He's won a high school state title on ASU's field, he's beaten Arizona State on ASU's field, and this Saturday, he very well may be the starting quarterback for the Sun Devils on ASU's field.
Despite Kenny Dillingham's refusal to announce a starter to the public after Wednesday's practice, sources told CBS Sports that Mikey Keene is expected to be the starter on Saturday vs. Kansas State.
Winning two state titles with Chandler High School, the Arizona native has a chance to be the first ASU starting quarterback that is from Arizona since Trenton Bourguet in 2023.
"A lot of great football memories here," Keene told the Arizona Republic in August. "Obviously, coaches from Chandler High School, the dynasty we were able to build. A lot of my time there, transitioning from Coach Aguano to Coach Garretson. Grateful for the opportunity I've been able to play there. Grateful to have grown up here.''
After graduating from Chandler, Keene committed to the University of Central Florida, playing two seasons in Orlando. Keene then made his way back west, transferring to Fresno State for two seasons. Finally, he made his way to Michigan in 2025, but missed the entire season due to injury.
Despite being spread out across the map during his college years, Keene is still an Arizona kid at heart.
"This is my home. I haven't lived anywhere else besides my college career, but 17 years in the same house,'' Keene told the Arizona Republic. "My parents are still in that same house today. It's a super, super special experience to be able to be in your hometown, and I wear that with a lot of pride. Walking in this building every day, I'm grateful and humbled every single day to be a part of this program."
In his college travels, Keene has shown an ability to win at every stop he has made.
It started at UCF, where he was thrown into the starting position after an injury to Dillon Gabriel. Keene led the Knights to a 2021 Gasparilla Bowl victory over Florida, totaling 1,730 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Fast forwarding to Fresno, Keene was the starter for the Bulldogs in the 2023 season.
The Chandler native led Fresno State to wins over Purdue and, as many ASU fans remember, Arizona State in a 9-4 season for the program.
Keene threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns against the Sun Devils in ASU head football coach Kenny Dillingham's first season.
"Super surreal moment," Keene said in 2023, after the win. "Being able to come home and have a lot of people that I haven't had watch me in a long time, since I was in high school. That was special for me. I knew I had to stay level-headed, cool, calm and collected."
Fresno State would finish the season with a win in the New Mexico Bowl.
Even at Michigan, where Keene saw no playing time due to injury, one thing was still top of mind for the quarterback: winning.
"The number one thing I want Michigan fans to know about me is really my mentality and what I'm trying to bring to this program," Keene told the media in 2025. "The only thing that I'm focused on is winning. There's no personal accolades, there's no striving toward something after this year. This is my final year of college football, and I want to win. I want to win a championship. I have not been able to do that in my college career yet. I was blessed in high school and had that opportunity, so I'm chasing that feeling."
Now with a second chance at a final year, the mentality remains the same for the former Chandler QB.
UCF: 15 Games, 65.6 Completion Percentage, 2,377 Passing Yards, 23 Touchdowns, 7 Interceptions
Fresno State: 24 Games, 68.7 Completion Percentage, 5,868 Passing Yards, 42 Touchdowns, 21 Interceptions
-
At ASU:
Vs. Morgan State: 4/7, 32 Passing Yards, 57.1 Completion Percentage
@ Texas Tech:25/34, 73.5 Completion Percentage, 256 Passing Yards, 2 Passing Touchdowns
Vs. Kansas State: ???
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizonastate as REPORT: Mikey Keene Expected To Start For ASU vs. Kansas State, According To CBS Sports .
