ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said that his team has a long way to go to be better than its 11-win 2024 campaign. At the same time, there's no denying that the talent level is better than it was last spring. So, in theory, the Sun Devils are seemingly on the path to show marked improvement, even from one of the best seasons in program history. Here's our breakdown of the team with three spring sessions in the books.

As Always don't shoot the messenger if the heights/weights are inaccurate. Those usually get updated later.

Yes, the same Peat family has produced multiple D-I players, and one of their youngest, Keona Peat, is a current ASU offensive lineman.

Plans to visit Arkansas, Duke, Baylor, and Arizona, with a likely decision coming by the November signing period. One hell of a field to contend with, but there has been a lot of good mojo surrounding the program, so maybe Haurley will pull another rabbit out of his hat, and this one being a legit local blue chipper will move the needle in a major way.

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ASU scored 34 runs on the road and dismantled Utah, as each game in the series showcased a different aspect of the Sun Devils' strength

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Is Shamateur college sports sustainable ?

That's what former Tucson sportswriter, Corky Simpson, asks in his Geezerville newspaper column this week...

He wants to know how long college basketball fans and boosters are going to be willing to pay players ridiculous sums of money to attend their school for a year, before they move on to another school or the NBA, etc...

These ATHLETE-students, where attending class is optional, as is studying for a degree, are accepted by schools, who have the money with which to pay them in the expectation they will win as a result...

Of course, as an aside, we have not found this to be true at ASU in terms of wins, as part of a "return on investment," but they might be going to class, etc...

Corky goes on to say that "minor league contests will eventually wear thin and the NCAA will either re-invent itself or another form of governance will replace the NCAA...

So, are there any signs out there that all of this is wearing thin on fans and boosters..??

It certainly does not appear to be the case in Colorado where Prime Time just got a contract extension of five years that will make him the highest paid coach in the Big-12...

The contract will run through 2029 and will total $54M spread over five years...

He'll make $10M per year the next two years before it climbs to $11M the next two seasons, climaxing at $12M the final year of the extension...

Okay, he's not an athlete-student but he does understand, like present day athletes playing football and basketball, that elite personal brands are worth a lot of money...

The Buffs AD said that PT has "transformed college athletics and elevated CU's football fortunes" which warrants the pay raise, so that the Buffs can compete for national championships, etc...

I guess the Buffs think that within these next five years that people will be characterizing their program as being on a par with Georgia, Bama, Ohio St, Oregon, etc...

I think that Dilly has elevated our expectations but not sure that translates into my thinking that we are only a season or so away from being on a par with those national recognized programs...

Dilly has certainly changed the expectations for our Sun Devil football program and has set the foundation for continued success in the Big-12 but are we nearing programs like those at the elite schools mentioned above...??

If Prime Time is worth $10M a year what is Dilly worth to ASU these days..??

I mean he actually won a conference championship and almost beat Texas in the Peach Bowl while PT got clobbered by BYU in their bowl game...

Getting back to Shamateur sports...is there any ceiling to all of this spending in college athletics..??

Where does it all end..??

Is it a crying shame to be paying these coaches and players a king's ransom, when the return on investment is pretty questionable from any meaningful financial standpoint, I would think, in far too many cases...

Speaking of paying players, I wonder how much Bobby is offering to his newest BB additions to next season's roster...??

I'm betting that Dilly will turn out to be a better coach over the next five years than Prime Time at Colorado and that Rossini will work things out for us in other sports, moving forward, as well...

The sooner the better...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Big 12: Houston, Texas Tech
ACC: Duke
Big 10: Michigan State
SEC: Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Bama

Odds to win the NC (lower number is better odds)
1) Duke +185
2) Florida +320
3) Auburn +500
4) Houston +550
5) Bama +1200
6) Tennessee +1400
7) Michigan State +220
8) Texas Tech +2500

If Bama beats Duke I wouldn't be shocked to see them jump to the favorite.

“We have to be better than last year. Right now, we're not—we've got a long way to go.” The physicality and energy on Saturday night were noticeably elevated, but the quest to show marked improvement is very much a work in progress for the Sun Devils

I enjoy following ASU Mens/Womens golf teams, so will try to post updates a couple of times per month moving forward

It is hard finding updated info on the team rankings, but the one poll I am able to find that has current rankings has Men listed @ #7 currently.......most of the events were in the fall, which is more or less considered like FB or Basketball "non conference" games...the spring is pretty much considered regular season, so moving forward with the spring events there will be much more updated rankings that are more realistic
* https://scoreboard.clippd.com/ranki...Type=Team&gender=Men&division=NCAA+Division+I

The men have a Freshman - Wenyi Ding - who joined the team in DEC I believe, and just won an event in Hawaii with a NCAA Mens record 189 score over 3 rounds.......he broke the ncaa record of 192 score over 3 rounds in his 2nd event with ASU, and DEvils finished #2 to N Carolina who won the 2023 NCAA's and are pretty much the team to beat for 2024.....here is brief story
https://thesundevils.com/story.aspx...-needed-for-this-headline&file_date=2/10/2024

Next big Mens event is Feb 25-27 @ Vegas

Will get to the Womens 2024 spring updates tomorrow........but since we are ranked in top 10 after finishing #2 in 2023 should be fun to follow this spring

The first Saturday night spring practice, as well as the first session that was padded and one that was open for fans, created the expected heightened energy level but was also a practice that Dillingham described as "Good, not to be confused with great.” Here’s our practice report:

UPDATE: ASU's practice Saturday at 6 pm has been MOVED to Kajikawa Practice Field

Four-star out of high school, played for BYU too BYU. Former Kansas signee and Gonzaga commit.

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Just wow

Jeremy Pruitt was the Tennessee football coach fired with cause. Many ASU fans and reporters have suggested that ASU should have fired Herm with cause to avoid paying him $4m and use Pruitt as the example.

In a “just” world, that’s exactly what should have happened. Herm should have been thrown out on his behind and ASU should have clawed back bonuses, not paid a buyout.

But, there is nothing “just” about the world of college football.

Pruitt is now suing the NCAA for $100m. Even if Tennessee isn’t sued (which they might be), I’m sure the Tennessee athletic department is entering a multi year distraction where lawyers will be combing through what is currently hidden in Knoxville.

UCONN went through the same thing when they fired Kevin Ollie for cause.

There’s certainly room for disagreement here, but my position is that ASU did the smart thing to negotiate a reduced buyout of Herm rather than risk this.

“I believe that if I’m able to play a whole season, all my other goals will follow." Cornerback Rodney Bimage and defensive tackle Zac Swanson are among the players on the ASU defense shining early on in spring, poised to improve their impact this year

“We just have a lot of guys that know what the standard is. We're just trying to put a little more on them mentally to keep these guys engaged.” An experienced squad in Tempe is raising the expectation bar in the quest for constant improvement

Austin Barnes, Los Angeles (NL)

Ryan Burr, Toronto

Merrill Kelly, Arizona

Alec Marsh, Kansas City

Spencer Torkelson, Detroit

Trevor Williams, Washington

Gage Workman, Chicago (NL)

While this is an ASU team laden with experience, some of the underclassmen on the Sun Devils’ roster had some head turning plays in Thursday’s practice. Here are the takeaways from today’s session