Our friends over at SB Nation's ace Arizona State website, House of Sparky, recently did a feature spotlighting five Sun Devil players on offense who were flying under the radar yet had a great opportunity to surprise in 2012.
On one hand, with the graduation of essentially every key receiver from 2011, Brock Osweiler becoming Peyton Manning's heir, and losses along the offensive line, an argument can be made that everyone on that side of the ball not named Cameron Marshall or Jamal Miles could be considered a darkhorse.
But one of the advantages of the new coaching staff is a clean slate for everyone on the roster. Those buried deep on the depth chart or in a remote corner of Dennis Erickson's doghouse have a new lease on their football life with Todd Graham.
The five players on House of Sparky's list are some of those who can parlay this new life into on-field success. Over the spring, everyone saw how James Morrison went from afterthought running back to a breakout star, with his powerful running earning him the nickname "Tank" from Graham.
Let's dig a little deeper on the offensive side, and take a look at two more players that could make some noise this fall.
Gary Chambers - Wide Receiver
The need at wide receiver is well known by all, and that could open the door for Chambers to make a mark. He redshirted as a freshman last season after coming over from Ironwood High in Glendale, AZ, but made several plays through spring practice, including a 49-yard touchdown in the spring game.
Chambers has excellent size at 6'3", 198 pounds, and has the speed to get downfield and beat defenders. With the loss of Gerell Robinson, the wide receiving corps needs a tall, big bodied threat, and Chambers could fill that role.
Darwin Rogers - Tight End
H-back Chris Coyle was one of the five spotlighted players, but the traditional tight end in the Sun Devil offense could also be a factor.
Coming over from Arizona Western College, Rogers was able to enroll early and participate in spring practice, where his good size (6'4", 240) and blocking ability earned him the first-team tight end spot. He's not fast or overly agile, but he has decent hands and runs good routes over the middle. With a first-time starting quarterback, Rogers could see a lot of seven and eight yard catches coming his way.
Check out House of Sparky's full list here