Arizona State and Kenny Dillingham landed a key defensive piece in the transfer portal that can anchor the Sun Devil defense.

Keyshaun Elliott, formerly of New Mexico State, will arrive in Tempe as a junior. The Richmond, Mo. product racked up 138 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 6 pass breakups and a forced fumble over two seasons as an Aggie. The majority of those numbers came during a 2023 campaign in which Elliott truly became a leader for Jerry Kill’s defense, as he led the team in tackles and started in every game.

Elliott is a big body at 6-foot-3, 225 lbs., and he uses his frame well. Known as a sure-tackler that makes offensive players feel him when he hits ’em, Elliott flies from sideline-to-sideline and is a very instinctive player.

He should step right in and contribute on an Arizona State defense that struggled mightily in 2023. The Sun Devils allowed 31.8 PPG, 263 YPG through the air and 133 YPG on the ground. Those numbers were incredibly similar to the ASU defense’s performance in 2022 as well, and six teams have scored 40+ points on ASU in the past two years.

Keyshaun’s cousin Linval played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers.