From second team to Saturday fireworks, Jeff Sims, Derek Eusebio have been waiting for this moment

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State offense looked a lot different on Saturday than it did to start the 2025 season. There was no sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt or junior receiver Jordyn Tyson. Instead, it was senior quarterback Jeff Sims and sophomore receiver Derek Eusebio who became ASU’s dynamic duo.

Sims threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns and added 81 yards on the ground. Eusebio reeled in six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Sims’ 207 passing yards and three touchdowns were both season-highs, and Eusebio’s six catches were a career-high. The sophomore receiver’s touchdown was also his first of the year.

“It was amazing seeing Derek going in to score,” Sims said. “Me and Derek – last year during camp, this year during camp – we was with the twos. It was just me and him, and so coming out here, throwing him a touchdown, it was amazing to see that.”

It’s been a journey for Eusebio and Sims

Eusebio walked on at ASU in 2023 and didn’t see any game action that year. So, Eussubio redshirted and played his freshman year in 2024 when Sims transferred to ASU from Nebraska.

Leavitt won the starting job in 2024, and Sims was his backup. That meant Sims worked with the second-string guys every day in practice, including Eusebio.

The quarterback and receiver duo developed chemistry and stuck with ASU throughout the 2024 season and into 2025. Eusebio made his impact with a 64-yard touchdown catch in the Territorial Cup last year and earned a scholarship in 2024 for his gritty play.

Neither player was in a position to start at the beginning of the season, but they still worked hard and supported their teammates each day, waiting for that opportunity.

However, after ASU fought back for a tight home win against TCU, it was announced late in the following week, Leavitt would miss the next game.

Sims made his first start of the year in a cold, windy and rainy road game in Utah, and the Sun Devils were blown out by 32 points.

Leavitt returned the following week to knock off Top 10-ranked Texas Tech, and suddenly, there was hope for ASU’s season once again.

However, ASU laid an egg the next week against Houston without Tyson, and Leavitt didn’t finish the game. The Sun Devils sat at 5-3 on the season with their starting quarterback out for the season, their top receiver out for the near future, and their Big 12 championship hopes hanging by a thread.

Many fans thought the season was over, and questions began to circulate over Leavitt’s NFL future and Tyson’s draft stock. But that wasn’t the mindset inside ASU’s locker room.

Sims’ teammates believe in him

The players in coach Kenny Dillingham‘s locker room had full faith in Sims, and the senior quarterback has led his team to two straight wins and kept their Big 12 title hopes alive.

“It’s easy to trust Jeff because we see Jeff come to work every day,” junior defensive back Keith Abney II said. “He wasn’t playing at first, but he didn’t have an attitude, he wasn’t moping around, and stuff. So, just seeing him come to work every day and him finally get the opportunity – it’s just great to see him.”

In this day in age in college football, if players aren’t getting on the field immediately, it’s highly likely they’re thinking of transferring. The game has changed, and players move around just as much, if not more, than in the NFL.

Sims knew Leavitt would be ASU’s starter in 2025, but he decided to stay – to stay in a place where his family could see him play and he could continue to play with the teammates he grew close to in Tempe.

Over the last two weeks, all of that has paid off, and he’s had the chance to lead his team to two straight wins and put up incredible performances in the process. Last week against Iowa State, it was Sims’ legs that ran wild for 282 yards and two touchdowns.

On Saturday against West Virginia, it was Sims’ ability to stand in the pocket and distribute the ball for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Sims did so with his leading receiver being his old practice buddy, Eusebio, putting up career highs and connecting on the receiving end of Sims’ second touchdown.

It’s been a dream come true for Sims

Sims has shown that he has the ability to lead a team over the last couple of weeks, but his coach has always known that. For Dillingham, it’s more about seeing a player who deserves everything good for himself, to come to fruition in such a magical way in 2025.

“I think Jeff Sims is a guy that can play on Sundays. I absolutely believe that,” Dillingham said. “For him to be able to get his opportunity is super cool. Me and coach Arroyo joke about it, we’re like, “Man, what’s right in the universe is for him to go out and be successful, because he’s such a good kid.”

Sims has done just that, and he’ll have two more opportunities, at least, to do so this year. The Sun Devils will face Colorado on Saturday, and end their regular season with the Territorial Cup matchup at Mountain America Stadium on Black Friday.

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