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Preseason Watch List Central: Sun Devil Football

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Preseason Watch List Central: Sun Devil FootballPreseason Watch List Central: Sun Devil Football
First-year head coach Kenny Dillingham wasted no time building a strong roster which features talent on both sides of the ball. Arizona State fans will be treated to explosive plays, an aggressive style, and relentless effort. There is plenty of buzz being generated by the program heading into the 2023 season. Keeping track of all the members of Sun Devil Football that received recognition in the preseason.

Jaden Rashada, Shaun Alexander Award (Best Freshman)
The Shaun Alexander Award has honored the top freshman in the nation since the 2018-19 season. Sun Devil quarterback Jaden Rashada is one of the most highly-touted freshmen in the country and finds himself on the Shaun Alexander Award Watch List. He was announced as the starting quarterback by Head Coach Kenny Dillingham earlier in the month after putting together a stellar Fall camp. Prior to his arrival in Tempe, he was an elite quarterback prospect who had the option to go anywhere in the country.

Rashada's resume as a high school prospect was elite. He was a member of the 2022 Elite 11 Quarterback class, which recognizes the nation's top senior quarterbacks. He was also selected to the Under Armour All-American Game, with only the nation's elite prospect receiving an invite. Rashada was a consensus four-star prospect among the major recruiting services and the highest ranked recruit to sign with Arizona State since the 2020 class. He is a Top-5 rated prospect of all-time to become a Sun Devil. He is also the son of former Sun Devil Football defensive back Harlen Rashada (1992-94).

Congratulations to Jaden Rashada for being named to the Freshman Player of the Year Watchlist!#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/PoU9uJZtE1

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 30, 2023
Full List of Nominees

Tre Brown, Wuerffel Trophy (Community Service)
Not only has Tre Brown added a presence on the field since transferring from Washington State, he has been a leader off the field for Sun Devil Football. Due to his involvement in and dedication to the community, Brown has landed on the Wuerffel Trophy Preseason Watch List. The Wuerffel Trophy is presented to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.

 
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Brown figures to play a major role in the Sun Devil defense, re-joining forces with his Defensive Coordinator Brian Ward and Linebackers coach A.J. Cooper in Tempe. In the same defensive scheme at Washington State last season, Brown recorded a career-high 49 tackles, including 5.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Among Pac-12 linebackers with at least 400 snaps played in 2022, Brown was the seventh-highest graded overall on defense. He was credited with just three missed tackles in 2022, the fewest of any Pac-12 linebacker with at least 400 snaps played and tied for the fourth-fewest of any linebacker in the FBS.
 

Congratulations to @tre_brown82 for being named to the @WuerffelTrophy watch list! ?? ?? #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/3dzUsspTNf

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 21, 2023

Full List of Nominees

Sione Finau & Leif Fautanu, Polynesian College Football Player of the Year (Best Player of Polynesian descent)
For the second consecutive year, Sione Finau and Leif Fautanu both find themselves on the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List. The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame annually recognizes the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. Fautanu and Finau have brought experience and leadership to the offensive line group and are both primed to serve integral roles up front.

Fautanu is coming off a season in which he earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors in 2022, anchoring an offensive line that produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the second consecutive season. He finished the year as the fifth-highest graded center in the MWC by PFF as a pass blocker and was not credited with a sack allowed on the season – one of just 21 FBS centers with at least 400 pass blocking snaps to lay such a claim. Prior to the season, he was a member of the Rimington Trophy Watch List, identified as one of the top centers in the nation. In 2021, he started all 12 games at center paving the way for 1,261-yard rusher Charles Williams, who also had 15 rushing touchdowns. Thanks to his efforts, he earned the UNLV Football Offensive Captain Award, which is given to the team's overall captains selected at the end of the season.

Finau appeared in 14 games with Purdue last season, earning the start at guard in the 2023 Citrus Bowl against LSU. Prior to his stint at Purdue, he played in nine games in his final season at FIU. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Finau started in all five of FIU's games, one of just two offensive linemen to start every game. Golden Panther running backs eclipsed the century mark on the ground five times for FIU in 2020. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman, making one start against Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl. Thanks to his emergence in year one, Finau was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.

Congratulations to Sione Finau and Leif Fautanu for being named to the @PolynesianFBHOF Player of the Year Award Watch List. ?? ?? #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/8n0PbWWZ98

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 18, 2023
Full List of Nominees

Jalin Conyers, John Mackey Award (Best Tight End); Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (Best player with ties to Texas)
Redshirt junior tight end Jalin Conyers has been recognized as one of the top tight ends in the country heading into the 2023 season. Conyers emerged last season as one of the conference's premier targets at the position and is considered one of the best in the nation prior to his second season in Tempe. In addition to earning a spot on the John Mackey Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Preseason Watch Lists, he was also a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection by the coaches. 

346 of Conyers' 422 receiving yards have come in the final five games - the highest tally among FBS tight ends in the final five weeks of the regular season. His five touchdowns were the most among FBS tight ends in that time while his 126first downs receiving were second. He forced 21 missed tackles on the year - the most of any FBS tight end. 18 of those  came in ASU's final six games. No other FBS tight end had more than 14 from Week 7 through the conclusion of the bowl season.

Congratulations to @therealjconyers for being named to the @JohnMackeyAward 2023 Preseason Watch List. ????#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/MLbYqehYcP

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 7, 2023

Congratulations to @therealjconyers for being named to the @CampbellAward Watch List! ?? ?? #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/zSBmGgctjl

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 18, 2023
Full List of Nominees (Mackey)
Full List of Nominees (Campbell/Rose)

Elijhah Badger, Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)
Redshirt junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger returns to Tempe as one of the most highly-touted wide receivers in college football. Thanks to a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign, Badger is considered one of the top receiving threats in the nation. The Biletnikoff Award has rewarded him with one of the coveted spots on the Preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List, targeting him as one of the best players at the position heading into the 2023 season. Badger is coming off a 2022 effort that yielded him Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention distinction. 

Made one of -- if not the -- biggest jumps in nation last year going from seven catches in 2021 to 70 with seven touchdowns. Emerged as one of the top receiving threats in the Pac-12, finishing seventh in the league among wide receivers with a receiving grade of 77.3 on the season (min. 50 targets) and Top-35 in the FBS. Finished with 864 receiving yards (top-50 in the FBS regular season among receivers) and 5.8 receptions per game (32nd in the FBS). His 25 missed tackles forced were tops among Pac-12 receivers and second among all FBS receivers during the regular season

Congratulations to Elijah Badger for being named to the @biletnikoffawrd Preseason Watch List! ?? ?? #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/BcNiBa9abf

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 7, 2023

Full List of Nominees

Cam Skattebo, Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player); Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
One of the biggest additions that new head coach Kenny Dillingham made to the roster was securing transfer running back Cam Skattebo. The junior was one of the top players at the FCS level last year, establishing himself as an all-around threat out of the backfield at Sacramento State. As he makes the jump to the FBS level similar production is expected, resulting in him landing on both the Paul Hornung and Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List. The Doak Walker Award is given to the nation's top running back, while the Hornung Award recognizes the most versatile player in college football, as Skattebo figures to add a different dynamic to the Sun Devil offense. In addition to his inclusion on multiple preseason watch lists, Skattebo was also a Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference selection by the media.

Skattebo was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after rushing for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns to help the Hornets go 11-0 in the regular season and becoming the No. 2-ranked FCS team in the nation…Added 31 catches for 371 yards and three touchdowns. His 1,382 yards were seventh in the FCS and he was the fifth-highest graded running back in the FCS this season (93.0)…Recorded a first down or touchdown on 40.3 percent of his touches – the highest tally in the FCS…Was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage just 5.1 percent of the time – the 16th-lowest tally in the FCS. He was a Third Team All-Big Sky selection at running back in 2021, amassing 520 yards on 57 carries with six touchdowns for an outstanding 9.12 yards per carry
 

Congratulations to @camskattebo5 for being named to the @hornungaward & @DoakWalkerAward Preseason watchlists! ????#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/Rf0FmR3Mvx

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 9, 2023
Full List of Nominees (Hornung)
Full List of Nominees (Walker)

Josh Carlson, Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)
After garnering attention due to his strong performance at New Mexico State, punter Josh Carlson returned to the Valley where he played his high school football. In his career, he has been named a AFCA Division II First Team All-American at Dixie State in 2018 and to Phil Steele's Preseason All-Independent Second Team in 2022. Carlson saw only 23.5 percent of his punts returned in 2022, the 27th-lowest tally among 97 FBS punters with at least 40 punts. The 29 yards on punt returns against Carlson were the seventh-fewest in the FBS among punters with at least 40 punts and the 2.4 yards per punt return average were the fourth-fewest in the FBS. He induced 30 fair catch balls, the sixth-highest tally in the FBS (min. 40 punts) while his average hang time of 3.93 was 23rd in the nation.

Carlson saw time in all 12 games throughout the 2021 season, where he punted 70 times for an average of 41.1 yards. Pinned 16 punts inside of the 20-yard line, with nine of his punts going 50 or more yards. Averaged 44.7 yards per punt during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. During his true freshman season at Utah Tech, he averaged 45.7 yards per punt on 53 punts with 17 of 50 or more yards. The Ray Guy Award has been honoring the nation's best punter since the 2000 season.

Congratulations to Josh Carlson for being named to the @RayGuyAward Watchlist! ????#ForksUp /// #O2V /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/qjxFjf3ZIE

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 10, 2023
Full list of Nominees

Slater Zellers, Patrick Mannelly Award (Best Long Snapper)
For the second time in his career, Sun Devil long snapper Slater Zellers was named to the Patrick Mannelly Award Preseason Watch List. The Scottsdale native returns to the state of Arizona for his Graduate season, where he will provide a consistent presence on special teams. Entering the 2023 season, Zellers is considered on the of the premiere players at his position in the nation. His experience and familarity with placekicker and fellow California transfer Dario Longhetto provide a huge advantage for the Sun Devils special teams unit. 

Zellers is the No. 1 draft-eligible long snapper for the 2023 NFL Draft according to Phil Steele. He played in each of the past 38 Cal games over the last three-plus campaigns after redshirting as a 2018 true freshman and has made every snap on punts during the time frame although he did not snap on field goals or extra points for three consecutive contests of his 2021 junior season (Oregon, Colorado, Oregon State) before resuming those duties for the remainder of the campaign beginning with the ninth game of the season at Arizona and continuing them for each of the first five contests of his 2022 senior season. He is not afraid to participate on punt coverage, collecting five tackles, including a career-high three in 2022.

Congratulations to Slater Zellers for being named to the Mannelly Award Watchlist!

?? https://t.co/arZRDuvLb9#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/Y2F6RGJIe0

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 3, 2023

Full List of Nominees

REESE'S SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST
The Reese's Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Six Sun Devils were selected to the Watch List for the game. Running back Cam Skattebo, defensive back Ro Torrence, wide receiver Xavier Guillory, offensive lineman Aaron Frost, tight end Jalin Conyers, and wide receiver Elijhah Badger each earned the distinction.

6?? Sun Devils featured on the @seniorbowl watch list! ??#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/1g8v3WoYXD

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) August 23, 2023
PRESEASON PAC-12 ALL-CONFERENCE
Four from Sun Devil Football received Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition by the media. Running back Cam Skattebo, tight end Jalin Conyers, defensive back Ro Torrence, and long snapper Slater Zellers each received preseason All-Conference distinction. 
 

Congratulations to our four Sun Devils for being recognized on the Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.?? ??@_LuhRo@SlaterZellers@therealjconyers@camskattebo5

?? https://t.co/pZtUst40t8#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/GSAYzVzRT6

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) July 18, 2023
Full List of Honorees

Cam Skattebo, Running Back
  • Named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after rushing for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns to help Sacramento State go 11-0 in the regular season and becoming the No. 2-ranked FCS team in the nation…Added 31 catches for 371 yards and three touchdowns
  • His 1,382 yards were seventh in the FCS and he was the fifth-highest graded running back in the FCS this season (93.0)…Recorded a first down or touchdown on 40.3 percent of his touches – the highest tally in the FCS…Was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage just 5.1 percent of the time – the 16th-lowest tally in the FCS
  • Named a Third Team All-Big Sky selection at running back in 2021, amassing 520 yards on 57 carries with six touchdowns for an outstanding 9.12 yards per carry
Jalin Conyers, Tight End
  • Had 229 receiving yards after the catch (out of 422 total yards) - the 21st-highest tally of all FBS tight ends. His 422 receiving yards on the year were the most by a Sun Devil tight end since Chris Coyle had 423 in 2013. More impressively, 228 of those came in the final six games of ASU's season - fourth-most of all FBS tight ends from Week 7 onwards.Finished with 170 total yards after contact last season - fifth among all FBS tight ends despite only being significantly involved in the offense in the latter half of the year.
  • He forced 21 missed tackles on the year - the most of any FBS tight end. 18 of those  came in ASU's final six games. No other FBS tight end had more than 14 from Week 7 through the conclusion of the bowl season.
  • 346 of Conyers' 422 receiving yards have come in the final five games - the highest tally among FBS tight ends in the final five weeks of the regular season. His five touchdowns were the most among FBS tight ends in that time while his 126first downs receiving were second. He had 161 yards after contact in that stretch. Only one other FBS tight had more than 100 over the final five weeks (119).
  • He had a 122.0 NFL QBR rating when targeted last year, the 23rd-best tally among FBS tight ends while his 80.4 completion percentage when targeted was sixth in the FBS.
  • Conyers was the only tight end in the FBS last season to record three touchdown receptions in a game. The three touchdown receptions against Colorado were the most by a tight end in ASU single game history.
  • Had breakout year with 38 catches and five touchdowns that included 30 catches in final five games
  • First Sun Devil tight end with three touchdown grabs in a game and finished with six catches for 108 yards on Oct. 29 at Colorado
Ro Torrence, Defensive Back
  • Led team with eight pass breakups and finished with 36 tackles last season.
  • Allowed just 20 receptions in coverage last season, the lowest tally among Pac-12 corners with at least 300 snaps played in coverage in the regular season and the 14th-lowest tally among all FBS corners
  • Allowed just 225 yards to receivers in coverage this season - the lowest in the Pac-12 regular season and the 16th-lowest tally in the FBS. His 0.72 yards allowed per coverage snap was fourth in the Pac-12 and 31st in the FBS
  • Allowed just four plays over 15 yards against him - tied for 6th-lowest in the FBS regular season
  • In Cover-0 or Cover-1, Torrence allowed just five catches on 101 coverage snaps - the lowest tally among FBS corners in the regular season. Opponents manged just a 31.3 percent completion rate aginst him in those man coverages - the sixth-lowest in the FBS. His 50 yards allowed in Cover-0 or Cover-1 coverage were the fourth-lowest in the FBS and his forced incompletion rate of 31.3 percent was 11th among FBS corners (min. 100 Cover-0/Cover-1 snaps)
Slater Zellers, Long Snapper
  • A member of the Patrick Mannelly Long Snapper Award Preseason Watch List in 2022 at Cal and in 2023 at ASU
  • No. 1 draft-eligible long snapper for the 2023 NFL Draft according to Phil Steele
  • Played in each of the past 38 Cal games over the last three-plus campaigns after redshirting as a 2018 true freshman and has made every snap on punts during the time frame although he did not snap on field goals or extra points for three consecutive contests of his 2021 junior season (Oregon, Colorado, Oregon State) before resuming those duties for the remainder of the campaign beginning with the ninth game of the season at Arizona and continuing them for each of the first five contests of his 2022 senior season
  • Has five tackles including a career-high three as a 2022 senior
HOW TO FOLLOW
For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Football program, follow our Twitter (@ASUFootball) and Instagram (@SunDevilFB) accounts, like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilfootball), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).