- Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was hired in November 2022, making the class of 2023 high school seniors his first group of signees.
Dillingham didn’t have a lot of time to land some solid recruits before signing day, but it’s evident that he has no problem finding good players. In less than three months in Tempe, ASU’s head coach was able to put together his ’23 class of 21 signees. Two of the signings were redshirt freshman defensive lineman Landen Thomas and linebacker K’Vion Thunderbird.
Thomas and Thunderbird were ranked as three-star recruits by 247sports. Thomas was a quick grab out of Louisiana, committing to Arizona State within weeks of Dillingham’s hire and signing to the Sun Devils during the early signing day period in December 2022. Thunderbird, a Chicago native, made his commitment in January of the following year, signing his national letter of intent in February 2023.
Thomas, Thunderbird Headed To Mountain West
After two seasons with ASU, Thomas and Thunderbird entered the transfer portal and have announced their commitments to continue their careers at Mountain West schools.
Thunderbird announced his commitment to Fresno State on Jan. 8. Thomas followed suit a day later with his commitment to UNLV. Neither player had played any snaps for the Sun Devils.
Thunderbird was one of the earlier transfer portal entries for Arizona State, throwing his name in the portal when the winter window opened on Dec. 9. The linebacker picked up offers from Arkansas State and Colorado State.
Dillingham is a man of his word, constantly supporting his former players in search of new homes. In response to Thunderbird’s announcement via X on Dec. 10, Dillingham praised his former linebacker as one of the “hardest workers” on the team.
Thomas’ journey through the portal was a much shorter ride, committing to the Rebels just a week after announcing he was transferring.
The defensive lineman entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3 during the five-day window granted to ASU players following the Peach Bowl. Dillingham raved about his former player in his response to Thomas’ announcement on X. UNLV agreed with his sentiments.
“No brainer for somebody out there!!!! Wants to play! Great person!,” Dillingham tweeted.
Thomas is swapping roster spots with ASU transfer signee, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jalen Moss, who caught 103 passes for 1,269 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons with the Bulldogs.
The new Mountain West contenders are two of 19 former Sun Devils to enter the transfer portal following the 2024 regular season. They join sophomore defensive back Cole Martin (UCLA), redshirt junior tight end Markeston Douglas (Florida State), redshirt sophomore safety Kamari Wilson (Memphis) and redshirt freshman cornerback Keontez Bradley (Buffalo) as former Sun Devils to land at new schools.