Arizona State Football: 2012 Starting Lineup Projection

The Arizona State Sun Devils are going to have to play big next season under new head coach Todd Graham, especially after how things ended against the Boise State Broncos at last week's MAACO Bowl.

The Sun Devils have many key players coming back, and it will be crucial for those veterans to come up huge.

Star seniors like Gerell Robinson and Omar Bolden will be gone, as well as junior middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict in all likelihood will be entering the NFL draft, despite pretty much being held out of last week's bowl game.

Here is preview of your 2012 Sun Devils.

Quarterback

There will be a familiar face in the Arizona State Sun Devils' huddles next season, as quarterback Brock Osweiler will be under center with Cameron Marshall back at running back.

Osweiler will be going into his second season as the designated starter, and fans should expect big things from the 6'8" quarterback. 

In Osweiler's first full season under center, he threw for over 4,000 yards while completing 26 touchdown passes. Without wide receiver Gerelll Robinson, Osweiler will have to find a new favorite target next season.

Wide Receivers

The Arizona State Sun Devils' two starting wide receivers next season should be junior Jamal Miles and transfer student Alonzo Agwuenu, who recently joined on with the Sun Devils for next season.

With senior wideouts Gerell Robinson and Aaron Pflugrad moving on after this school year, the Sun Devils will have to hope that their next crop of talent will be able to make up for the 2,062 yards and 12 touchdowns the two combined for.

This past season, Miles did have six touchdown receptions on the year. His size isn't ideal, as he only stands at 5'10".

The addition of Agwuenu will give the Sun Devils a nice big target to hit next season. The transfer student stands at 6'4" while weighing 210 pounds. This past season at Mt. San Antonio, Agwuenu had 64 receptions for 960 and 16 touchdowns.

If Agwuenu can see his success translate to the Pac-12, quarterback Brock Osweiler might just find himself a new big-play threat.

Running Back

Arizona State will have a huge piece back next year in running back Cameron Marshall—who led the Sun Devils and Pac-12 in rushing touchdowns this past season.

Marshall had a good season, but was very inconsistent. He had 18 touchdowns on the ground, but after only gaining 11 yards on 10 carries against Boise State, he will be looking to make some noise in his senior season.

He should also have speedy back-mate Deantre Lewis in uniform next season, so he will have some relief from the amount of work he took on this past season.

Linebacker

With star linebackers Vontaze Burfict, Shelly Lyons and Colin Parker all finishing their careers as Arizona State Sun Devils this past season, coach Todd Graham is going to have to look at his youngins' to carry the load next year.

Linebacker Brandon Johnson will be coming into his junior season, and he will be looking to carry on what his teammates just did this past season.

This past season, Johnson had only 13 tackles in just as many games, but he could come up huge for the Sun Devils. It will be hard to replicate the success that Burfict, Lyons and Parker had over their careers, but Johnson will have a chance to make his mark.

Secondary

After how things ended this season, the Arizona State Sun Devils better hope that they will get some better play out of their young secondary. They will be relying on cornerbacks Osahon Irabor and Deveron Carr—both of whom were responsible for the Sun Devils' collapse in their pass defense.

They will also have safety Alden Darby returning, who had a good sophomore season with three interceptions on the year. Darby's youth showed as well, as he also contributed to the Sun Devils' inability to stop the oppositions' pass attacks.

Luckily for the Sun Devils, all of these guys will have an extra year under their belts coming into next season, so hopefully they will be able to keep some consistency that can allow the Sun Devils to continue to see success.

Kicker

In all likelihood, coach Todd Graham will have freshman kicker Alex Garoutte return next season despite missing seven field goals on the year.

Garoutte was only a freshman this past season, but his inability to make the field goal hurt the Sun Devils down the stretch.

Garoutte definitely showed some guts this season, and he was able to make all of his field goals against Boise State in the bowl game.

With first-year jitters out of the way, look for Garoutte to be more consistent in 2012.