ASU's Clayton Smith back at DE after spending time at WR

TEMPE — The experiment is officially on hold. Three weeks after Arizona State lined up 6-foot-4, 225-pound Clayton Smith at wide receiver to open spring ball, the Sun Devils have returned the athletic senior to his customary defensive-end spot, head coach Kenny Dillingham confirmed Tuesday.

Smith, who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft before learning he had a sixth year of eligibility, spent the first portion of camp running routes and learning the offensive playbook. The rare positional flip—players of Smith’s size typically shift to tight end, not the perimeter—was designed to expand his versatility and keep him off the defensive line while he regained conditioning after an injury-plagued season at Oklahoma.

“I’ve been dreaming about doing this since I was a little kid,” Smith said of his brief stint at receiver. “Coach Dillingham said he wanted me to get over to offense, learn the playbook just in case. Couldn’t stay too long—I didn’t want anybody to think I was taking their spot. It’s a real competitive receiver room.”

Smith does have legitimate credentials on offense. At Texas High he logged 23 career touchdown receptions, and last October he hauled in a 15-yard pass from punter Kanyon Floyd on a fake kick that helped ASU edge Kansas 35-31. Dillingham said the spring work ensured Smith “knows the vernacular” and could still appear in select offensive packages this fall.

“We wanted to get him to learn the offense enough to use him as a weapon in certain situations,” Dillingham explained. “I think he can be a weapon if utilized in a unique way.”

Defensive line coach Diron Reynolds, who has nearly three decades of NFL and college experience, called the cross-training stint “smart,” noting it spared Smith early off-season contact while broadening his understanding of opposing schemes.

“It adds to your perspective about what offenses do,” Reynolds said. “I think it’s going to make him a better leader.”

Smith, named to Bruce Feldman’s 2025 “Freaks List” for elite athletic traits, believes the offensive immersion will pay dividends now that he’s chasing quarterbacks again.

“Getting that perspective—knowing the why behind what they do, and then coming back and understanding what we do—makes the game a lot simpler,” he said.

While Smith’s days as a full-time receiver appear finished, Dillingham left the door open for situational deployments, meaning ASU opponents may still see the 225-pounder lined up wide on Saturdays.