Jake Fette ‘in line to start’ against No. 8 BYU

Arizona State freshman quarterback Jake Fette is in line to start at No. 8 BYU, the first of his college career, Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham said on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta.

Fette starting Saturday in Provo, Utah, is dependent on the availability of sixth-year quarterback Mikey Keene, who is questionable with a knee injury he suffered during his first ASU start last week against Kansas State. Keene had taken over for Cutter Boley at halftime of the previous game.

Keene is a gametime decision and would start if he’s able.

“Yeah, that’s very accurate,” Dillingham said of ESPN’s Pete Thamel’s initial report. “The plan is probably Jake, but Mikey practiced all week. Mikey moved around pretty decent, so we’ll see where he is on Saturday.”

Although Keene has practiced in a limited capacity this week, the expectation that Fette was in line to start against BYU has been present since he took over for Keene against Kansas State, when he helped spark a 28-17 comeback win after the Sun Devils trailed 17-14.

Fette completed 3 of 6 passes for 45 yards across four full drives. The offense was more reliant on freshman running back Cardae Mack, who scored all four ASU touchdowns in the win.

“We felt like there was a lull, and you could see it with the guys on the sideline,” Dillingham said postgame. “Jake’s got that look in his eye. Jake’s got the swagger, the confidence when he moves around. We just wanted the spark there with Jake.

“We all know how good of a player Jake is. You just want to do everything you can to protect really good freshman at the quarterback position. You never want to put them in a position that can ruin him.”

Fette was ASU’s top recruit in its 2026 class and was the 11th-ranked quarterback in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Aside from the Kansas State game, the only other action Fette has seen came in ASU’s season opener against Morgan State, when he went 1-for-2 for 13 yards.

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