Special teams

The Replacements

The Sun Devils have work to do here. They lost kicker Thomas Weber, punter Trevor Hankins and specialist LeQuan Lewis. Making matters worse, cornerback Omar Bolden, who returned a kickoff for a touchdown last season, likely won't return after tearing his ACL during spring ball.

The good news: They have decent replacement parts. Redshirt-freshman kicker Alex Garoutte had a terrible start to spring practice, but once he relaxed, he was fine. Punter Josh Hubner has an explosive leg. If he can cure his inconsistency troubles, he could become an elite Pac-12 punter.

And despite the loss of Lewis and Bolden, the returners still are dangerous. Look for Jamal Miles and Kyle Middlebrooks to get most of the reps. Deantre Lewis, if healthy, also could help.

Kicker

Alex Garoutte

With Thomas Weber gone, Garoutte did not have the best start as ASU's kicker. He brought spring practices to a halt as the Sun Devils waited for him to connect on field goals. Throughout his struggles, coach Dennis Erickson assured reporters Garoutte would be fine. Just give him time.

Erickson was right. As the spring unfolded, Garoutte relaxed and his performance improved. "There were a lot of ups and down," Garoutte said. "Some of it was just getting used to it all. I finished all right. I had a good week in there, and overall I did pretty well (in the scrimmages.)"

Garoutte learned much from Weber, who had his own struggles last season. He insists it's prepared him for what's to come, when he's thrown into the fire in Week 1.

"It's really comforting going in there as the guy," Garoutte said. "I'm all about competition and fighting for something, but having the upper hand and kind of being the guy and knowing the coaches have confidence in you, it really makes it a lot easier."

Punter

Josh Hubner

Hubner transferred in from Scottsdale Community College, where he averaged 40.2 yards per punt last season. He chose ASU over Arizona, UNLV and Utah State.

"Basically, I just decided that my heart was here in Arizona," Hubner said. "It was tough for me to choose between Arizona and Arizona State. But when it came down to it, my family is around here, and it just made more emotional sense for me to stay here."

Hubner grew up in New Jersey, but moved to the Valley and attended Desert Mountain High School. There, in addition to punting, he played receiver, tight end, defensive back and backup quarterback.

Last season, ASU punter Trevor Hankins averaged 44.56 yards per punt. That is well within Hubner's range, as long as he stays consistent.

Kyle Middlebrooks (photo) averaged 26.4 yards per return as a freshman last season, third best in the conference. He likely is most remembered for a 95-yard run that came a yard short of a touchdown just as time expired in the first round at Wisconsin.

Jamal Miles is the leading punt returner. He returned 29 punts for 248 yards (8.6 average) last season.