Josh Roper

Josh Roper was named a coaching assistant for the Sand Devils at the end of 2025, just months after joining the team as a graduate assistant. 

In his first season in Tempe, Arizona State went 18-15 against a tough schedule in 2026, finishing ranked No. 12 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll for the third year in a row. Only eight of the 33 duals were against unranked opponents. The Sun Devils earned 10 ranked wins, including two against top-10 teams TCU and LMU. The Sand Devils started the year off 10-0, which was both the best start to a season and longest winning streak in program history. ASU had two All-Americans, two on the All-Big 12 Team (both being Ava Kirunchyk and Samaya Morin) and two pairs that earned Big 12 Pair of the Week.

Roper spent three years at Grand Canyon as a student manager and practice player, part of that under Kristen Gattfelder. While at GCU, he helped the team reach the NCAA Championships two years in a row. 

In 2023, Roper was a recipient of the AVCA 30 Under 30 Award, an award that honors rising stars in the volleyball world. 

In addition to his time as a student manager, Roper has been a club beach volleyball coach for more than five years. He also was the head coach at Scottsdale Christian prior to coming to Arizona State.

Roper was a former athlete on the 2022 USA Collegiate Beach National Team.  

Originally from Padre Island, Texas, Roper graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Grand Canyon in 2024. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in leadership at Arizona State.