Doug Haller

azcentral sports

Arizona State coach Todd Graham announced Monday that redshirt-freshman quarterback Brady White suffered a season-ending right foot injury in last week's win over UCLA, possibly putting the Sun Devils in a difficult situation for Saturday's first-place showdown at Colorado.

"My heart goes out to him,'' Graham said. "He did such a great job for us and it's a tough deal for him, but he'll be back."

Citing privacy laws, Graham did not disclose the exact nature of White's injury. According to a source close to the matter, it's a serious issue that likely will require 10 to 12 months of recovery, which would keep White out of spring practice. White could land a medical redshirt, preserving a year of eligibility, but that won't be known for some time.

ASU (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) is No. 24 in this week's Amway Coaches Poll.

REWIND: Doug Haller looks back at ASU's win over UCLA

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RELATED: Freshman Dillon Sterling-Cole ready for ASU QB battle

Entering this week, Graham said he expects sophomore Manny Wilkins to start against Colorado. Wilkins started the season's first five games but suffered a high-ankle sprain in an Oct. 1 loss at USC. Wilkins didn't practice last week and watched last Saturday's game from the sideline, wearing a protective boot as White – his backup – started against UCLA.

A positive: Wilkins started running last week in the swimming pool.

"I fully intend on Manny being back," Graham said. "I'm just being honest about that. Our plan is for him to practice by Thursday."

At the same time, ASU will prepare freshman Dillon Sterling-Cole to start if needed. Sterling-Cole, who began the season as ASU's fourth option, took two snaps at the end of the UCLA game, throwing an interception in the end zone. On ASU's final possession, he lined up as a receiver in ASU's "Sparky" formation.

"We're working hard with Dillon to get him ready,'' Graham said. "... It's good that he did get reps in fall camp. The good thing is we have very, very talented young men."

In case of emergency, ASU is fast-tracking freshman Jack Smith and sophomore Coltin Gerhart. Smith joined the program this year as a receiver but played quarterback at Phoenix Mountain Pointe High. Gerhart signed with ASU in 2014 as a quarterback, but later moved to defense.

"Quarterback is such an important position, you have to adapt what you're doing to the skills and talents of the person taking the snap,'' Graham said. "That's what we'll do."

Entering Graham's fifth season, the Sun Devils opened preseason camp with a four-man competition at quarterback, but it didn't take long for that to change. Redshirt freshman Bryce Perkins injured his neck Aug. 8 and has not yet returned. Graham said Monday that Perkins is likely out for the season. Since then, the Sun Devils lost Wilkins for at least one game and White for the season.

"We didn't have our starting quarterback last week, and we won,'' Graham said. "That's the game of football. The game of football mirrors life. You get knocked down. You're going to have injuries. Sometimes you don't have people and that's when you have people step up. That's what I love about the team concept of football."

Extra points

-The Pac-12 on Monday honored two ASU players. Senior kicker Zane Gonzalez is the Pac-12's Special Teams Player of the Week after breaking the FBS career field-goal record in last week's win. This marks the third time this season Gonzalez has won the conference honor. Also, junior defensive back Marcus Ball is the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Week. Ball had a team-high 10 tackles and an interception in the UCLA win.

-The Pac-12 announced that ASU's Oct. 22 homecoming game against Washington State will start at 7 p.m. This means that for the first time since 2007, the Sun Devils will not have an afternoon kickoff in Tempe all season. In addition the Washington State, ASU hosts only one other game this season – Nov. 10 against Utah. A Thursday night game, it's scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Timeline of ASU's quarterback injuries

Aug. 8:Bryce Perkins, a true dual-threat quarterback, injured his neck in practice and has not returned since. Head coach Todd Graham said last week that Perkins was doing well, but the redshirt freshman still is wearing a neck brace and is not expected back this season.

Oct. 1: Manny Wilkins won the preseason quarterback competition and opened Graham's fifth season as the starter. For the most part, he played well over his first four games, but in the second quarter of ASU's loss at USC, the sophomore was hit in the backfield, landing awkwardly on his left leg. Graham has not said anything publicly about the exact nature of Wilkins' injury, but ESPN's broadcast team on Saturday classified it as a high-ankle sprain. Graham said on last week's radio show that Wilkins could return for the Colorado trip or the Oct. 22 home game against Washington State. Watching from the sideline, Wilkins wore a protective boot Saturday night.

Oct. 8: Making his first career start, Brady White was injured midway through the fourth quarter while trying to escape UCLA's pass rush. He initially got up but then collapsed in pain. On the sideline, ASU's medical staff didn't waste much time getting out crutches, taking White back for further examination. On Monday, Graham announced that White was out for the season.

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter. Download and subscribe to ASU Pick Six Podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play Music and Stitcher.