That quarterback gap is the whole story here. Boley inherits an ASU passing game that just lost its top target too, with Jordyn Tyson off to the NFL as an eighth overall pick. Kenny Dillingham stayed in Tempe despite plenty of other job offers, which says something about how much he believes in this build, but he's rebuilding the skill-position group from scratch after an 8-5 season that ended with a Sun Bowl loss to Duke.
K-State isn't walking in without its own scars. The Wildcats finished 6-6 last year and actually turned down a bowl bid, a rare and telling call amid the coaching transition. Klein brought in Sean Gleeson to run the offense and Jordan Peterson to run the defense, and both units are still finding their footing while replacing key pieces up front.
The Wildcats also lost starting tackles Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor to Indiana and top receiver Jayce Brown to LSU, so protecting Johnson and finding him targets is a real question mark heading into Big 12 play. Arizona State's issues run just as deep on the offensive skeleton, and Dillingham's title-game pedigree from 2024 only goes so far when the quarterback and top receiver both walked out the door.
Neither team enters this one as a finished product, which is exactly why it's worth circling. K-State's argument is experience at the most important position on the field; Arizona State's is a coach who's already proven he can win the Big 12 with less talent than people expected. Whoever settles into their new-look attack faster probably walks away with it.