Arizona State Adds Key Defensive Player from Former Pac-12 Rival
Kenny Dillingham, head coach of Arizona State, continues to bolster his roster through the transfer portal.
After taking over as head coach in November 2022, Dillingham didn’t have much time to recruit in-state talent for the 2023 class, as many Arizona high school players had already committed elsewhere. However, with the help of the transfer portal, he’s now bringing some of that talent to ASU, including a significant addition in defensive lineman My’Keil Gardner.
Gardner, a former redshirt freshman defensive lineman at Oregon, has officially committed to Arizona State. He becomes the second defensive addition and the first defensive lineman to join the Sun Devils through the transfer portal this winter.
Gardner was one of three transfer commitments for ASU over the weekend, joining former Texas State offensive lineman Jimeto Obigbo and former Nebraska redshirt freshman Xander Ruggerroli. Overall, ASU has added nine transfers during the winter portal window.
Gardner, who hails from Arizona’s Liberty High School in Peoria, was a three-star recruit in 2023. In his senior season, he was a dominant force on the defensive line, helping Liberty achieve an 11-1 record and a narrow loss to Saguaro High School in the Arizona Interscholastic Association Open Division semifinals.
During his time at Oregon, Gardner appeared in three games in 2023, recording one tackle. He did not play in 2024 due to an undisclosed injury.
Gardner joins an ASU defensive line that recently saw six players enter the transfer portal. Notably, defensive linemen Landen Thomas, Harold Brooks II, J’Mond Tapp, Tristian Monday, Myles Amey, and Kyran Bourda all left before the new year.
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