Even before three defensive linemen departed Tempe through the transfer portal, it was apparent that Sun Devils would need to rejuvenate the interior of their defensive line. 6-3, 297-pound Oklahoma defensive lineman Kori Roberson's transfer is a personnel move that can certainly aid ASU in that off-season goal. And as an added bonus, Arizona State’s newest addition arrives in the summer with two years of eligibility left.
“I loved it!” Roberson said of his ASU visit in April. “The coaches, the atmosphere, the community were all great. Coach Ward and Amey said that I could come here and be the guy and help turn things around. They know I’m a versatile player (playing nose and 3-tech). Wherever they want me to play, that’s where I’m gonna go. I know they had a bad season last year, winning three games. They said that the people that they brought in and with me being a big factor in our defense, we can really make some happen.
“The coaches liked how I’m a big dude that can also move. I run a 4.8 40. I can go up against a two-to-one (double team) and run people down. I liked that they had some clips of me and showed me what they needed me to do for this defense. I’m like, ‘Man, that’s what I do.’ That’s unbeatable, and I know that this is a defense for me. I’ve been in defenses where we hold up blocks and get double-teamed, and I know that’s part of being a D-lineman. But you want to get after somebody; you want to get that ball, get vertical and get to the quarterback. The (ASU) coaches were telling me everything that I do and I love. I know I can come in and change this whole thing.”
Enhancing the experience he had in Tempe was seeing a familiar face, his former Sooner teammate and current ASU EDGE Clayton Smith, who transferred to Arizona State prior to the spring semester and was one of the defensive standouts during spring practice.
“He told me how much they needed a guy like playing in the middle,” Robeson described. “With a guy like Clayton on the outside and a guy like me in the middle? Come on now… that’s almost like giving a kid candy. It’s a wonderful feeling because I know what he could do, and he knows what I can do. We’re gonna make some plays up front on the quarterback.”
“He told me that the coaches are wonderful, and they will take care of anything for you, and they are cool as hell. Coaches, players, everybody is not fake. Everybody is real, and they love being in the program. Clayton and I were in the same situation in Oklahoma. They tried to say some bad stuff about him, and as you can see, he’s not even a trouble guy, and I’m the same way.
“He told me, ‘Man, this is the school for you, and it can really change your life. In the future, you will come back to live and work there. This is how good this area is. He just loves living here.”
Roberson’s arrival at the nose tackle role is significant since three players at that position, Robby Harrison, Brandon McElroy, and Jalil Rivera-Harvey, all left the team earlier in April.
Junior Anthonie Cooper is currently the most experienced defensive tackle on the ASU roster. Still, it's a (3-tech) role he assumed for the first time in the spring after spending his entire ASU career at defensive end. Fellow junior BJ Green spent most of his career in Tempe at the interior 3-technique role and could resume his duties there in the fall after excelling during his spring practice at the EDGE role.
True freshman CJ Fite may have been the biggest spring surprise among the Arizona State newcomers and was largely running at first-team nose tackle, a position where now Roberson could challenge him at. Transfers Tristan Monday and Sam Benjamin, who participated in spring practice, could potentially play either tackle spot.
Roberson, who began his career in Norman in 2019, did not see action in 2022, which followed a 2021 campaign where he collected 17 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss. The lineman played just four games in 2019 and thus redshirted that season. In 2020 he had 11 tackles. 3.5 for a loss and a pass breakup. Overall, Roberson posted 29 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks over his 26 games during his Oklahoma career. Roberson prepped at Houston Manvel High School and was a Top-50 defensive end in his class, and Top-100 prospect out of the state of Texas. He posted over 60 tackles from his sophomore through senior years, including ten tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks.
After being forced to sit out by the Sooner staff last season, needless to say, that there is an abundance of motivation that does exist with the Sun Devils’ new defensive lineman.
“I didn’t play in any games and couldn’t even go to them,” Roberson recalled. “It was just different there with the new staff after coach (Lincoln) Riley left. I made a lot of plays when Coach Riley was here. They just never gave me a shot to get on the field. I couldn’t even stand on the sideline with my jersey. They told me that there wasn’t enough room there and you had walk-ons standing there. It hurt me, but I knew I’m never gonna allow that to happen ever again.
“I don’t have a chip on my shoulder; I have a whole rock. I know I’m the new guy here that has to prove himself, and that’s fine. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be well-respected really early. I feel sorry for the first guy who has to go up against me in practice.”
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