Tag: Arizona State Football

Report: Texas A&M is in the running for star Arizona State wide receiver

Texas A&M is reportedly in the running for one of the top playmakers in the country

With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, rumor season has begun to ramp up. In college football, the spring transfer portal has created tons of chatter regarding several starting players looking for a new collegiate home to compete for a championship in 2024.

For Texas A&M, new head coach Mike Elko’s inaugural season has the potential to surprise nearly everyone in the country to judge the program based on past results, as the roster is stacked with talent and experience, starting with returning quarterback Conner Weigman.

However, with the departures of several wide receivers, including the reliable do-it-all Ainias Smith, the current receiver depth chart is talented but still like a playmaker that would make the Aggie’s offense a consistent threat in SEC play.

With plenty of veterans now available in the portal, a surprising name entered on Friday afternoon. Arizona State WR Elijhah Badger is now looking for a new home next season after posting over 135 receptions and 1,500-plus receiving yards in his last two seasons in Tucson.

Interestingly enough, 247Sports’ Chris Karpman has now reported that Alabama and Texas A&M are potential suitors for the talented pass catcher. Also, according to Karpman, Badger has been dealing with notable back soreness during the spring practice period but should be in full health going into the fall.

During his 2023 junior season with the Sun Devils, Badger hauled in 65 receptions, 713 yards, and three touchdowns on the year.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Draft analyst weighs in on LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels

Daniels’ fundamentals are great, but his arm talent isn’t the same as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.

What does one draft analyst think of Jayden Daniels?

Pro Football Focus NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema spent some time with Al Galdi on his podcast, discussing Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. Today, what Sikkema said about Daniels. Tomorrow what Sikkema had to say regarding Maye.

“I just don’t think that Daniels’ arm talent is as good as the guys at the very top. He has the best fundamentals of anyone in this class. His throw is so repeatable and consistent that I totally understand why NFL teams go, ‘Give me that kind of consistency every single time.'”

“But I think that in the process of recognizing those fundamentals, recognizing how consistent that ball is every time it comes out of his hand, we have been romanticizing his arm talent a little bit.”

“He has a good arm, an adequate arm for the NFL level. But, it is not ripping through the wind like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are able to show you on different platforms, off balance, scrambling, off balance, those type of things.”

You don’t have to make him be what he is not and say, ‘His arm talent is as good as Caleb Williams. It’s not. You don’t have to say he is this great scrambler, this great thrower outside of the pocket.”

“When you go back and look at his entire college football career trajectory, think about what he was at Arizona State. One read, I am going to throw a deep vertical, or I am going to take off and run.”

“When you get to LSU, you can tell in his first year he said to himself, ‘I am going to take care of the football.’ If I am going to be in the SEC and be a SEC quarterback, I cannot turn over the football.”

“He really honed in on lowering his turnovers and turnover-worthy plays. And he had one of the lowest turnover worthy plays in the country. The touchdowns went down, the big time throws went down. He was simply more conservative; he did not want to turn over the ball.”

“He really does not know how to protect his body. He is rail thin. And that is not a good combination at the NFL level. These hits are too hard; they are too fast. He is going to get hurt…”

Nebraska portal target at quarterback transfers to Arizona State

One of Nebraska’s transfer portal targets at quarterback has announced his destination.

One of Nebraska’s transfer portal targets at quarterback has announced his destination. Sam Leavitt has committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The four-star prospect threw for 139 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Spartans in 2023. As a senior in high school in 2022, he led West Linn High School to a 12-1 record and the Oregon Class 6A State Title Game.

Leavitt would throw for 3,065 yards with 36 touchdowns while running for 720 yards and eight touchdowns in his high school career. While speaking to On3, he discussed his affinity for the Sun Devil’s offense.

“I love the offense they run & their history with quarterbacks they have been very successful.”

Leavitt will have four years of eligibility remaining.

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Top performers from Colorado’s 27-24 win at Arizona State

These five #cubuffs stepped up on Saturday evening at Arizona State

Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes got back in the win column on Saturday night with a 27-24 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe. The Buffs were on a two-game losing streak and were in desperate need of a win if they wanted to keep moving toward bowl eligibility.

The dramatic win might be just what the doctor ordered for Coach Prime and the Buffs as they have another winnable game next week against Stanford before heading into their bye after that.

With the Buffs now at 4-2 on the season, let’s look at some of the top performers from Colorado’s exciting win over the Sun Devils:

Colorado at Arizona State: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Don’t get the Pac-12 Network? Here’s how you can stream Colorado-Arizona State:

Unfortunately, Colorado football’s string of nationally televised games to begin the Deion Sanders era will end on Saturday. The Buffaloes’ Week 6 matchup at Arizona State is set to be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

This will be one of the final (if not the final) times Colorado plays on the Pac-12 Network, though, with the Buffs and Sun Devils joining the Big 12 in 2024.

Entering Saturday, Colorado sits 3-2 (0-2 Pac-12) while first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils are 1-4 and also in search of their first conference win.

If you don’t get the Pac-12 Network, below is information on how you can stream Colorado-Arizona State:

Throwback Thursday: Remembering when Laviska Shenault Jr. led CU past Arizona State in 2018

Laviska Shenault Jr. was a one-man wrecking crew against Arizona State in 2018

We’ve witnessed a resurgence of Colorado’s offense this year as Shedeur Sanders and a host of weapons have turned one of the worst offenses in school history into a force to be reckoned with.

When looking at the Buffs’ recent history, nothing describes a “force” quite like the play of Laviska Shenault Jr. Shenault was a unicorn of an offensive weapon as he could play all over the field. The big wide receiver lined up outside, in the slot or as an H-back. He was also unique in how he could run the wildcat to pick up short yardage. On Oct. 6, 2018, the Arizona State Sun Devils saw all of that from Shenault.

That day, the Buffaloes beat the Sun Devils, 28-21, with Shenault accounting for all four of CU’s touchdowns. Shenault caught 13 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding five rushing attempts for 13 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Shenault also helped put the nail in ASU’s coffin with two straight catches on third downs that moved the chains when CU was trying to bleed the clock.

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10 players to watch in Colorado’s Week 6 matchup with Arizona State

Keep a close eye on these 10 players in Tempe this weekend

Week 6 of the college football season is upon us, and, somehow the 2023 regular season has nearly reached its halfway point. For head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado football team, Week 6 offers the Buffaloes an opportunity to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses to begin Pac-12 play.

Up next for the Buffs is a Saturday date with the Sun Devils of Arizona State in Tempe. The Sun Devils are off to a bit of a rough start this season, posting a 1-4 record, including a four-game losing streak.

Despite the poor record, Arizona State has some talented players on its roster and will look to spoil another weekend for Coach Prime and the Buffs.

Here are 10 players you should keep your eye on Saturday afternoon when the Buffs take on the Sun Devils:

Trojans Wired podcast pulls no punches in discussing ugly ASU game

We didn’t avoid the difficult conversations after the ASU game. @IanHest produced the show.

The USC Trojans face a lot of uncomfortable questions and tension points after their performance against Arizona State. Their sloppy effort against ASU doesn’t mean they’re doomed or that they are bound to fail in 2023, but it does mean they have a lot of work to do and need to show they can play a complete game against an opponent which is better than Stanford, Nevada, or Arizona State.

Sure, USC put a 49-3 half on Stanford, and it looked great, but Stanford just isn’t very good. Is it great that USC looked very strong against a bad team? Yeah … but it doesn’t mean a whole lot in the bigger picture. Looking great against good teams is when championship chops begin to emerge, and a fan base can truly begin to trust a team.

We needed to have a tough conversation on our latest podcast. We did not avoid the difficult questions. We did not spare this team and coaching staff from criticism. That’s how it ought to be after a game in which the staff did not have the Trojans fully prepared to play.

Listen to our Arizona State review and think about what is being said. Ian Hest co-hosted and produced the show:

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Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

The great debate: Is USC in good shape or not after Arizona State stumble?

Get two different views of #USC on our latest weekly show with @MarkRogersTV and @Tim_Prangley at the @VoiceOfCFB.

Well, well, well. This was a lot more uncomfortable than we thought it would be.

USC, a 35-point favorite, was leading Arizona State by just six points several minutes into the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils had the ball with a chance to take a lead. USC was never likely to lose this game, but Arizona State did have a small chance to take a fourth-quarter lead. No one thought this game would be that close. You could very reasonably and fairly say that college athletes will have bad nights, and that USC players were looking ahead to Deion Sanders and Colorado next week.

However, one could just as easily say that Alex Grinch is not providing the quality of coaching on defense which inspires confidence and trust heading into the bigger games this season versus Notre Dame and Utah in October, then Washington and Oregon in November.

Is this a time to be optimistic and not too deeply concerned about USC football, or is this a time for pessimism and increased worry about the weaknesses of the Trojans? Tim Prangley is the optimist. Trojans Wire provides the more pessimstic case in our latest weekly show with Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football.

Subscribe to, like, and share the USC channel at The Voice of College Football.

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Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Pac-12 announces kickoff time, TV selection for Colorado’s Week 6 game at Arizona State

Colorado’s string of nationally televised games to begin the season will soon come to an end

Colorado’s string of nationally televised games to begin the Deion Sanders era will end on Oct. 7 when the Buffs travel to Arizona State.

On Monday, the Pac-12 Conference announced kickoff times and television selections for Week 6 games, and Colorado-Arizona State was given a 4:30 p.m. MT kickoff on the Pac-12 Network. An early season non-night game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe means that high temperatures should be expected.

Other Week 6 Pac-12 games include Washington State at UCLA (1:00 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Network), Oregon State at Cal (8:00 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Network) and Arizona at USC (8:30 p.m. MT, ESPN).

So far in 2023, Colorado has played on Fox three times (including Saturday’s 10 a.m. MT game vs. USC), ESPN once and ABC once. It was previously announced that Colorado’s Week 7 Friday night game vs. Stanford will be broadcast on ESPN.

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