ASU DE Clayton Smith to return for 2026 following eligibility waiver, per report

Arizona State defensive end Clayton Smith has been granted a sixth year of eligibility and will play for the Sun Devils in 2026, Sun Devil Source’s Chris Karpman first reported.

Karpman added ASU will “test Smith in an offensive role this spring” despite him now being the only one of four defensive ends from the 2025 regular rotation to return. Smith caught a touchdown during a one-off rep last spring.

Smith won the appeal because of an injury that limited him to four games as a redshirt freshman while at Oklahoma in 2022.

He has played in 37 games at ASU since joining when coach Kenny Dillingham did in 2023, totaling 13 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 81 tackles in a Sun Devil uniform. He also has five passes defensed, two fumbles recovered and one fumble forced.

Smith was a member of the 12-man Pat Tillman Leadership Council in 2025.

ASU replenished its defensive end room with transfers Emar’rion Winston (Baylor), Jalen Thompson (Michigan State) and Kirtland Vakalahi (JUCO), with returning players Albert Smith III and Roman Pitre expected to take steps forward.

The tight end room, where Smith would be evaluated for an offensive role, lost its two biggest contributors from 2025 in Chamon Metayer and Cameron Harpole, who exhausted their eligibility. Returning player Khamari Anderson projects as the starter, with true sophomore AJ Ia also factoring in.

Smith was listed as an “athlete” without a specific positional designation on ASU’s 2026 spring roster, Karpman added.

ASU will begin spring camp later this month.

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