Secondary still an expected strength for ASU despite Nigel Pringle’s injury

TEMPE — Arizona State’s cornerback room got a bit thinner this week when Nigel Pringle was ruled out for the 2026 season with an injury he suffered at Camp T.

Pringle, an Arkansas transfer, factored in as a potential two-deep rotational piece for ASU, but secondary tends to see fewer in-game switches than most other spots on the defense.

“We don’t have a lot of people (at corner), but … I’ve been pleased with our corner play,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said.

ASU had to replace all five back-end starters entering last season: NFL draft pick Keith Abney II, now-Wisconsin cornerback Javan Robinson, graduated defensive backs Xavion Alford and Kyndrich Breedlove, and hard-hitting safety Myles “Ghost” Rowser, who’s trying to transfer amid a whirlwind of court rulings.

Who’s expected to start in the ASU secondary?

There’s a top pecking order of cornerbacks and safeties/nickels that became clear early in the process.

2 starting cornerbacks and another pushing for snaps

• Senior Ashton Stamps, an LSU transfer who had 12 passes defensed in 2024 (second in SEC)
• Junior Rodney Bimage Jr., who had a case to play over Robinson in 2025
• Freshman Daquwan Dunn, arguably the team’s most impressive freshman who picked off veteran quarterback Mikey Keene twice in a one-week span

3 base safeties/nickels and another who could finish in top 3 at season’s end

• Sixth-year Lyrik Rawls, a starting safety in the Big 12 for the better part of the last four years between Oklahoma State and Kansas
• Senior Montana Warren, entering his fourth season at ASU, all under coordinator Brian Ward
• Senior Adrian “Boogie” Wilson, who moonlighted admirably for Alford after his season-ending injury
• Sophomore Jessiah McGrew, a 6-foot-2 safety who had four interceptions, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles as a freshman at FIU

“Any time you get an opportunity to attract other student athletes that have played, they bring a wealth of experience to our team,” defensive pass game coordinator Bryan Carrington said. “It’s beneficial, very beneficial to the younger guys who haven’t played that they get to have those movies that those guys have experienced.”

Dillingham said Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, a Penn State transfer who played 164 defensive snaps last season, will be moved from safety to cornerback once back from an injury to help compensate for Pringle’s absence.

The Sun Devils changed only two position coaches from last season, as then-cornerbacks coach Carrington was promoted to assistant head coach along with the defensive pass game coordinator role.

Demetrice Martin, the father of former ASU cornerback Cole Martin, replaced Carrington as CB coach with previous recent work including coaching top NFL cornerback Christian Gonzalez while at Oregon.

ASU also moved former analyst David Gibbs into a safeties coaching role, which was previously held by Ward in addition to coordinating.

ASU opens its season on Sept. 5 against Morgan State. It then heads to No. 8 Texas A&M before traveling straight to London to face Kansas in its first Big 12 game of the year.

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