Arizona State's Secondary Room Ready to Take Off This Season

The Sun Devils have retooled their defensive backfield with several key transfer portal additions.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

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The Arizona State Sun Devils are set to enter the 2026 season with a revamped secondary, having lost previous starters Xavion Alford and Myles "Ghost" Rowser to the NFL. The team has added several key transfers, including Kansas S Lyrik Rawls, Florida International S Jessiah McGrew, and LSU CB Ashton Stamps, to bolster the defensive backfield. Assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Bryan Carrington is bullish on the group, praising their size and depth, with the cornerback room now eight-deep on scholarship players.

Why it matters

The changes in the secondary are part of a broader strategy by head coach Kenny Dillingham to build depth and talent across the roster through the transfer portal. This approach aims to avoid being "held hostage" in the December transfer window and ensures the Sun Devils have quality options at every position, including the critical defensive backfield.

The details

Arizona State has brought in several high-profile transfers to shore up the secondary, including Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls, Florida International safety Jessiah McGrew, and LSU cornerback Ashton Stamps. Carrington highlighted the length and athleticism of the group, noting they now have eight scholarship cornerbacks compared to just five last season. The additions are part of a broader roster-building strategy employed by Dillingham, who believes in "stocking the pond" with talent across the board to avoid being vulnerable to portal attrition.

  • The Sun Devils are set to enter the 2026 season with a revamped secondary.
  • Xavion Alford and Myles "Ghost" Rowser, previous starters in the secondary, have moved on to pursue NFL opportunities.

The players

Bryan Carrington

Arizona State's assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator.

Lyrik Rawls

A transfer safety from Kansas who has joined the Sun Devils.

Jessiah McGrew

A transfer safety from Florida International who has joined the Sun Devils.

Ashton Stamps

A transfer cornerback from LSU who has joined the Sun Devils.

Rodney Bimage Jr.

A defensive back slated to step up as a legitimate star for the Sun Devils this season.

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What they’re saying

“I mean, our secondary looks like a basketball court at this point, and that's kind of like what you want, yeah, no, we got a lot of length out there, you know. And we're like eight deep at cornerback from a scholarship standpoint, similar to we only had five last year, yeah, you know. So we got ideal, prototypical bodies in those rooms, you know. So that's the exciting part, you know.”

— Bryan Carrington, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Passing Game Coordinator (PHNX Sun Devils podcast)

“Nowadays you have to stock the pond in college football. If you stock the pond, if you make those cornerbacks look like clones, then nobody can hold you hostage in December, because you still have other bodies in that room when you have outliers, that's how you get yourself in those type of situations. So I'm a big firm believer that nowadays you got to stack the pond. I believe that it's talent all across the country.”

— Bryan Carrington, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Passing Game Coordinator (PHNX Sun Devils podcast)

The takeaway

Arizona State's aggressive approach to rebuilding its secondary through the transfer portal reflects a broader strategy by head coach Kenny Dillingham to build depth and talent across the roster. This should help the Sun Devils avoid being vulnerable to portal attrition and position the team for success in the 2026 season and beyond.