Washington State linebacker Travion Brown wasn’t lacking for quality options when he entered the transfer portal last month. Arizona State was able to distinguish itself from his other suitors due to some significant familiarity factors, but what has been rewarding for the linebacker who has been in Tempe for over a week now is experiencing the team culture he got a sneak preview of during the recruiting process.
“I’m loving it here, man,” said Brown. “It’s a different atmosphere. The people, the coaches here, and the administrative staff here are all just genuine people. I felt the same thing from my visit. A lot of people that I’ve interacted with are just themselves. There’s no mask, there’s no fakeness, and they are all straightforward. I can tell pretty well whether somebody is being fake or not. But a lot of the people here (at Arizona State) and in the community are genuine people.”
During his short time in the valley, one unique facet that has quickly impressed Brown, who graduated from Washington State this past semester with a Criminal Justice degree with a minor in sociology, was a random interaction with Mesa Police which he feels that can be very beneficial for his career goals.
“I’ve met some of the officers and spoke with some officers about getting on some ride-alongs,” Brown stated, “and trying to have them connect with the team and make sure that we have that bridge. That’s something that I love and am looking forward to building.
“The whole thing was very genuine. I went up to them, introduced myself, and told them I was a part of the football team. And man, they reached out with open arms, they gave me their numbers, they gave me their business cards, and invited me in. That’s just something you can’t beat or take for granted. That was probably one of the cherries on top of being here and doing something outside of football. I’m looking forward to expanding with more connections, and hopefully, I can get into elementary, middle, and high schools to be another bridge as well. Right now, I’m going for my Master’s in Communications. I want to become a K-9 officer because I love dogs. That’s just something that I’m looking forward to doing after football.”
Last year in Pullman, Brown posted 49 tackles (sixth on the team), five tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks on one of the most prolific defensive units in the Pac-12. Once he saw his defensive coordinator Brian Ward and position coach AJ Cooper join the Sun Devils staff, needless to say, that following suit immediately crossed in mind when ASU began to recruit him in earnest.
“It was a tough call because I had offers from USC, Fresno State, and a couple of other schools,” Brown recalled. “But when coach Ward came over to ASU, we had some conversations here (during Brown’s visit), and those conversations were all about truth and honesty. So, it was a no-brainer that I definitely wanted to be a part of something that he is building at Arizona State. The relationship between me and coach Ward is really great. He’s a great man that has taught me a lot. We feed off of each other, and that’s a relationship that had grown over the year when we were both at Washington State.
“Coach Cooper being my linebacker coach again, it’s icing on the cake, honestly. I’ve known coach Cooper for a long time. I trust the man, and he’s like family to me, like an uncle. You’ll even hear me call him ‘uncle’ here and there if you’re around me (laughs). But he’s a family man, and I trust everything that he is going to be teaching me. So yeah, when those two coaches came over, it was pretty much a no-brainer decision.”
When asked about what makes this Ward defense such a successful scheme, let alone one that Brown knows he can thrive in, the linebacker said that the aggressiveness elements of this scheme are ones that aren’t only productive but very appealing to those who enjoy quality play on this side of the ball. As a middle linebacker, he knows that it’s a role that usually calls for leadership duties as well.
“I’ll let the work show for itself,” Brown described. “But I can say is that it will be different. And a lot more fun. There will be a lot more passionate players on that field that will be bringing a lot of energy to feed off of. Coach Ward and coach Cooper are expecting me to be me. I’m a player who guys can feed off of my energy. I love to work hard; I bring passion and love for the game, and I love competing. You will see all of those things out on that field. That’s what they are expecting from me.
“They’re also expecting me to be a captain and be a leader, being that I’m the oldest in the room. I have a lot of knowledge of the game, and the different things that we’ve been running (at Washington State), so I’ll be able to also help the guys in my room. They’re looking forward to me stepping up into that role that I am destined to be in.
“The truth and honesty that these coaches have shown me made me want to follow them. The team culture that they believe in was something that I believe that we can start here at Arizona State.”
Another substantial aspect of Brown’s decision to pledge to the Sun Devils was his close relationship with fellow newcomer Ben Coleman, an offensive lineman transfer from Cal who was also a teammate of Brown at Temecula (Calif.) Linfield Christian High School. The linebacker doesn’t feel that the two were necessarily a package deal once they both entered the portal, yet the fact that they both visited campus at the same time naturally wasn’t a hindrance in their eventual decision.
“When I was taking a visit, that’s actually was something I was looking forward to, visiting with my brother,” Brown said of Coleman. “My brother has helped me get to the place that I’m in today. It’s funny because we never thought that this would actually happen. But we always talked and said, ‘What if we actually played one more year together and doing it at this level before the league?’ And now this became true. So, with that backstory, it is crazy.”
Coleman and Brown are part of a massive group of additions in Tempe, 36 first-year players (and counting) from various ranks. Granted, the chemistry of that tandem is well-established, but the rapidness of the cohesiveness that can be achieved among all these newcomers, not only with returning players but also among themselves, will be a crucial attribute in the success of the 2023 season. Surely, a challenging task from the outside looking in, but one that Brown feels that is progressing at a promising rate.
“The vibe is great,” Brown remarked. “I’m meeting some of the players that were already on the team, and we all have the feeling that something good is brewing.
The guys that are here and the guys coming in are all genuine. The culture this year is gonna be different. I know it’s gonna be great because (head) coach Dillingham and our position coaches are bringing in the right guys. I know that this culture is something that you’re going to want to be around. It is definitely a feeling that you can’t really explain because you’re so excited, and all the players here are happy, excited, and ready to get to work.
“All of the players are getting in each other’s contacts, getting to know each other, and it just feels great, man. I actually knew some of the players prior to me coming here, guys that I actually played against or played with in high school, and being here with them is something that, honestly, you can’t beat. Coach Dillingham as our head coach…man; the guy has energy. And we’re all about that energy, and we’re all about setting a new culture.”
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