Likens’ Four: Sun Devil QBs Talk Starting Opportunity

Quarterback battles can be tense when it’s between two quarterbacks. When there are four quarterbacks at play? Talk about some drama. That’s the case for Arizona State as Dillon Sterling-Cole is the only quarterback on the roster to log college minutes and the Sun Devils brought in three talented signal-caller commits who all opted to enrolly early. Offensive coordinator Rob Likens can paint the picture of the quarterback room entering their first meeting of the semester:

Nothing can break tension quite like food. 

Now it’s up to one of these four to separate themselves from the pack and nab the starting job. It probably won’t be decided until the school year turns over and the temperature goes to triple digits, but the Sun Devils certainly have options at the position:

Dillon Sterling-Cole, Redshirt Junior

Predominantly as backup to Manny Wilkins, Sterling-Cole accumulated 420 total yards and two career touchdowns. Entering this offseason, he lost over 25 pounds to help his dual-threat capabilities and has been a vocal leader in the quarterback room to get everyone up to speed.

Jayden Daniels, #2 Dual-threat quarterback
Commitment date: December 13, 2018

Daniels was the last of the 2019 trio to commit and is the #2 247Sports dual-threat quarterback in the nation. In his senior season, he threw for 4,515 passing yards, 60 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The dual-threat also rushed for 1,536 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

Joey Yellen, #9 Pro-style quarterback
Commitment date: June 10, 2018

Yellen comes from a decorated Mission Viejo program in California where he faced top competition week in and week out. As a senior, he threw for 3,516 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. Yellen, along with Daniels, was an Under Armour All-American.

Ethan Long, #23 Pro-style quarterback
Commitment date: June 4, 2018

Long was the first public commitment of the Herm Edwards Era. He has been described as a pro-style quarterback but is “able to move” when running. As a senior, he threw for 3,247 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in addition to eight rushing touchdowns.

It’s incredibly rare for a school to bring in three quarterbacks in a single class, and Long had every chance to de-commit and flip to another program. He opted to stay with the Sun Devils and said he never wavered in his decision:

Tuesday will kick off the “spring” session for the Sun Devils. The fun begins next week.