Kenny Dillingham and his coaching staff at Arizona State have had a busy past week as the transfer portal officially opened up. Immediately, the Sun Devils found out they’d have the tough task of replacing their starting quarterback, Sam Leavitt.
Just six days into the portal madness, Dillingham has already secured an impressive, experienced quarterback to address arguably the program’s biggest need.
Mikey Keene Brings Experience as Arizona State Searches for Sam Leavitt’s Replacement
In seven games this past season, Leavitt threw for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He was on pace to have another solid season for the Sun Devils before undergoing season-ending surgery on his foot, which sidelined him after the team’s 24-16 loss to Houston in late October.
After being the starter for ASU the past two seasons, coach Dillingham had to find a replacement and did just that with the announcement of bringing in Michigan Wolverines quarterback transfer, Mikey Keene.
Although he didn’t get to play at Michigan, Keene has four seasons of starting experience on his resume and has accumulated 8,245 yards in his college career thus far. His two best seasons occurred in 2023 and 2024 at Fresno State. In 2023, he threw for 2,976 yards for 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 67 percent completion. He improved his accuracy the following season, jumping up to 70 percent, but threw for fewer yards and an additional two interceptions.
In his career, Keene has thrown 65 passing touchdowns and 28 interceptions, achieving a 67.8 career completion percentage during his tenure with both Fresno State and UCF. He brings a tremendous amount of experience to the Sun Devils next season as they look to bounce back after winning only 8 games this past season. Two seasons ago, ASU won 11 games and lost to the Texas Longhorns in double overtime in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal.
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As the starting quarterback for Fresno State back in 2023, the Bulldogs shut out the Sun Devils in Tempe, Arizona, in a 29-0 rout. Looking for his sixth year of eligibility, the senior will more than likely battle Kentucky Wildcats sophomore transfer Cutter Boley and other guys at the position to become ASU’s new starting quarterback.
Although nothing is set in stone for him to be named the new starter, Keene does bring in the most experience next season, and if the Sun Devils want to return to the team they were just two seasons ago, he may be their best shot. Although it hurt to see Leavitt hit the portal, it created ample opportunities for Dillingham and his staff to be more aggressive and proactive in the portal this year.
