight for a starting spot, as well. Defensively, safeties Khoury Bethley (Hawaii) and Chris Edmonds (Samford) are projected as starters.