The Arizona State Sun Devils enter bowl season with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play under third-year head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Offensively, the team averages 211.1 passing yards and 189.4 rushing yards per game — nearly 400 yards in total — while scoring 24.7 points per contest.
On the receiving front, star wideout Jordyn Tyson — a 6-2, 200-lb redshirt junior — has been the focal point of the passing offense all season.
Unfortunately for Dillingham and the Sun Devils, multiple outlets reported on Wednesday that Tyson will forgo his senior year and declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Preseason expectations were high, as Tyson was named a preseason All-American, appeared on the watch lists for the Biletnikoff, Maxwell, and Walter Camp awards, and was a preseason First Team All–Big 12 pick.
Across nine games this season, despite missing time with a hamstring issue, Tyson logged 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.
In a marquee game against TCU Horned Frogs (September 26), Tyson hauled in eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns — including a 57-yard go-ahead score — pushing him past 2,000 career receiving yards.
His collegiate totals stand at 158 catches, 2,282 receiving yards, and 22 touchdowns over 33 games, split between nine at Colorado and 24 at ASU.
As a result of his production and 6-2, 200-lb profile, several draft analysts widely expect him to land in Round 1; some mocks slot him within the top 10 picks
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Dillingham took over as ASU head coach in 2023 and, in just three years, has engineered a rapid turnaround: from a 3-9 rebuilding season to an 11-3 finish and College Football Playoff berth in 2024, followed by a competitive 8-4 Big 12 campaign capped with a Sun Bowl bid.
Still, losing Tyson for the Sun Bowl — and ultimately for good as he departs for the NFL — represents a significant blow to Dillingham’s offense.
Tyson has accounted for a sizable share of the receiving production, and replacing his output will require younger or less-proven receivers to step up.
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