PAYSON, Ariz. — Arizona State’s setup at Camp Tontozona mirrors a typical campground. Cabins are scattered throughout the area; portable toilets are everywhere and there’s a spot for visitors to gather around a campfire.

And of course, wildlife roams freely.

“We were in a team meeting yesterday and (coach Todd Graham) said, ‘Watch out for the bears, make sure you pick up the food,’” said redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ryan Newsome, who is experiencing his first Camp Tontozona. “Man, nobody told me about no bears. What’s going on? I haven’t seen any so far, but if I hear or see a shadow, I’m staying inside the crib.”

Back in Tempe, the Sun Devils are escorted to and from the practice field in buses and golf carts. Once they shower after practice, they walk through a cool hallway and enter the dining hall, where lunch awaits.

Logistics are a bit different at “Camp T.”

“To get up to dinner and the dorm and everything like that, you got to like climb the hill and stuff, so I’m not trying to sprain an ankle,” Newsome said.

He said most of the players felt the same about Camp Tontozona: They weren’t overly stoked about living in isolation for almost a week, but when they arrived, their attitudes changed. College students may loathe the limited use of cell phones and other technology, but the tradition is unique.

Newsome said Texas — the school he started his college career at — doesn’t do anything like Camp Tontozona. He may have been skeptical at first because of the unknown, but he knows his mom would appreciate it because she loves the outdoors.

“I didn’t know how I was going to feel about it,” he said. “Like, man, bunk beds, I feel like I’m in preschool again, but it’s a great atmosphere.

“But I hate bugs.”

Adults seem to echo the same sentiment these days: Less time on phones means more social interaction. Camp Tontozona is a team-bonding experience. It contains hours of football but is also filled to the brim with countless off-field memories, like campfire stories.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Chase Lucas is from Chandler but admits he’s a country boy at heart because he loves to fish and hunt. He doesn’t mind the outdoors, especially because he’s now there with family.

The team is always together throughout the week, but the fiercest moments come to a practice field set in the middle of the mountains and surrounded by trees.

“The defense, we got love-hate relationships with each other, the offense, they got love-hate relationships with each other,” Lucas said. “But together, we’re all brothers. It’s intense. Somebody catches a ball on you, you want to fight them, but at the same time you got to congratulate them.”

It’s that type of dynamic and team-bonding experience the late Frank Kush must’ve envisioned when he started the Camp Tontozona tradition back in 1960. Coach Todd Graham values the experience and has continued it throughout his tenure at ASU.

Kush’s oldest son, Dan, spoke to the team on Sunday night. The team will also honor the legendary coach by playing the fight song for him at some point during the week.

Due to rain, Camp Tontozona ended early in 2016. The team went home Friday and instead of the annual Saturday scrimmage on the practice field, it scrimmaged in the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe. That scrimmage was closed to media.

But 2015 was memorable.

“I thought about the last time he was here, we carried him off the field,” Graham said. “I remember at that time, I knew that’d be the last time. This is a really, really incredible place, incredible setting that means a lot to our guys.

“Our seniors, they were so disappointed we had to go home (last year) because we couldn’t practice, it was just pouring rain the whole time. It means a lot to our guys to be here. (Frank Kush) built this place and he’s obviously the architect of our program.”

Camp Tontozona provides Sun Devils with an experience few Division I football teams receive. Instead of practicing in the 105-degree Tempe heat, they are thrust into the wilderness with poor cell phone service.

Lucas said being away from their everyday lives helps players relax because they can leave the distractions at home. But there’s one part they never escape.

“The only thing you can’t get away from is the academics,” he said.