Already making his presence known in workouts as he was recently voted Speed Demon of the Week, clocking at 22.7 mph (“that’s expected but still not fast enough”), freshman WR Zechariah Sample is adjusting nicely to the college level but is still plenty humble to know that only continued hard work and consistent improvement will put him on the path to seeing the field on Saturdays.

Chandler Hamilton DB Dajon Hinton (who was at Scottsdale Saguaro when he actually committed to ASU) is very likely to decommit from the Sun Devils.

Kind of a screwy situation where Hinton visited Arizona this past weekend and, much like Dylan Tapley in the previous recruiting class, did so knowing that he was going to be dropped from ASU as a result. Apparently, he didn't care about that and inadvertently or not took advantage of a unique situation, which I previously mentioned, where ASU coaches, due to the NCAA sanctions, cannot communicate with recruits for the next few weeks. So, it was impossible for both sides to talk about this proactively or reactively.

If you recall, Kenny Dillingham stated that incoming freshmen do not receive NIL (at least not from the collective), so that could have played a role here. If Arizona, the school I won't be surprised that he will end up at (and his father did play there), is offering money that ASU isn't, then at times, this is an aspect that can be hard to overcome.

I know there's the obvious adverse perception issue that a staff with a lot of in-state ties is now losing its second local commit in the cycle (Rylon Dillard-Allen being the first one). Ultimately, ASU is a program that is coming off back-to-back three-win seasons, and needless to say, that is a recruiting line that schools competing with Arizona State for recruits are repeating at nausea. Maybe it's a line that works better on local recruits than out-of-state ones. Some do care more/less than others being part of a rebuild.

From a practical standpoint, ASU can afford to lose a safety commit, having just one senior on this year's roster, Shamari Simmons. Having a potential two-deep next season of Myles Rowser,
Xavion Alford, Kamari Wilson, and Montana Warren is solid. As far as 2025 commits, I definitely don't think Hinton is better than Benjamin Alefaio, who is ranked in the Top 75 among California prospects, and it's debatable if he's (much) better than Xavier Skowron. This development may have ASU stay put at safety and now try to add both a defensive end and a defensive tackle instead of just an end.

Long time supporter , first time dabbling into the Devils Huddle. Tait Reynolds is a name that ASU fans should start to familiarize themselves with. Tait is a 5 tool baseball player and current ASU baseball commit (committing in Jan 23 , before he played a game in high school). He is also a highly touted football player (QB) out of Queen Creek High - I am hearing that he has the chance to be a high 4 star or 5 star recruit in football as well.

In the NIL era, two-sport athletes such as Tait should be at the top of the list for athletes that can be a local star here in the valley. I look at Duce Robinson (5 Star TE and star baseball player out of Pinnacle) that committed to USC as a 2 sport athlete as one that got away. Hod - I am not sure how much you know about his intentions of playing baseball or football in college - or if he will be a 2 sport guy. At any rate, this guy can be a program defining recruit in our own backyard. I have also heard rumblings that he is third generation legacy Sun Devil Baseball player and would be a legacy football player as well, if anyone has any additional information on that.

Here is his Football recruiting page: Login to view embedded media
and Baseball: https://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=790034 (a PG rating of 9 at his age - essentially is a blue chip recruit).

Go Devils!

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Getting With The Program

Based on recent actions by Bobby Hurley it seems that he has definitely gotten with the program, when it comes to the new college athletic paradigm, that requires coaches to be like product salesmen as much as coaching players and designing plays on a chalkboard, etc...

For, these days, you have to show players, especially in basketball and football, the love and money that is equated with that love on a daily, monthly and yearly basis...

You have to be in-sync with the new semi-pro model that governs college athletics and that is characterized by continuous turnover through the unlimited transfer portal and paying players for their services through NIL platforms...

It's basically a pro sports model where some college education is required along the way but only as a means to a pro sports end in the final analysis for elite players, IMHO...

You have free agency in pro sports and the transfer portal in college sports...

Pro players are paid by their teams while college athletes are now paid through NIL collectives...

And, in the not too distant future, it appears that colleges will have a cap like budget with which to allocate scholarships and pay-for-play services in their athletic departments...

This will put added stress on athletic depts that will have to come up with the necessary financial resources with which to compete at the highest levels of P-4 competition...

Which is why, apparently, ASU has a new athletic dept model that was developed by our new AD in conjunction with our school's president...

What this has done for me is made me return to a renewed interest in the NFL that only allows teams to have 53 men on a roster and where star power draws interest in teams that can afford them...

Additionally, the roster turnover allows for the possibility that your favorite team can elevate itself out of mediocrity quickly if it hits on the right star players for its roster...

Of course, an associated problem is that it can all be gone in an instant tomorrow given the transfer portal...

At least in the NFL, the players have signed contracts that obligate them to be on any given team for a period of time, I guess the way scholarships used to tie down players in college...

So, is there anything at a school like ASU that can tie a gifted player, in any sport, to it for a duration of time where fans can see a player for more than a nanosecond on any given sports roster..??

That's my question for the day...

And, I doubt that it would have much of anything to do with getting an education, but could be wrong about that...

Dilly seems to have found some answers in his football program and, if so, what do they entail..??

Can a certain "culture' negate the draw of big bucks elsewhere..??

Anyhow, I'm getting with the program since I don't have any choice in the matter...

How about you..??

Heck, the NFL keeps growing in popularity and maybe the same thing will happen with college football, too...

And, we will get to see an entertaining basketball show this season under Bobby so what's not to like, right..??

We got some much needed rain down here yesterday and it's a little cooler today as a result...

Hope you all have a good week as we approach July which means a new football season is just around the corner...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

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Had a great conversation with ASU tight ends coach Jason Mohns in which we discussed the key lessons learned from last year, what has led to his success on the recruiting trail, a breakdown of the new tight end room and how they'll fit in the offensive scheme, and much more.

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Texas Tech would love nothing more than to be in the first tier of Big 12 teams, but questions at QB and defense may present formidable challenges. RedRaiderSports Publisher Chris Level shares his observations of the team.

Saw this on ESPN.....for one of the VERY FEW times in my 67 years, I hope USC wins this one!!

In the heat here in MD....it feels almost like Tempe, but we've got the humidity! The "Experts" pick both our teams in general, at 15 out of 16 in the Big 12 for the upcoming seasons. Personally, I love this at THIS TIME. At this time next year, let's see where we stand. My very biased hope, by then, is that we will all be smiling with what transpired in 2024-2025! GO SUN DEVILS!

Just came across this headline with an article on ESPN. I love hockey and would enjoy reading some local views on all this. Thanks, in advance, Huddlers!

This one should bring smiles to all of us...I hope anyway. GO SUN DEVILS. https://www.espn.com/college-footba...e-college-football-cheapest-beer-social-media

“I think we’ve really put together the type of team in different layers and different types of players; I’m excited to see how that all comes together.” A mix of a top 10 recruiting class and impressive transfers fosters genuine optimism in Tempe

You can already guess which side of the ledger is ASU's class located at

That's what Jon Wilner asks in his recent PAC Hotline column...

Aside from the NFL, I think that other professional sports, like the NBA, MLS, NHL, and MLB, allow private investment at minority levels in their sports...

The SEC and Big-10 don't have to be worried about money, as things now stand, but conferences like the Big-12 need money in order to not be left behind in football and basketball, especially...

So, our Big-12 commissioner - Brett Yormark - is in negotiations with a private equity investment firm to raise, perhaps, a billion dollars for a 20% stake in the conference...

Why would a private equity firm do that..??

From what I can tell, they do it to eventually make money by selling their share to another entity in the not too distant future...

In the past, these types of firms might have been characterized as "corporate raiders" who take over a business only to dismember it and sell off parts to make money, etc...

That isn't happening now as sports (pro and college) have become multi-billion dollar entertainment industries that someone like Walt Disney would really appreciate, if you ask someone like me...

They are growing by leaps and bounds and who doesn't want to watch all the drama associated with chasing things like Super Bowl Championships, Stanley Cup championships, World Series Championships, March Madness Championships, etc...

The list is endless, isn't it..??

And, now college athletics, especially as it pertains to football and basketball, is basically semi-pro in nature and has brought more drama to be witnessed by fans and boosters related to unlimited free agency and million dollar NIL deals, etc...

But, all that dramatic entertainment costs a lot in order to put that viewing content on our television and computer screens...

More importantly for some, like university presidents, all that dramatic action on the playing fields and courts "drives enrollment numbers" that will become even more important as the "great recession," as American fertility rates are in a steady decline, that means that schools won't be attracting as many applicants as they used to do, unless they have something like a high profile football or basketball program helping to sell the school to potential applicants...

So, whether school presidents want to admit it or not, according to Wilner, "no branch of the university is more visible than football and nothing else attracts say 50,000+ fans to watch football games like what happens with that sport"...(my paraphrasing)

As an aside, just look at what has happened at Colorado under Prime Time and how his program has generated both visibility and excitement these days that has driven applicant numbers at the school...

It's show time in America these days and you can either treat it like a great entertainment endeavor or face the consequences like the now extinct PAC did recently...

I wonder, if Walt Disney was still alive, whether he might like to invest in something like the Big-12..??

I'm also wondering, that with enough money, whether the Big-12 could also become the "happiest place on Earth" for us fans and boosters since Disneyland was invented..??

These are are just some of my meandering and sometimes coherent (or incoherent) thoughts (opinions) related to this subject...

Let's hope ASU gets with the program or face an even more uncertain future where a corporate raider could sell us off at a discount because our value stinks...

Go Devils!!!

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I had a great in-depth discussion with ASU defensive coordinator Brian Ward yesterday, covering how the scheme is coming along in Year 2, the likely adjustments needed for Big 12 ball, the next wave of team leaders, how each level of the defense is shaping up, his new favorite Valley burrito spot, and much more

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Rushed for 2,139 yards and 28 TDs last year. “Coach Aguano sees me as a home run threat who can bust out 80 or 90 yards. I’m an all-purpose back who can really bring it all to the table.”

"Coach Dillingham and the rest of the coaches showed me a lot of love. They showed me how they want to build a relationship, and that meant a lot to me." Local San Tan Charter WR Uriah Neloms talks ASU pledge

Compared to the other three teams that joined the Big 12 last year, UCF enjoyed the most success. Can this optimism be parlayed into their first-ever winning season in a power conference? UCF Sports Publisher Brandon Helwig shares his season outlook.