Arizona State is going to have to finish the year without its best player on defense. On Monday, head coach Kenny Dillingham confirmed that All-Big 12 safety Xavion Alford will miss the rest of the 2025 season due to injury. It’s a huge loss for a Sun Devils defense that’s already had trouble keeping things together in the back end.
Alford hasn’t seen the field since Week 2, and there had been some hope behind the scenes that he might return at some point later in the season. That’s no longer on the table. Dillingham didn’t get into the specifics of the injury, but made it clear that Alford’s year is over.
That’s a brutal blow for Arizona State. Alford was a difference-maker last season and came into 2025 as one of the most respected defensive backs in the Big 12. He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024 after racking up 85 tackles and locking down some of the league’s better passing attacks. He was more than just a stat guy. He was the guy who held things together when plays broke down.
Without him, the Sun Devils lose their most vocal leader on that side of the ball. He was the guy who lined everyone up pre-snap, made adjustments on the fly, and served as a steadying force when younger players got caught out of position. That role doesn’t get filled overnight.
This also puts more pressure on the front seven, who will need to generate pressure and keep things from getting stretched out. The timing is pretty awful, but there’s never exactly a good time to lose your best defensive weapon.
Arizona State just lost its most important defensive piece, and that’s going to change the way they have to play. It’s not about adjusting expectations. It’s about finding a way to compete with what’s left.
