ASU working to be ‘most connected team in college football’ as QB competition plays out

TEMPE — The first week of Arizona State football’s fall camp hasn’t added much clarity to how the quarterback depth chart will shake out, but the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job provided insight Friday into how tight-knit the group has already become.

ASU enters the fall with its most new-look roster since head coach Kenny Dillingham’s first season in 2023 — with upwards of 40 new faces — and the quarterback room is 75% newcomers.

A player-led culture, including by a significant amount of players remaining from the 2024 Big 12 title team, has sped up the process, veteran QB transfer Mikey Keene said.

“It translates to a lot of trust. A lot of trust on the field,” Keene said. “Trying to be the most connected team in college football. Everybody tries to say that, but we’re trying to be about it. Prove it with our actions.”

Cam Dyer is the only returning Sun Devil quarterback, although he spent most of his freshman season rehabbing a torn ACL from his final high school game and did not see the field at any point.

The three newcomers each have vastly different backgrounds of experience:

• Keene, who Dillingham has called “Mr. Consistency,” has 39 games of experience between UCF and Fresno State and spent last season at Michigan
• Cutter Boley, who earned SEC All-Freshman honors at Kentucky in 2025 and appeared in 15 games over his first two seasons
• Jake Fette, a heralded freshman who may have the highest overall upside out of the four

Dillingham said Friday was a “pretty sharp” day for the group, adding that Keene continues to be the example the coach sought over the summer to supplement the three younger signal-callers.

“Just the other day, Mikey’s not in on a rep, but he’s over there in walkthrough taking a drop and going through eye progressions,” Dillingham said. “And then some of the younger quarterbacks see it and they start taking a drop and going through eye progressions.

“Little things like that, that continue to stack and that’s why you want to stagger your room and have some vets with some young guys because everybody learns from each other.”

What did other ASU quarterbacks say about building the culture?

Spending time around each other, even when doing something as simple as going out to eat, was a big starting point, Boley said Friday.

“That was a big part of it. Just being together out here throwing, going out to eat, you know, literally whatever. Just being around each other, getting a vibe for how different guys are and just building a relationship with all the guys in the team,” Boley said.

Fette correlated how close the team gets to how much winning can be done during the season, and emphasized how it can happen for them even amid a quarterback competition.

“I love the quarterback room. We all hang out, we go to dinner all the time,” Fette said. “We’re not letting the competition get between us. We’re a group that’s really tight-knit.”

While Dyer has the advantage of previous time in Dillingham and coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s offense, he said he’s not trying to gate-keep the knowledge or anything like that.

“One of the big things about our group is we push each other on and off the field. I feel like in the classroom, it’s no different. We study together and we just push each other,” Dyer said. “I’ve tried to be that guy, obviously being a returner (and) the only one, just helping them in whatever they need and it’s a two-way street.”

Each ASU quarterback’s area of emphasis in offseason

Boley: “Just getting overall stronger was something I was working on a lot in the offseason with my feet, and my footwork and getting my feet faster. So, I think I have put a lot of muscle on in my legs and just kind of my body in general as a whole. … I really got in the training room, really rehabbing and taking care of my arm.”

Fette: “Mainly my feet and arm angles, feet especially. When you get up to the next level, quickening up, shortening up, everything (needs to) be on time. It’s real different than playing in high school for sure. And then just arm mechanics, making sure I’m as accurate as I can be.”

Dyer: “Just little things mechanically. Coming in at this level, you got to be really sharp with your feet, with your throws, your accuracy, all that good stuff. So just focused on really dialing in, pulling back my game, not being afraid to take that next step and just grow and develop.”

Keene: “It’s been a smooth transition. I’ve been in a couple different systems … but I’ve got a similar background to what we run here, so a lot of familiarity that I have with the offense. And just trying to get better every single day. Obviously I’ve got a lot of stuff to work on as well. There’s some things that I can definitely improve on, especially today. But just continuing to stack days.”

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