Should ASU start freshman Jake Fette at quarterback?

TEMPE — Arizona State is staying tight-lipped about its quarterback situation for Saturday’s game against Kansas State after Mikey Keene replaced Cutter Boley at halftime of last week’s loss.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham said Monday he didn’t want to give the conference opponent any free knowledge that he wasn’t required to divulge.

Given how much better the ASU offense looked behind Keene than Boley on Saturday, albeit against a defense playing with a 43-10 lead at halftime, all signs point to the Chandler High School alum Keene getting his first start since transferring to his Valley home for his sixth and final college season.

But ASU has a third quarterback who could also be part of the conversation, as Jake Fette has taken strides while developing in his freshman season.

Fette has always had a lot of zip on his throws, and the accuracy has seemed to get better with each month. He is also the most mobile quarterback on the roster, one who averaged 100 rushing yards per game and 10 yards per carry his last year of high school when he was a top-10 quarterback in the 2026 class.

Plus, he may have gotten an inch or two taller from his 6-foot-1 listing at the beginning of the season.

“He was in an hour on Sunday and an hour yesterday before practice. There’s no breaks,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said Tuesday. “He can’t take a break, can’t take your foot off the gas and be casual, even if you’re not going because his growth has got to happen. It’s got to happen because at any point, something can happen.

“His response has been awesome. … I’m proud of him. I think he’s got what it takes. He’s just got to stay on it, and I got to stay on him.”

However, like any freshman would, Fette had a slight deer-in-the-headlights look to him in practice situations at competitive speeds during parts of spring and fall camp, before those types of reps dipped during the season.

It would be asking a lot of even the most ready-made freshman QB to debut against Kansas State, which boasts by far the No. 1 pass defense in the Big 12 at 136.3 yards per game allowed (second is 172.2), before a game at No. 2 BYU the week after.

ASU may need more of that stabilizing force under center for now, and Keene has appeared in 41 college games after he threw for for 256 yards and two touchdowns on 74% passing in the second half on Saturday.

Dillingham on Monday described Keene’s leadership style as similar to recent standouts like Cam Skattebo and Xavion Alford, bringing a vocal aspect that this year’s group has largely lacked.

However, if one or both of the next two matchups are losses, that’s when ASU’s opportunity to evaluate what it has in Fette should become a real consideration. It’s extremely similar to the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback room with Keene and Fette mirrored by Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck, respectively.

The Sun Devils’ final four games after Kansas State and BYU:

• vs. Colorado (2-4)
• at UCF (3-3)
• vs. Oklahoma State (4-2)
• at No. 25 Arizona (5-1)

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