Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive lineman Prince Dorbah (32) against the Colorado Buffaloes at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The highly-anticipated first Big 12 game in ASU football’s history is on the horizon with a matchup against Texas Tech, and the early matinee on Saturday could see multiple Sun Devils return from injuries.
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According to Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, defensive end Prince Dorbah (leg) will be back for the clash against the Red Raiders. For linebacker Jordan Crook (undisclosed) and offensive lineman Sean Na’a (leg), Dillingham revealed that they both have a realistic chance to return as well.
Defensive tackles Jacob Kongaika and Zac Swanson and running back DeCarlos Brooks are all questionable vs. Texas Tech. Cornerback LT Welch (undisclosed) and linebacker Tate Romney (broken arm) both remain out.
“We got Prince back which is huge for us. Hopefully we will get Sean Na’a back, which we should get him back too. We should get Jordan Crook back at linebacker there,” Dillingham said on Monday at a press conference. “Both of the defensive tackles that were out last week are still questionable, that’s a 50/50. Hopefully we get one of the two back, hopefully that’s how it spins out but we don’t know yet. LT will still be out. Brooks is still questionable, we got to see how he progresses throughout the week… Tate Romney is still out, arms don’t heal quick.”
Dorbah, a transfer from Texas in 2022 and a Dallas native, is set to return to his home state and make his season debut. In his first year as a Sun Devil in 2023, the redshirt senior played 10 games, collected 30 total tackles, six sacks and defended one pass.
Crook, who is from Duncanville, Tex., is looking likely to also go back home and play his first game for Arizona State. The 6-foot, 220-pound junior transferred from Arkansas where he racked up 40 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, one sack and a forced fumble in 25 games (two starts) for the Razorbacks.
Starting as a true freshman in a prominent role last year, Na’a is now a sophomore and will look to build off of his impressive first season at ASU. He played in nine games (seven starts) and was one of 20 true freshman offensive linemen to line up for 400-plus snaps in 2023.
Running back Raleek Brown returned from a hamstring injury and played against Texas State, though Dillingham expressed that he is not fully healthy just yet and will be monitored leading up to Saturday’s game.
“Raleek is still in this questionable state where he is healthy but he is not, we have to wait for him to get into full speed,” Dillingham said. “I don’t think I want to play him at 85-90%, I don’t think that is fair to him. He is questionable as well in terms of how we want to use him and if he gets to full speed, 100% we’ll play him. If he is in the mid-90s, we’ll hold him.”
Brown had two carries and a reception for two yards against Texas State. He transferred to ASU after spending the past two seasons (2022-23) at USC.
The Sun Devils are 3-0 on the season and will be entering Big 12 play after departing from the Pac-12. With players coming back from injury, it will be interesting to see who starts and who comes off the bench going forward against tougher opposition.
Arizona State faces Texas Tech on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
