Jun 18, 2013 - 01:24 pm - ASU LB Carl Bradford discusses the upcoming season as well as a more personal story about the loss of his father four months ago. Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com conducted the interview.

Jun 15, 2013 - 10:57 pm - Here are Jordan Thomas' (6 ft, 185) Junior year highlights from Inderkum High School in Sacramento, CA. Thomas is the fifth commitment of ASU Football's 2014 Class. New ASU Commit, Jordan Thomas Although he has yet to visit Tempe, Thomas told Greg Biggins of Scout.com on Friday, "I know it’s early but I’m shutting it down, I won’t be taking any visits except to ASU. I know they don’t like committed players to visit and that’s not my thing either. I’m 100% locked in, I’m a Sun Devil.” Thomas played Linebacker as a Sophomore before making the switch to Defensive Back last year.  

Jun 15, 2013 - 09:33 am - ASU's Fan base plays one of the largest roles in the success of the Sun Devil Football program and Athletics. We're profiling the true DieHards throughout Sun Devil Nation. Are you a DieHard Sun Devil? Contact us with your story. *  *  *  *  * Meet Dan Roether. DieHard Family (Dan, Joey & Reagan Roether). DHD: Are you a DieHard Sun Devil? Dan Roether: Yes. I was born into it and it’s in my blood. My Dad and Mom both graduated from ASU. I grew up going to games with my Dad and Grandfather. My Grandfather was a transplant Nebraska fan who became a huge and loyal ASU fan in the 70’s. I have great memories of going down to Phoenix Country Club before games, meeting up with my Grandfather’s buddies to have dinner, then getting on the big bus lines to head over to Sun Devil Stadium. I remember sitting on an ice chest full of coke and beer that they would bring into the games. I still have this dream, vision and hope that ASU will be a dominant football program in this country. We need the right ingredients, a head coach to stick around a while and to get back on the national map. I’m just sold out for ASU including all the athletics. DHD: Now that you have seen Coach Todd Graham leading Sun Devil Football for over a year, what do you think of the job he has done so far? Dan: The more that I have been around Todd Graham, the more I've heard about what he is doing, the amount of speaking engagements, community outreach that he did in that first 6 months that he was here has been so impressive. My hope is that Todd Graham will give us at least 10 good years. I’ll still be a Sun Devil fan if and when he leaves, but my hope is that we will be a Rose Bowl contender every year and be in the Top 10. So I’m holding onto that vision and hope, and right now I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time about that possibility. Joey and Reagan hangin' out with Sparky. DHD: Do you think we can win it all at ASU? Dan: I do. You want to know why? We’ve done it before in the 70’s and came within seconds in the Plummer year.  The 1996 season was the most exciting year ever at ASU. The Nebraska game, from beginning to end, was the most exciting football game I’ve ever attended in my life. DHD: At what age did you get really serious about being a Sun Devil fan? Dan: As a 10 year old, I remember listening to away games on the radio with Tom Dillon, the best Sun Devil voice ever.  Also playing pick-up football games with my buddies at halftime in the back of Sun Devil Stadium. After the USC game in 1979, my Dad and I were going on a deer hunt right after the game. ASU had just joined the Pac-10 Conference and we shut down Charles White and beat USC, who was ranked 1 or 2 in the nation at the time. We had all our gear packed and left right after the game to go hunting. Those were great memories. DHD: Being an Arizona native, when did the Territorial Cup rivalry kick in for you growing up? Dan: Around junior high. You start to become aware of how nasty the games were. You realize that this game is something different. By the time you get in high school, you have your rivalries with your buddies also, and things escalate from there. DHD: Who are some of your favorite Sun Devil players from the past? DR: Mike Richardson, Darryl Clack, Aaron Cox and David Fulcher DHD: Since you were a former quarterback in high school, what are your thoughts on Taylor Kelly? DR: Taylor Kelly has been so impressive. I see poise that is beyond his years. For a guy that came in and never started a college football game, and his coolness under pressure last season was just phenomenal. He’s at a whole different level of scrutiny from coaches, teammates, fans and the press. And for him to be so cool under the collar for the entire season was huge. Also, I think he progressed every single week and got better. He has some great coaching and a fantastic work ethic. He reminds me of Jake Plummer in that he doesn’t have all the tools of a 5-star recruit, but some of the best ASU players ever have been the “fly under the radar” 3-stars that are coached up to become 5-stars, and I think Todd Graham is that type of coach. I really believe in this group of coaches to pick players that have the character to work hard and they’re going to coach them up. Sun Devil family and friends on game day. DHD: What kind of impact do the fans have on the players on game day? DR: The players know what their role is and what they’re supposed to do, but there is a reason why good home teams win. It’s because there is an added confidence that they’re playing for. They feel that they are playing for something bigger than themselves. They know as a team that they are sold out to each other no matter what. That’s why when they are on the road, they can block out the booing and the opposing team’s fans. But when they are at home, there is an additional sense of confidence, like we’re doing this for Sun Devil Nation right now. Great fan support adds another layer of support and confidence to the overall scheme. DHD: If you had one message to other Sun Devil fans, what would it be? DR: Commit. Commit to the team. They need the support and I think we’re on a great track right now. #ForksUp, Dan. Reagan meets Sun Devil Legend, Coach Frank Kush.      

Jun 14, 2013 - 02:19 pm - On September 14, ASU enters the gauntlet of their schedule at home vs. Wisconsin October 5, 2013 has a big red circle around it on ASU football fans’ calendars, but a game that seems curiously un-circled is Sept. 28, 2013. As hype abounds the Sun Devils’ game in Dallas against Notre Dame on October 5, the game a week earlier has flown largely under the radar. It’s also the game with the most on the line for an ASU team with lofty expectations. After a 2013 opener vs. Sacramento State, the Sun Devils enter the gauntlet of their schedule which includes four consecutive Saturdays against Wisconsin, Stanford, USC and Notre Dame. If you had to pick a must-win game for the Devils in that 4-game stretch, it has to be their home contest against USC. Of those first 5 games, USC is the only team in the Pac-12 South Division, and an early loss to the Trojans could come back to haunt the Sun Devils at season’s end. The southern division is mostly a three-horse race between ASU, UCLA and SC. An early win over USC at home could put the Sun Devils in control of their own destiny in the south. Beating Wisconsin, Stanford and Notre Dame do not offer quite the luxury. Although wins over Notre Dame and Wisconsin look good on a resume they do nothing for ASU’s position in the Pac-12. By beating a likely top-3 Stanford, ASU’s respect would sky-rocket. Still, it would have no impact on getting the Sun Devils to the Conference Championship game since Stanford is in the North Division. After USC, the Sun Devils have winnable Pac-12 South games with bottom dwelling Colorado and Utah before heading to UCLA. With an early win over the Trojans in their back pocket, the Sun Devils could arrive in Pasadena on November 23 at 3-0 in the south for what will become the most anticipated game of the season. In addition to the momentum of a potential 3-0 record in the south, a win over the Bruins leaves ASU only a home game against Arizona to close their season. Now, is 5-0 in the south a bold prediction? Yes. But it is possible. A single loss in the south doesn’t kill the Sun Devils’ Championship hopes, but losing to a talent-laden USC team could be a major setback. By achieving five wins to start their year (includes opener against Sacramento State), ASU would very likely be ranked in the Top-10 nationally. 4-1 would be astounding and even 3-2 would be very good. Even if they get off to a 2-3 start that includes a victory over SC, the Sun Devils will still be in the best position to achieve their goal as the South Division Champions who will play for a Rose Bowl birth. Their is no doubt that Saturday, September 28, matters most in ASU's first five games.

Jun 12, 2013 - 03:17 pm - Derrick Hall, President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks is a proud Sun Devil alumn.  Cory Hahn is a DieHard Sun Devil undergrad and former ASU baseball player working on completing his degree. Sun Devil and Diamondback, Cory Hahn (@CoryHahn) Both made a significant connection with each other last week when Hall and the Arizona Diamondbacks made the classy decision to draft Hahn in the 34th round of the Major League Baseball draft. Over the years, Hall has established himself as one of the best leaders and executives in Major League Baseball.  Known for putting his fans and staff first, Hall has earned the respect of both. Always looking for creative ways to think outside the box and do things differently, drafting Hahn for a future with the organization in the front office was a no brainer. Not for public relations, but because it was the right thing to do. Hahn, who was paralyzed from the chest down in his third game as a Sun Devil, has worked extremely hard to rebuild his life over the past few years. Hall and Luis Gonzalez visited Hahn in the hospital after the accident in 2011, and Hall immediately realized that Cory was a special person because of his attitude and determination. He also realized that Hahn knew a lot about baseball from his experience over the years. Through the same focus, hard work and determination that he showed on the baseball diamond, Hahn has kept a positive attitude as he moves on with his life one day at a time. He has done his best adjusting to his new reality and has plenty of hope for the future. Getting picked up by the D-Backs makes those future plans much more clear.    Now things are starting to come full circle for Hahn as his persistence, attitude and hard work are paying off. Getting drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks put a big smile on his face and provided more hope for the future. It's always great to see fellow Sun Devils connect.     Follow Cory Hahn @CoryHahn34 and Derrick Hall @DHallDbacks on Twitter    I cannot thank the @dbacks enough for what they have done! So humbled and will be forever grateful! So honored to be a diamondback! — Coryhahn34 (@Coryhahn34) June 9, 2013  

Jun 11, 2013 - 06:41 pm - Wow. Big day. 2013 Sun Devil Football Did anyone else think that ASU Athletic Director, Steve Patterson, could pull this one off? In an announcement this afternoon, it was revealed that Notre Dame would be shifting its 2014 schedule to honor its commitment to ASU for a game originally slated for two weeks prior to that in Tempe. Just 2 months ago, ASU's Athletic Department was caught off guard when the mighty Fighting Irish sent word that they were pulling out of their 2014 game with the Sun Devils. By many accounts, it was a move by Notre Dame that was at best disrespectful and unprofessional and at worst, an example of Notre Dame having it their way with little concern of the predicament in witch that placed ASU. After all, it was early in 2008 when ASU and Notre Dame had signed the contract to play. Arizona State was now in a situation of scurrying for an opponent to fill the suddenly vacated spot in their 2014 Schedule, which is a challenge for any program this late in the game. Furthermore, such an opponent would likely be an inferior team which would hurt the Devil's "strength of schedule" rating, an important measurement that plays into National Rankings. After the news broke, here's the exchange between Doug Haller of AZCentral and Doug Tammaro of ASU Media Relations:   Use this word please dictionary.reference.com/browse/stickto… @doughaller Saving 2014 home game against ND is huge W for @asu. Its persistence paid off. — Doug Tammaro (@DougTammaro) June 11, 2013     Earlier today, Steve Patterson told Jeff Metcalfe and Doug Haller of AZ Central Sports, “The key for us was given the proximity of time to the date next year, we wanted to be able to maintain playing Notre Dame at home for our fans and student-athletes.” He also noted the support of the PAC-12 in the shifting of their schedule. ASU's game with Notre Dame at Dallas Cowboys Stadium this year is unaffected by these changes. Big props are given to Steve Patterson for showing that ASU would not role over in a challenge like this. We're looking forward to making Notre Dame regret their decision a second time on November 8, 2014. #ForksUp

Jun 10, 2013 - 03:03 pm - It’s becoming almost as common as the SEC winning national titles and it could be a part of the reason why. 2013 Sun Devil Football Instead of waiting until late summer, high school football recruits are graduating high school and opting for spring enrollment to college in record numbers. According to a USA Today report, 162 players from the 2013 recruiting class headed for BCS automatic-qualifying schools in the spring, electing to enroll a semester early in order to be eligible to participate in spring practices. The 2013 figure is the highest since USA Today started tracking the number of early enrollees in 2002 and eclipsed the old record of 141 in 2010. Sun Devil #6, Chans Cox Of those 162 players that enrolled early, the SEC had by far the most of any conference with 43 recruits coming in the spring. By comparison, the Pac-12 had only 18 early enrollees and linebacker Chans Cox was the only recruit to join ASU in the spring. It is worth noting that Christian Westerman also joined the team this Spring, but he will most likely sit out a year after transferring from Auburn. At first it seems strange, why would a high school senior pass up on their senior prom and leave behind their friends? Well from a football standpoint it makes a lot of sense Spring practices are is the best time for new players to get introduced to the college game. In the spring, coaches are focusing on getting returning players minds back on football and that means refreshing the basics and running less-complex versions of the schemes they’ll run in the fall. Is a player fresh out of high school going to have any idea what, say, “Gun flip right over hard right 50 flip quick on Seattle on one” means? No but by being exposed to it a few months earlier in the spring, it will help shallow out the learning curve. But learning the X’s and O’s isn’t the only hurdle a new recruit has to clear; there’s a physical one as well. Blue-chip recruits especially have always been bigger, faster and stronger than everybody else on the field. That advantage goes bye-bye when they step onto a college field. Where a top-recruit might be the only player on his team that could run a 4.5 second 40-yard dash, all of the sudden virtually everybody runs that fast. Plays develop faster and players have a fraction of the time they did in high school to react. Spring practices help the early enrollees adjust to just how dramatic the jump in speed is between high school and college. It also speeds up their chances to play early as a standout spring from a new player can skyrocket them up the depth chart. Early enrollment means a big sacrifice but its one that a record number of high school seniors are making and that’s not likely to change.

Jun 09, 2013 - 12:39 pm - After 114 years, the oldest trophy in Division I college football finally has its very own book. Territorial: The History of the Duel in the Desert by Shane Dale delves deeply into the history and tradition of one of the oldest rivalries in college football after he noticed that nobody else had done it yet. “I was kinda surprised when I looked and realized no one had ever written a book about the rivalry,” Dale said. “There had been books written about ASU sports, U of A sports but nothing simply about the rivalry.” Sensing an opportunity, Dale embarked on a roughly two-year quest to learn the history of the Territorial Cup, a rivalry that Dale feels “is really one of the best in the country that no one knows about.” That could be, as Dale says, because the Duel in the Desert doesn’t have the same implications as “The Game” between Ohio State and Michigan or the Red River Rivalry of Texas and Oklahoma. But what the rivalry lacks in terms of determining championships, it makes up for in passion that boils down to downright hatred. “In terms of absolute just hatred, dislike for the other school, I think it’s right up there, maybe top-5, top-10 in the country,” Dale said. So how did it get that way? That’s part of what Dale uncovers in Territorial. Here’s a teaser: it has to do with an election, a break-in and fire on the field of a newly opened Sun Devil Stadium. An Arizona alumn himself, Dale maintains a balanced view of the rivalry after growing up a Sun Devil fan in Chandler, Arizona. His first taste of the rivalry came in 1991 as he watched the Sun Devils win their first Territorial Cup in nine years, 37-14. Although the 1991 game at Sun Devil Stadium was the first he remembers watching, it wasn’t his favorite. “The double-overtime game a couple years ago (2010) was amazing, the way it ended,” Dale recalls. “The first half was terrible. The second half was great. Very rarely are you going to see a blocked extra point decide a game, let alone two, so that was pretty phenomenal…I just don’t think anything tops that double-overtime game a couple years ago.” Territorial: The History of the Duel in the Desert is tentatively slated to be released July 12, 2013 on Amazon.com. Follow Shane Dale on Twitter - @TerritorialCup

Jun 08, 2013 - 03:39 pm - Sun Devil Basketball #13 Jordan Bachynski gets mean for the camera   Every successful brand has both substance and style. In the case of Arizona State Athletics, how the players and their teams perform on game day is the substance. This behind-the-scenes video delivers the style. In this Sun Devil Marketing shoot for 2013 Football and 2014 Basketball, ASU brought in Jordan Bachynski, Carl Bradford, Jahii Carson, Alden Darby, Osahon Irabor and Will Sutton. Watch Darby & Sutton bust some moves, Jahi Carson sprayed down with water before simulating a dunk and Carl Bradford fine tune his game day stomp for the camera. Good stuff. #ForksUp. Watch Video Sun Devil Football #52 Carl Bradford  

Jun 05, 2013 - 02:40 pm - Sun Devil Commit, Manny Wilkins, was invited to the ELITE 11 Finals, which features the top Quarterbacks in the country. As posted on AZFamily.com After missing out on a quarterback in the last two recruiting classes, Arizona State secured a good one late last week. Now the future Devil joins the premier podcast for ASU football to talk about his choice. Manny Wilkins, the heralded 4-star prospect out of San Marin HS in California, announced that he has committed to the Sun Devils. He joins the Speak of the Devils show for an in-depth interview on a wide variety of topics that every ASU fan should hear. Wilkins discusses what Coach Graham's sale pitch was like, what skills he brings to the table, how he fits into the offense, and much, much more. He even tells listeners why they shouldn't worry about a repeat of last February's Josh Dobbs drama. They are also joined by Hod Rabino of DevilsDigest.com for a very thorough update on Wilkins' impact and the latest from the recruiting trail. *     *     * Speak of the Devils Podcast is hosted by columnists, Joe Healey of DevilsDigest.com and Brad Denny of Channel 3. Joe comes from a broadcasting family. His father is Tim Healey, who since 2009 has been the radio play-by-play voice for ASU Football, Basketball & Baseball. Brad Denny was the top staff writer for the House of Sparky website from SBNation.com and is now a Sportswriter and the Social Media Manager at Phoenix’s KTVK Channel 3. Both are trusted sources for analysis on ASU Football topics of interest and program developments. They also provide fans with interview segments that include Sun Devil players, coaches and ASU Legends as well as other media experts covering Sun Devil Athletics. Their podcast has covered the Sun Devils since before the kick-off of the 2011 Football season. This is their 64th Episode. You can access this 64th episode via iTunes or Stitcher Radio.       iTunes   -   Stitcher Radio  

Jun 04, 2013 - 03:55 pm - From the film, "Any Given Sunday". Coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) gives one of the greatest "locker room" speeches. Simple. Raw. True. from the film, Any Given Sunday I don’t know what to say really. Three minutes, to the biggest battle of our professional lives, all comes down to today. Now either, we heal as a team, or we’re gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we’re finished. We’re in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here and get the shit kicked out of us. Or, we can fight our way back … into the light. We can climb out of hell. One inch, at a time. Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I made every wrong choice a middle age man can make. I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old in life, things get taken from you. That’s part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small. I mean, One half step too late or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They’re in ever break of the game. Every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our finger nails for that inch! Because we know, when we add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know, if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because, I’m still willing to fight and die for that inch Because that’s what living is! The six inches in front of your face! Now I can’t make you do it! You gotta look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy
who will go that inch with you. You’re gonna see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him. That’s a team, gentlemen. And, either we heal – now! – as a team! Or we will die as individuals. That’s football guys. That’s all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?    V I E W  

Jun 03, 2013 - 02:25 am - By Justin Prestegard If you are looking to curb your Sun Devil Football withdrawals this summer, I have to recommend some folks on Twitter who you must follow to keep up with all things related to the 2013 season.   Coaching Staff Todd Graham - Head Coach Mike Norvell – OC Delvaughn Alexander – WR Bo Graham – RB Chip Long – TE Keola Loo – GA – OL Aaron Pfulgrad – GA, Offense Paul Randolph – DC Chris Ball – Co-DC Jackie Shipp – D-Line Joe Lorig – DB Rudy Burgess - GA, Defense Dan Lanning – GA, LBs   ASU Staff Sherman Morris – Recruiting Coordinator Shawn Griswold – Strength/Conditioning Sun Devil Equip – Equipment Manager   Others to Follow Marcus Walker – Trainer/Workout Wars (does work with Pflugrad in offseason, workout ideas) Coaches Lanning and Pflugrad are the most active on Twitter, the others are learning and always have positive quotes or posts. I’ve noticed many of the coaches will post areas of the country they are visiting which in turn can give you hints as to who they are scouting/recruiting. I have no doubt Sherman Morris will show them just how important Social networking will play in #Graham360. The most activity you will see on Twitter over the summer is from Coach Griswold and Sun Devil Equipment. Coach Grizz is the only coach allowed to be with the players during Summer Workouts so he will keep you posted on who is kicking butt in the gym and how well the team is coming together in the weight room.  Sun Devil Equipment is a great follow because they keep you up on all the new gear the players will be wearing and they also know when Camp T is coming so they keep up with packing for Fall Camp.  Feel free to add any other Twitter suggestions to the comments on this article. While I follow some players I leave it at each individual’s preference if they want to add them. _________________________  Justin’s DieHard Profile Connect with Justin on Twitter Follow DieHardDevil on Twitter