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Mikey Keene will start at QB against Kansas State, report says
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- Mikey Keene will start at QB against Kansas State, report says
For the third time this week, coach Kenny Dillingham declined to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming game against Kansas State on Oct. 24. Cutter Boley was benched for Mikey Keene in the second half in the loss to Texas Tech. Dillingham, typically very transparent, was asked twice during his weekly Monday press conference about who the starter will be and both times said he wouldn't be talking about it.
At practice on Oct. 21, Dillingham was again asked if he planned to reveal publicly who the starter will be ahead of the game. Dillingham said no.
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"There's no reason to send it in right now. Our team knows. It's not hidden for us."
But about 10 minutes after practice ended, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported that ASU is expected to make a change at quarterback and start Keene against Kansas State.
Steve Nash visits team
For the second time since Dillingham took over as coach, former legendary Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash spoke to the team. Nash also spoke to the team in 2024.
The meeting was already scheduled ahead of the season to come during the midway point.
"Somebody to break up the monotony of my voice," Dillingham said. "My voice, knowing you hear it for all year. But sometimes I think guys need to hear a different voice. Usually the messaging is similar."
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Nash touched on the aspects of what it means to be successful.
"Success looks a certain way. It acts a certain way. There's certain habits that most people you talk to (who), have had whatever level of success that they've determined, they usually have the same habits that are similar habits, similar mindset. So it was good for them to hear it from somebody else from an outside source."
Dillingham details lengthy Sunday meeting
Following the blowout 53-25 loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 17, Dillingham and his staff met for about four hours to discuss all the moves that were made in the offseason.
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Dillingham said that this is a discussion they have on an annual basis halfway through the season and wasn't prompted by the Texas Tech loss.
"We face a league that's multiple offensively," Dillingham said. "Do we want to be two-high? Do we want to be one-high moving forward? Well, if we do want to do that, then let's recruit to this. Do we want to be blank offensively? Do we want to tweak into this mode?"
The meeting was an introspective one.
"We just assess, OK, where are we? What are the things we want to get better at in the future? Why are we where we're at? Are there things that we could have done better structurally, practice-wise, as we were building this thing? And then we take notes on it. That way we hopefully never make the same mistake twice."
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Dillingham declines to name starting quarterback
Since being hired by Arizona State in 2022, football coach Kenny Dillingham has usually been transparent when it comes to personnel changes and injuries.
So it was a break from the norm when Dillingham was tight-lipped about who will be the starting quarterback for the upcoming game against Kansas State on Oct. 24.
Sophomore quarterback Cutter Boley, the team's priority target in the transfer portal and one of the top NIL earners for ASU, was benched in the second half of the 53-25 loss to Texas Tech for senior Mikey Keene as the Sun Devils fell to 3-3 on the season.
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Twice during his press conference on Oct. 19, Dillingham was asked about changes at quarterback. Dillingham refused to name a starter.
"I'm not really going to get into that in great detail," Dillingham said. "Like, I said up until the game, I got a lot of confidence in both of these guys. You know, conference opponent, I'm not going to get into much detail about that, or any detail."
When asked again later in the press conference, Dillingham doubled down.
"I'm not going to get much into the quarterbacks and all that today. I'm fairly open in here, but I'm just not going to get into all of that right now. I thought there was some good, some bad. I thought there were a lot of things that I could do better with getting our guys into position to be successful on early downs. I think there's a lot of room for us to get better."
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Boley has not played to the level coaches envisioned in the offseason, a vision that made him the team's first signing in the transfer portal. Through six games, Boley has passed for 1,353 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Keene, a local product from Chandler High , has only seen extensive action in one game this season but was impressive, completing 25-of-34 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the second half against Texas Tech.
The team waited until just a week before the season opener to name Boley the starter for the 2026 season on Aug. 29.
Near the end of his media availability, Dillingham was asked why he was declining to name a starter.
Dillingham, who said he knows who the starter will be and that he will tell the team as well, mentioned that it had to do with it being a conference game. More of a gamesmanship decision than indecisiveness.
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But it's clear this team is still searching for answers.
There is no "magical " solution to that, Dillingham says.
Dillingham and his staff met for four hours this past weekend to assess all the moves made during the offseason.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @RLSscribe .
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mikey Keene will start at QB against Kansas State, report says
