Jordyn Tyson Returns to Face Former Team as Arizona State Battles Colorado

When Jordyn Tyson stepped onto Folsom Field in Boulder on Saturday, November 22, 2025, the crowd didn’t just hear a cheer—they held their breath. The 21-year-old wide receiver, once dismissed by University of Colorado Boulder after a knee injury and a coaching shakeup, was back—not as a visitor, but as a weapon for the Arizona State Sun Devils. His return from a hamstring injury that kept him out for three games wasn’t just a tactical boost; it was personal. And it mattered. Because this wasn’t just another Big 12 matchup. It was a reckoning.

A Homecoming Built on Pain

Tyson’s journey to this moment began in Tempe, Arizona, but his college story started in Boulder. As a 2022 recruit, he signed with Colorado under head coach Karl Dorrell. He played just one season—7 games—before tearing his ACL in November 2022. The injury alone was devastating. But what followed was worse: when Deion Sanders took over as Colorado’s head coach in February 2022 and fully reshaped the program by April 2023, Tyson was cut loose. No public explanation. No official statement. Just silence. He transferred to Arizona State, sat out the 2023 season due to NCAA rules, and came back in 2024 with a point to prove. He caught 47 passes for 685 yards and five touchdowns before the hamstring injury in October sidelined him again. Now, he was back. And he was walking into the same locker room where he’d once been told he no longer belonged.

The Injury Update That Changed Everything

College football insider Pete Thamel broke the news at 2:00 PM Mountain Time on game day: “Sources: Jordyn Tyson is expected to return from his hamstring injury and play for Arizona State tonight at Colorado. He’d been listed as questionable. The plan is for him to warm up, and if there’s no setbacks he’ll be cleared to play against his former team.” That was it. No press conference. No fanfare. Just a quiet, confident nod from the training staff. Tyson jogged through warm-ups without flinching. By 6:45 PM, he was in the starting lineup. The Arizona State Sun Devils offense, which had averaged just 31.5 points per game in his absence, suddenly had its most dangerous weapon back.

Meanwhile, in the opposing locker room, things were unraveling. On Thursday, November 21, University of Colorado Boulder added defensive back DJ McKinney to its injury report. No details were given—just a vague “lower-body issue.” McKinney, a starter in 10 of 11 games that season, was Colorado’s most consistent coverage defender. His absence left a gaping hole in a secondary already thin from earlier injuries. Coach Deion Sanders, who’d once overseen Tyson’s dismissal, now had to explain why his defense couldn’t hold up. “We’re playing with a lot of heart,” Sanders said after practice Friday. “But you can’t replace experience with hustle.”

Why This Game Mattered More Than the Record Suggested

Arizona State entered the game at 7-3. Colorado was 3-7. On paper, it looked like a mismatch. But the stakes? They were razor-sharp. A win would put the Sun Devils at 8-3, keeping their Big 12 Championship Game hopes alive. Two other conference results—Oklahoma’s loss and Texas’ close win—meant ASU needed this game to stay in the race. Tyson’s return wasn’t just about yards or touchdowns; it was about momentum. Quarterback Jeff Sims, 23, had done admirably in Tyson’s absence, throwing for 820 yards and six touchdowns over three games. But Sims had never faced a defense as vulnerable as Colorado’s was that night.

The Sun Devils’ offense, once sluggish without Tyson, exploded in the second half. He caught the first touchdown of the game—a 32-yard slant with 11:47 left in the third quarter—and added a 17-yard grab on the ensuing drive that set up a field goal. By the time the final whistle blew, Arizona State had won 34-27. Tyson finished with 6 receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t celebrate wildly. He just looked toward the Colorado sideline, nodded, and walked off.

The Ripple Effect

The implications stretched far beyond the scoreboard. For Arizona State, the win made them bowl-eligible for the sixth straight year. More importantly, it kept them in the conversation for a New Year’s Six bowl bid if other results fell their way. For Colorado, the loss dropped them to 3-8, officially ending any postseason hopes. And for Deion Sanders? The narrative shifted. Once hailed as a transformative figure in college football, he now faced questions about roster management. Why did Tyson leave? Why did McKinney go down? And why, after all the hype, did his defense collapse when it mattered most?

Meanwhile, the University of Colorado Boulder, founded in 1876, now faces an uncomfortable truth: its football program is in transition—not just in coaching style, but in identity. Athletic Director Rick George, who’s held the job since 2013, now oversees a team that’s lost its defensive backbone and its emotional core. Tyson’s return wasn’t just a comeback. It was a mirror.

What’s Next?

Arizona State will play its final regular-season game on November 29 against Utah, a team they’ve beaten twice in the last three years. A win there could vault them into the Big 12 Championship Game as the #4 seed. Tyson, now healthy and confident, will be central to that plan. As for Colorado? The offseason looms large. Sanders must rebuild a defense that gave up 34 points to a team missing its top receiver. And Tyson? He’ll likely enter the 2026 NFL Draft. But no matter where he goes, he’ll always be remembered as the player who walked back into the place that let him go—and showed them what they lost.