Over the offseason, Arizona State went digging into the wide receiver pool of the transfer portal in hopes of striking gold and finding another weapon to pair with last season’s leading receiver, redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson.
While many of the new pass catchers have shown flashes, one receiver has especially stood out in spring camp and continues to impress the coaching staff: redshirt freshman wide receiver Jaren Hamilton.
Under the Saturday night lights of Kajikawa practice fields, Hamilton shined once again. He slithered through the secondary and dusted defenders to corral a 50-yard touchdown pass from ASU starting quarterback, redshirt sophomore Sam Leavitt.
Coming to an endzone near you 👀#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/cJUvrgh8jW
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) April 13, 2025
The highlight added to the laundry list of plays the Alabama transfer has made throughout spring practices. It’s left an impression on head coach Kenny Dillingham, who’s excited to see how Hamilton can contribute in his first year in Tempe.
“[It’s] awesome to see him catch the football, get open, make explosive plays,” Dillingham said. “His speed is an X Factor for us … He puts in so much work behind the scenes that nobody will see, so I was fired up for him.”
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, the freshman’s speed brings an element to the Sun Devils’ offense that it seemed to lack at times last year. With his big-play ability, he believes he can complement Tyson well and create a nightmare dilemma for defenses.
“Being alongside JT (Jordan Tyson), I feel like me and him can really take the top off anytime we want,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to put defenses in a bind of – who should they guard, who should they swing the safety to? But just being explosive all around, having a tremendous amount of speed and athleticism, I feel like I can do a lot in this offense.”
Although Tyson eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season, he’ll need some more help on the outside to continue his success into next season. With a full season of tape out on the second-year Sun Devil, all eyes will be on the star wide receiver.
“We need a second option,” Dillingham said. “There’s no secret JT is our number one option. We need somebody else to step up … You have to have somebody else that if teams bracket JT, they go ‘dang, what about this guy.'”
Furthermore, his 1,101 receiving yards accounted for just over 34% of the team’s production through the air last fall. Slotted in second in the category, recently departed ASU running back Cam Skattebo held the bulk of the remaining receiving yards with 605 yards as a pass catcher.
With many of the team’s skill position players from last season exhausting their eligibility, the Sun Devils must now turn to some new faces to replace their production.
For Hamilton, who sat buried on the depth chart behind an array of talented receivers, the opportunity is more than welcomed. He now has a chance to do something he couldn’t do last fall in Tuscaloosa – compete for a starting spot.
“I like the competition … It’s not guaranteed [that] you’re the starter. I like to go into a room and compete, because at the end of the day, iron sharpens iron and it just makes us all better at the end of the day.”
But this competitive environment hasn’t dampened his relationship with his teammates in the wide receiver room. Instead, he shared a sentiment that aligns with the culture and community Dillingham has built at ASU.
“I feel like they accepted me with open arms, and just being around them, it feels like I almost went to high school with them,” Hamilton said.
Whether or not Hamilton will earn significant playing time remains to be seen. However, all signs point toward him having a hand in the Devils’ air attack next season. And for Hamilton, who came to Tempe in search of a larger role, the perfect storm seems to be brewing for him to make an impact in 2025.
“I think that’s a kid who fits this place,” Dillingham said. “We needed him, and I think he needed us, and I think it really is a perfect fit.”
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