The 2024 Big 12 Champions wrapped up its 15 allocated spring practices on Friday, as Arizona State hosted a Fan Fest at Mountain America Stadium, allowing fans to pile in as the team took part in its final spring activities. The evening was loaded with fun for families as the program continued adding fuel to their mantra of “Activating the Valley.” The players got to enjoy a light-hearted practice as well, with a majority of it being integrated with obscure one-on-one matchups, like graduate quarterback Jeff Sims playing wide receiver or redshirt junior Jordyn Tyson playing as a quarterback.
Although practice number 15 wasn’t a classic spring game, the other 14 sessions preceding Friday night certainly were certainly more traditional and held a high standard. With nearly 80% of the roster returning from 2024, the spring gave the Sun Devils a chance to improve on the base it had already set from the previous season’s inaugural College Football Playoff run. For head coach Kenny Dillingham, the spring was on par with what the program expected from its team.
“I like where we're at, but we're not satisfied,” Dillingham said. “I think we can be a lot better.”
The final practice was a chance for the team to commemorate the positive work done during the spring and celebrate as a collective group. Players spent most of the post-practice laughing with each other, signing autographs, taking pictures, or rejoicing with family who came out to celebrate.
“Today, guys are smiling around guys competing in one-on-ones, people getting excited for them, just kids being able to be themselves,” Dillingham said. “Not having to shape themselves in the light of the coach, but having a program that shapes itself in the light of the kids, and that's what we're about.”
The college sports landscape is going through its own changes due to shifts on Capitol Hill. The House vs. NCAA court case has become all the buzz in the national media over the recent days and weeks of April. For over 30 years, collegiate football operated under scholarship rules where a roster could be as large as 120 players, with 85 on scholarship at the FBS level. With the shift in legislation that’s occurred over the last few weeks, the number of scholarship-eligible players has gone up to 105, but the total roster size has also shrunk down to that same 105 number. On the plus side, for football and other athletic sports, more scholarships are readily available for programs to use at their discretion; however, ASU and a majority of programs across the nation had to notify numerous walk-on that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to be part of an expanded roster.
“I think it's more important to get it right than it is to get it done,” ASU Athletic Director Graham Rossini said Friday. “Any athlete that got affected by a roster cut, we were going to honor their financial aid commitment no matter what. We’ve always been prepared that if anyone lost a roster spot, that we were going to honor any original commitment they came here on.”
The change in roster spots benefits, perhaps, all ASU athletics. Rossini intends to enhance not just football but every athletic program at the university. The athletic department will add an additional 225 scholarships across all of its athletic programs, setting a new standard in Tempe for athlete retention and quality.
“Baseball is going to be on a full 34 scholarships, hockey, softball, and volleyball will be on full scholarship as well,” Rossini listed off. “It's at our coach's discretion, they can award these scholarships, they don’t have to. So, if there is a situation they want a young athlete on as a walk-on, that's still going to be a concept that exists.”
Since the beginning of 2025, Sun Devil Athletics has added buzz and excitement to all of its sports, with the hiring of women’s basketball head coach Molly Miller as a prime example. The nucleus of all the positive momentum at ASU starts with the football program, and Rossini noted that encapsulation on Friday.
“It's awesome,” Rossini said. “There were people lined up to get commemorative Coke bottles celebrating the Big 12 championship, really something for everybody here. We were undefeated at home last year. This fan base is energized; we have over 6,000 new season ticket holders, and this event was largely designed to welcome these new ticket holders.”
For Dillingham, keeping the valley ignited behind the program is only a small token of spring's importance. For five weeks, he called upon his underclassmen to “step up” in the media. In an attempt to force players out from behind their elder counterparts. Understanding the difficulties of seeing players grow in their individual development, even if that means they stay put in the depth chart.
“We saw (freshman defensive back) Chris Johnson out there make an awesome play at the end. He's a great example of their response. He got better throughout the entire camp.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!
