Elijah O'Neal
Elijah O'Neal
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent three seasons in the Arizona State defensive front. One game to point at: 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL against Houston — Week 9, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Kenny Dillingham.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kenny Dillingham
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. Tackle volume for the position at a full-time starter's level.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Arizona State | 37 | 18 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Arizona State | 28 | 13 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Arizona State | 11 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 76 | 37 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025
W 26–22
vs Texas Tech
1 TOT · 1 PD · 1 QB HUR
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 4 at home.
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Arizona State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Arizona State
Returning around him
- 4 Arizona State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +3 net (24 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Arizona State · Last season: 8-5 (AP #24) · Talent rank #33 · 2026 recruiting class #40
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Zach VanValkenburg’s 2021 season.
Matches Zach on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to C.J. Nunnally's junior season at Purdue (2025).
Matches C.J. on