TEMPE — Ben Coleman was named Arizona State football’s starting center by coach Kenny Dillingham on Saturday.
“Ben’s going to be our starting center. He worked for it, he’s prepared,” Dillingham said after the final practice of fall camp. “I said we wanted to move guys around throughout camp, and we feel like he gives us the best chance to win football games.”
ben coleman will start at center for asu. kenny dillingham says it gives them the best chance to win games. pic.twitter.com/NMaQ8Fl9ex
— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) August 23, 2025
Coleman was a preseason All-Big 12 pick as an offensive lineman, but playing center is new territory for the graduate senior. Throughout spring and fall camp, the former standout at left guard was in line to take over for all-conference departure Leif Fautanu.
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But after some spotty snapping at points, Coleman was pulled from the role during the Camp T scrimmage, and redshirt freshman Wade Helton, a summer transfer from Iowa State, got some looks over the following week and a half.
In the end, Coleman was able to fend off the younger Helton with his experience both in playing at the Power Four level and also his leadership as someone with a developed relationship with quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Texas State transfer Jimeto Obigbo has been taking reps at left guard when Coleman has snapped, whereas Coleman was at left guard when Helton snapped.
Center and nickel were the only two starting positions across the offense and defense to go down to the wire, as the Sun Devils return nearly 80% — the second most in the nation — of their 2024 production, per ESPN’s Bill Connelly.
Dillingham said Saturday nickel — where the team is replacing Shamari Simmons — isn’t a position where one guy is likely to get a majority of the snaps, so he’s not treating it as a situation with a starter.
Purdue transfer Kyndrich Breedlove has been taking slightly more of the first-team reps than Montana Warren, a redshirt sophomore who started for Simmons in the Peach Bowl due to a targeting suspension.
“Just two really good athletes just competing everyday and getting themselves ready to play. And both guys are gonna help us tremendously this year,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said Saturday of the position.
When asked if he sees it the same way as Dillingham with split reps, Ward said, “We’ll see.”
Breedlove played in all 12 games last season with most of his time coming at nickel, along with a short stint out wide, against Big Ten offenses. He had three interceptions and four passes defensed.
Warren had been playing nickel exclusively over roughly the last week of camp because of how close the battle was getting.
“He’s really capitalized off those days, he’s really gotten better and more comfortable just being at that one spot,” Dillingham said Tuesday. “He’s been all over the place for our defense, and now he’s settling into the spot.”
The only other starting spots that were vacant — two receiver spots behind Jordyn Tyson — were filled by redshirt senior Malik McClain and Fresno State transfer Jalen Moss.
Projected 2-deep for Arizona State football
Offense
QB: Sam Leavitt, Jeff Sims
RB: Kyson Brown, Kanye Udoh, Raleek Brown
WR: Jordyn Tyson, Malik McClain, Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton, Harry Hassmann, Derek Eusebio
TE: Chamon Metayer, Cameron Harpole, Khamari Anderson, AJ Ia
LT: Josh Atkins, Jalen Klemm
LG: Jimeto Obigbo, Sean Na’a
C: Ben Coleman, Makua Pule
RG: Kyle Scott, Terrell Kim
RT: Max Iheanachor, Champ Westbrooks
Defense:
DE: Clayton Smith, Prince Dorbah
DL: C.J. Fite, Zac Swanson
DL: Jacob Rich Kongaika, Ramar Williams
DE: Justin Wodtly, Elijah O’Neal
LB: Keyshaun Elliott, Zyrus Fiaseu
LB: Jordan Crook, Martell Hughes
CB: Keith Abney II, Rodney Bimage Jr.
NB: Kyndrich Breedlove, Montana Warren
S: Xavion Alford, Adrian Wilson
S: Myles Rowser, Tony-Louis Nkuba
CB: Javan Robinson, Nyland Green
Special teams:
K: Jesus Gomez, Carston Kieffer
P: Kanyon Floyd, Matt McKenzie
Ret: Raleek Brown, Jalen Moss, Jaren Hamilton
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