"There’s a nice mix, a lot of arms we continue to build with, and then a couple of decent position players that we mixed in there as well.” ASU Baseball's No. 18 ranked recruiting class is generating excitement in Tempe ahead of the 2025 season

Even in the midst of ASU's improbable season, some will argue that BYU has been the Big 12’s biggest surprise this year. Sitting atop of the league standings but also suffering their first loss of the season, what can we expect from Saturday’s opponent? Salt Lake City’s KSL 97.5 FM Producer Jake Hatch offers his thoughts on ASU's upcoming opponent.

I was just looking around the USC board and they seem to think the coaches have soured on Jacobi Lane. A lot of people think it is maturity issues and think he is gone. This was news to me. I thought his production was outstanding and made some big catches. Some thought he would go to Oregon but a talent like that would be a massive get, if he wants to come home and pull it together. Doubt we would pay him big money.

Doesn’t seem there is a time set for this yet. Nothing announced by Monday by the B12. They playing the 6 Day card for the entire slate?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d never go down there. But would be nice to know to plan other festivities.

As you know, this Saturday is going to be Senior Day, and one thing Kenny Dillingham wants to avoid is having a situation where somebody who technically does still have eligibility in 2025, and with no determination being established at this point whether he will play next year, is going to be honored on Senior Day this weekend, but potentially honored again a year from now when he plays in 2025.

Bo Barnes, a former ASU basketball player, was basically told by Herb Sendek following his junior year that he could only come back next year as a walk-on, Barnes he politely declined, and when ASU needed him back next year as a scholarship player, he accepted the offer, so he had back-to-back Senior Day honors so to speak. Pretty Sure Bobby Hurley III is gonna have the same thing happen to him this spring.

So this year, you have left guard Ben Coleman, easily one of the best offensive linemen for the Sun Devils who redshirted in 2019, eligibility freeze of the Covid year in 2020 took place, and missing the entire last season due to an Achilles injury is technically eligible to play in 2025 assuming of course that the NCAA would accept his waiver which there is no reason for them not to do so. You don't have to look further than fellow offensive lineman Emmit Bohle who is playing his 7th year of college football this season.

Dillingham said that he's going to meet with the players' leadership council and come to a joint decision on what to do. I'm assuming that Coleman is not adverse at all to coming back next year, so it's not like this is a moot point. I believe his standing in the NFL draft can only get better with one more year under his belt.

In my opinion, it should be a no-brainer decision for ASU to have him return for next year. I can't think of anybody on the roster who would even play at his level, let alone ahead of that, in 2025. Sure, in theory, you could maybe get somebody from the portal who would fit that criteria, but that is a big roll of the dice.

When preparing for a game that carries a lot of magnitude in a soldout stadium, it was only natural to see ASU Tuesday's practice as one of the more high action and lively sessions of the year. Here are our observations

vs Wyoming

ASU only had 4 penalties for 30 yds

1 was intentional when at the 36 yd line they elected to accept a Delay of Game penalty to move the ball back to the 41 for punting room...........but the result of the punt was still a touchback

1)Q2/Series 5--Delay of game AFTER a timeout...Highly unusual and embarrassing (leading to a sack, an incompletion and a missed 38 yd FG attempt)
2)Q3/Series 7--Delay of Game intentionally to get punting room from 36 yd line back to the 41...net result is a touchback anyway
3)Q3/Series 8--False Start on WR Xavier Guillory
4)Q4/DEFENSIVE Series 13--Pass Interference on CB Rodney Bimage in EZ as he never turned for the ball and overran the WR

any hope that a WR2 can emerge for ASU?

I keep hoping X will break out. Smith has been a bust. McClain redshirted

With 3 games to go in the regular season, Myles Rowser is in the thick of the hunt for All-Big 12 honors
He is currently 3rd among DBs in Tackles Per Game and 3rd among them in Solos .

Oklahoma State's senior Trey Rucker is already a lock to be first team safety, but Rowser could very well beat out u4's fellow junior Dalton Johnson for the other spot with the 1's (2 others in the hunt, but possibly below the top 3 are CU senior Cam'Ron Simon-Craig and WVU's senior Anthony Wilson

Ghost's coverage has improved nearly every game and he is currently tied for 3rd on the team with 5 PBUs (more than Rucker. Johnson, Simon Craig & Wilson combined) to go along with his 2 QB Hurries, 3 TFL and 1 sack. Only Rucker (2) and Wilson (1) have an INT among the 5

In 2023, the Big 12 had 5 Safeties between the 1st and 2nd All-Big 12 teams (Back when there were 12 teams and before the league lost both bluebloods)

Fortunately for Rowser, Dilly does not penalize boneheaded penalties with reduced PT and so far the penalties have dried up for him

Obviously Skatt has a VERY GOOD shot( leading the conference in all purpose yards by 16 per game) despite UCF's Harvey, Texas Tech's Brooks and Kansas State's Giddens playing very well.

Jordyn Tyson has a very long shot that would require a huge finish & others to slow down

perhaps Fautanu has a shot (he has some penalties and some sacks allowed but no bad snaps), not sure about other centers in the Big 12 but the 2 All-Big 12s from 2023 did not return..............and possibly no other Sun Devil has a realistic shot.......Clayton Smith was headed in that direction early in the season and maybe he gets hot))

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = My, My, My, Said the Spider to the Fly

It's real easy to get seduced by all of this Sun Devil commotion right now, as we are nearing the end of the season, isn't it..??

Fate, in the form of a spider, is dangling a lot of temptation in front of us as we approach the next couple of games in the Big-12, it appears to me...

We are only one conference game behind either BYU, who we face at home next weekend, or Colorado that has to travel to Kansas, that just beat BYU last night, next weekend...

My, My, My, as it's so very tempting to get caught up in the whole "what if" rigmarole associated with these Sun Devil occasions...

But, the spider may well be weaving a web with which to drag us all into its deadly clutches if we don't watch out...

So, having been swept up by all of this wonderful Sun Devil rigmarole in the past, I'm going to take it "one game at a time" until there are no games left in this season...

I have my fingers crossed that we can find a way to keep it going with a team that wins on guts and resilience as much as anything else, if you ask me...

To our credit last evening, we took advantage of many K-State miscues, with which to build a comfortable lead, only to see it slip away in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats made a run at it...

But, we hung in there and finally came away with a huge win...

I doubt that either BYU or AU will be as accommodating as K-State was yesterday when they threw two INTs, lost a fumble, and botched two FG attempts...

So, we won the turnover battle and the special teams battle and that was the difference in the game...

My, My, My, said the spider to these three flies that were ranked in the bottom half of the Big-12 by the media in the preseason...

Colorado was ranked #11, while BYU was ranked #13, while ASU was ranked #16...

The Buffs travel to Kansas this weekend and BYU travels to ASU this weekend...

I'm hearing that sweet, seductive voice of that spider in my mind calling out, as I sit here writing this, but I'm going to ignore it as I'm still taking it ONE GAME AT A TIME...

It's a mighty sweet and seductive voice, though...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Kenny Dillingham recently said that the more ASU wins, the more expensive it will be to retain players.

I’d suggest that will be true for assistant coaches and even Kenny himself.

Regarding Dillingham, his initial contract was 6 years (5 + 1 for the sanctions) giving him 4 more years in Tempe.

His base this season is $3.95m
9 wins = $200k
10 wins = $300k
Big 12 championship appearance = $395k
Winning Big 12 championship = $790k
Making playoffs = $1.185m
Winning a playoff game = $1.382m

In other words the next 4 games could make Dillingham an additional $4.3m~ in bonuses.

My opinion, for what it’s worth….
There will be some calling for a new contract for Dillingham. I don’t necessarily agree or disagree. ASU has set up a contract that pays him like a decent coach when he has a bad season and pays him top Big 12 money for a top season.

Unless Kenny gives ASU something in return. For example, Prime would owe Colorado $10m if he leaves this season while Dillingham would only owe ASU $3m. Prime and Dillingham make similar money.

Because of Dillingham’s aggressive bonus structure I’d be hesitant to give him too big of a raise. We don’t want a Mike Norvell situation after all. But I would be in favor of a bump to say $5.5m as long as he’s willing to give us the same commitment Prime is giving Colorado. My preference though is to keep his salary where it is and bump his bonus potential.

What are your thoughts?

Per the Big 12, ASU would be eliminated from the Big 12 championship race with a loss to BYU AND a Colorado victory at Kansas.

If ASU beats BYU and Arizona to reach 7-2 in Big 12 play, then the tiebreaker scenarios would depend on who and how many teams are also tied at 7-2.

As I understand it (this is me talking, not the Big 12), BYU would have to beat Houston in the last week of the regular season for ASU, again assuming they win both the BYU and Arizona games, to earn a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

Leavitt went 14-22, 64% for 258 yds, 11.7 YPA, 2 TDs and 0 INTs (0 fumbles) along with 47 rushing yds (including his 2 sacks)

6 of his completions were behind the LOS (VERY high percentage throws) or 43%.

2 drops

The INCOMPLETIONS:

1)Q1/Series 2--Stovall got behind everyone but Leavitt hung the ball allowing the defenders to catch up and knock the ball loose on what was a potential 72 yd TD
2)Q2/Series 3--incomplete to an open Tyson on a 10 yrd dig as Leavitt is unable to step into his throw when a LB shoves Briggs out of the way and has a clear shot to Leavitt's mid-section
3)Q2/Series 5--Leavitt overthrows Skatt (and his limited catch radius) behind the LOS in the flat


4)Q3/Series 6--sprint out right and Leavit overthrows Tyson on a 12 yd out on 1st play of 2nd half
5)Q3/Series 6--Tyson gets a coupla steps behind his man and Leavitt overthrows him in the EZ 45 yds downfield
6)Drop by Tyson in the EZ with both hands on the strike
7)Q3/Series 7--Drop by Stovall on a screen
8)Q3/Series 7--Leavitt overthrows an open Tyson on a 20 yd out at the sideline

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(24 Minutes)


In the blink of an eye, Arizona State's 2024 season has gone from surprising to improbable, and the icing on the cake could be for a program that was predicted to finish last in a 16-team conference to now qualify for the Big 12 championship game.


But first things first, and in their last home game of the year, the Sun Devils will face a BYU squad that, up until last week, was undefeated and currently stand in ASU's way of playing for the conference title. So, to review a huge road win at Kansas State and discuss a significant Saturday contest in Tempe, I am joined by former ASU quarterback, the 1987 Rose Bowl MVP, and the color analyst on the Sun Devil Network, Jeff Van Raaphorst to dive into those topics and much more.



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“I show the guys everything that’s being said. I don’t avoid it or try to trick them. What matters is maximizing the day and repeating it.” ASU's head coach won't shy away from the buzz surrounding the Sun Devils but will also not let it dictate the mission ahead