(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Some may have expected the start of the new year to allow for Arizona State Football to mesh, with incoming transfers joining established starters for a new beginning after a topsy-turvy 2021 season.
Yet, for as many fresh faces the Sun Devils have brought in, even more have left the program since the conclusion of last season. The mass exodus concluded on Sunday, as May 1 was the deadline for players to enter the transfer portal and keep their eligibility for the 2022 season.
In total, ASU has lost 17 scholarship players to the portal since defeating Arizona in its 2021 regular season finale.
After losing redshirt sophomore wide receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton and redshirt senior offensive lineman Spencer Lovell last Thursday, the Sun Devils also saw redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, redshirt freshman center Ezra Dotson-Oyetade and redshirt senior defensive lineman Jermayne Lole join their counterparts before the May 1 deadline.
Norman-Lott and Dotson-Oyetade were among 16 four-star high school prospects that signed with ASU from 2019-2022. Now, just five of those 16 remain on the team.
Lole, a defensive standout who missed all of last season with a triceps injury, announced he would return to the Sun Devils on Nov. 30. He now enters the portal to pursue possible NIL opportunities elsewhere, but there is an indication that he would prefer to return to ASU, according to Sun Devil Source.
Name, image and likeness has been a common theme behind the recent Sun Devil departures, as ASU has been slow to take action on the newly developed front that has exploded onto the college athletics scene.
Back in February, ASU athletic director Ray Anderson said in a radio interview that “[ASU is] not going to be able to get in an arms race with the new free agency and the new pay-for-play (NIL) structure that is now very prevalent. We’re going to have to differentiate ourselves by training and developing at a superior level for those who aspire to go to the professional ranks. We’re going to have to adjust our model because the college model has changed.”
Anderson’s comments about developing players for the professional level recently rings true, as four Sun Devils were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft last week and three others signed as undrafted free agents.
However, that hasn’t seemed to matter, as ASU has not only seen players leave in droves, but also at key positions. With Norman-Lott and Lole now out of the present picture, the Sun Devils are at a deficiency at defensive tackle, adding to a near-dire situation at wide receiver.
With the current NIL frenzy in place, several major ASU boosters are working to launch a collective to help create more opportunities for athletes to sign deals and keep players in Tempe.
According to On3, industry experts project that every Power-5 Conference school will partner with an NIL collective by the end of 2022 in order to compete for transfers and retain current players.
ASU’s collective – which is set to apply for non-profit 501(3)(c) status in May – marks an attempt to adapt from the model previously stated by Anderson.
The Sun Devils are expected to add even more transfers to the roster to make up for the losses. Meanwhile, the NCAA is still completing its investigation into the program’s recruiting violations from last year, so there could be added changes to the coaching staff as well.
With all the program’s recent fluctuations, ASU head coach Herm Edwards will be charged with reforming the team less than six months after starting the process.
