For those interested. Saves the hassle of parking there

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Just found an article by Doug Haller on the topic (@Hod Rabino, can the source be mentioned?) Had no idea that happened.

Reverse Todd Graham move - crazy!

Between a couple of early enrollees who made their presence known in spring practice and a few summer arrivals who could make their case for playing time in fall camp, here are the freshmen I project to see the field this upcoming season

Per Jon Wilner in his PAC-12 Hotline recent article...

Coach = Ned Wulk

Players = F Ike Diogu, G James Harden, G Eddie House and G Lafayette Lever

Also Considered = C Issac Austin, F Mario Bennett, C Alton Lister, G Byron Scott and G Stevin Smith

Comments = ASU had more players under consideration largely because of their powerhouse teams from the early 1980s...

Jeremy Pendergraph (now Ayres) and Jeremy Veal just missed the cut...

While Lionel Hollins played just before the Devils joined the PAC...

Any disagreement with Wilner's picks..??

A bunch of old timers, like me, who was privileged to see most of them play in person...

Go Devils!!!

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Dead last? @Joe Healey and I kick off our 14th season of Speak of the Devils with a look at the Big 12 and national races. Who are the teams to beat in this new conference? Is ASU’s ranking warranted? Which Devils are worthy of preseason recognition? We tackle the conference and make our College Football Playoff picks before talking with 2025 running commit Demarius Robinson (1:16:52).

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Little Sunday Engagement from Coach

Whatcha all think? Better ideas?

Pretty cool that he even cares or is on his mind. Particularly on vacation. I mean Great Balls of Fire is hideous…but nonetheless. 😂

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A.J. Cooper's path took him from Sunnyslope High School to a productive stint at Glendale Community College, which in turn led to all-conference honors as a tight end at North Dakota State. It was then he got into coaching, becoming a part of the Bison national championship dynasty before working his way from Wyoming to Washington State to Tempe. Heading into his second year in the desert, Cooper has some veteran returners to pair with a trio of talented transfers. On this episode, we discuss his coaching journey, his Valley homecoming, lessons learned from a national title three-peat, the 2024 group of linebackers, and much more.

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NOTE: The 2024 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego will announce its date at a later time.

Nick Mclain was the first Big 12 player to be selected in the third round, and Ryan Campos had his name called by an MLB team that as of today, has already drafted seven Big 12 players

"That’s how I carry myself, being a player who will help turn the program around and win. That’s what I breathe; that’s what I live and strive hard for." BJ Freeman was a highly coveted guard out of the portal who saw ASU as a place where he can realize his aspirations

"Hurley is a relentless recruiter. Coach Howard had a lot of big-time years at Kansas. They know what it takes to play at the next level, and that’s where Joson is trying to get to." CJ Ward, one of Joson Sanon's AAU coaches explains why the wing player committed sight unseen to ASU

Ball State forward trasnfer Basheer Jihad is the epitome of a late bloomer and, with one year left, he is ready to prove that he can excel now at a higher level of competition, and the Sun Devil staff shares that vision of his potential

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = The Countdown Has Begun...

Football is just around the corner as the NFL Ravens start rookie camp today and the other NFL teams will open camp between now and July 24th, at the latest...

And, then our Sun Devils will begin fall preseason camp around July 31st, I think, that is less than three weeks away...

Added to all that, the Sun Devil website now has all of the summer arrivals listed and it doesn't look like we have had any defections from that group that is consistent with what Hod has said on this site...

I'm not sure when the site will update all of the players height and weights, since I'm sure players like RB Cam Skattebo is around 15-20 pounds lighter than he is listed on the site...

And, other players like OT candidate Josh Atkins is bigger than the current 6'4" 290 and probably closer to 300+ now...

Dilly has said that his players have gotten "bigger and stronger" along both lines and I'm looking forward to see where we are with our strength and conditioning efforts...

QB is still an issue mainly because presumed starter - Sam Leavitt - has very limited playing experience but the potential seems to be there if he can stay healthy...

Plus, we've added Jeff Sims at the position who has a lot of prior starting QB experience and is a big guy at 6'4" 220...

And, there is still future coach Trenton Bourguet around who can move the chains if called on to do so...

With all of the talent and depth on offense I don't see how we cannot score more than 18 points per game like we did last year in the PAC...

The only question is whether we add about 14 points to that scoring average since that's what it will take to win enough bowls to make it to a bowl game this season, in my estimation...

Defense should also be somewhat improved but it's unclear to me and others how much the D will be improved...

Can they knock off a TD from their points allowed last season that was just over 30 pts per game average..??

And, will special teams be lousy like they were too often last season..??

In summary, last season was a kind of "trail of tears" as we played at least four QBs last year (not counting a TE and RB who also played the position during games for various reasons) and didn't have enough players with which to practice at various positions over the course of the season, either...

Despite all that, we were in a position to win games against Cal, Colorado and Washington but couldn't get it done...

So, will Dilly and his staff get those sorts of games in the win column this season or will it be more of the would'a, could'a, should'a syndrome that leads to Sun Devil fan heartbreak again this season...

We don't have the same amount of talent on paper as teams like Utah, K-State, Okie St and AU, but, in my opinion, I think we have as much or more talent as the other teams picked in the bottom half of the Big-12...

That said, according to Phil Steele and others we have the most difficult schedule in the Big-12 this year...

There aren't any cream puffs anywhere to be found but we shouldn't be a designated cream puff in the conference, either, IMHO...

At least, I sure hope not...

Is it reasonable to assume that our offense can add an additional 10-14 points to our scoring average this next season..??

Is it also reasonable to assume that our defense can cut about 7-10 points a game per average this next season, as well..??

Is it also reasonable to assume that our special teams will average more than 10-20 more yards per punt, too..??

And, if we do something like that, is it reasonable to assume that we will probably win enough games, even given the difficult schedule, to go bowling this year..??

Let the countdown begin to another eventful Sun Devil football season: one this time around that isn't characterized by a "trail of tears" and dust storms that interrupt games...

I'm taking the OVER on our 4.5 wins that the odds-makers have established before the season begins...

I'll add some additional thoughts tomorrow but look forward to your feedback and insights about today's Walkabout in the meantime...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Was high on Arizona State's list and they were able to land him

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Our @JustinDLaCertosa attended the second day of the Big 12 Media Day (ASU wasn't part of that day) and talked to two WWE stars about their partnership with the Big 12. So for those interested, here you go:

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This from the latest recruiting buzz article

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On this episode, Bryan and I discuss reloading the cornerbacks room, the finer points of building a culture, the keys to recruiting success, the Texas-to-Tempe pipeline, and more.

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"The biggest thing I learned is I’m not the smartest person in the room and to trust my guys.” Even as the ultimate decision-maker on the team, head coach Kenny Dillingham knows that his philosophy requires an element of delegation