Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson looks to make impact after recovering from injury

Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham preaches competition, emphasizing that's what it takes to elevate the standard of the team. How does he do that? Practices typically feature a handful of one-on-one contests. But he'll compete against his players in anything. Video games, ping pong, basketball, chess.

One of his favorite targets, sophomore wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, is known as one of the best Madden players on the team. Dillingham likes to boast about beating his player — once, while Tyson chalks that up to having a "bad day."

That can translate to the football field. And it has, as Tyson has been the most impressive athlete through spring drills after missing the balance of last season with a knee injury.

His emergence will be a key for the Sun Devils who look to have a solid receiving core. Tyson has been the star early, particularly with Elijhah Badger and Xavier Guillory limited participants because they're coming back from injuries, Troy Omeire looked good in the first two weeks before he went down. The potential excites the Texas native.

"He's just putting in the work every single day. Work, work, work. Good mindset. Jordyn's an elite competitor. We compete in things every single day. I compete against him in something, whether it's ping pong, which he's beaten me zero times. But he competes," Dillingham said.

"He wants to play again. And then again. And I got to leave, I can't be there now,'' Dillingham added. "But that's who he is. He wants to compete. If he loses, do it again. And then he'll come to me and say, `I've been practicing. Let's go again, I'll beat you.' Then play again, still beat you. OK come back again. And those are the guys you want on the field. You want guys obsessed with competition. Obsessed with being the best. That's something that he has in him."

Tyson is just relishing the chance to be out on the field competing again. He showed flashes of potential in 2022 as a true freshman at Colorado. In fact, the game that really put him on the radar was one in Boulder against ASU.

The Sun Devils prevailed 42-34 but it was Tyson doing everything he could to keep that game close. He had five receptions for 115 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown early in the game. Then he returned a punt 88 yards with 3:50 to go that cut the deficit to eight points in a game ASU once led by 22 points.

ASU hung on from there but Tyson had sent a message. That performance earned him Pac-12 Freshman and Special Teams Player of the Week. He was the first Colorado player to have 100 receiving yards and punt return yards in a single game. He ended up leading the Buffaloes with 470 receiving yards.

Unfortunately, the next week, in a game against Oregon, Tyson sustained a knee injury that ended his season. Not only was it the dreaded ACL, but an MCL and a small tear in the posterior cruciate ligament as well.

"I was in the slot, running an inside slant, ball was behind me, caught it kind of weird, kind of got hit inside, I was having a good game that game too," he said. "It was hard, the hardest thing I've done in my life, so lonely. Just sitting in a bed, working on the knee and walking on crutches. Everything takes a toll on you. I'm stronger now and I've recovered."

After that season came a coaching change and mass exodus of players out of Boulder, with Tyson among those, eventually landing in Tempe. He was a spectator much of the 2023 season but returned to some light practice work midway through the schedule. He appeared in the last three games but did not catch a pass. It was more a matter of getting in and running routes to shake off the rust.

Tyson says he's past the psychological hurdle of overcoming an injury.

"I think I'm almost there physically, except like 5%. Mentally I'm there 100%. I don't think about my knee when I'm running routes anymore," he said.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has been the most impressive player in the unit through 11 spring practices, turning in two spectacular touchdown catches from quarterback Sam Leavitt in Saturday's 11-on-11 team sequence. He made another catch that didn't go for a score but went for significant yardage so it was three "explosive" plays in the same session.

"I think we're going to be amazing. Once we get everyone back it's going to be crazy and everybody needs to be together for it all to work," he said.

Having to sit out made him appreciate being back on the field even more.

"I was going through hard times with the injury, watching people practice, watching people play, wanting to be on the field so bad but I'm good now. I'm on the field now and that's what matters," he said.

Perhaps the desire to one-up his coach or his competitors comes from having another standout athlete in the family. His brother Jaylon just declared for the NBA draft after an impressive season at California where he averaged 19.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. He was third in the Pac-12 in scoring.

Asked who was the best athlete in the family, Jordyn didn't hesitate.

"I'd say me but he'd say him," he laughed. "But I love that dude. He just declared. I was so happy for him."

Tyson says his coach being a younger one at 33, and his willingness to share in activities with his players makes him more relatable.

"He's a younger guy so he knows how to correlate with us. He plays Madden, so we're going to play. We're always going to be in a little game. I think it's cool. It has a big impact because now he has our attention. We're going to listen. Whenever he says something we're going to listen," Tyson said.

Dillingham likes what he has seen from his player.

"Jordyn has all the ability in the world," Dillingham said. "Day by day, he's getting better and better and better. And you see the flashes, the flashes, the flashes, the flashes. "One of these days, we're going to come out here and it's going to become a fire."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson shows big-play potential