(Photo: Damon Allred/ Arizona Sports)
Before Arizona State football played West Virginia, interim special teams coordinator Jack Nudo walked into head coach Kenny Dillingham’s office to sell him on an idea. A decade removed from sales, Nudo knows how to deliver a pitch. This proposal: a fake PAT and a two-point pass from kicker Jesus Gomez to a fellow redshirt senior, tight end Cameron Harpole.
After presenting the film evidence, Nudo was assured by Dillingham that, in the right situation, his idea would be put into action. With eight minutes left in the second quarter, that situation came as ASU held a 13-3 lead. A two‑point success would render field goals meaningless for the Mountaineers’ comeback hopes.
In practices leading up to Saturday, the play was practiced just once and it was against the defense, not the field goal block unit — the lone attempt was intercepted. Nevertheless, what Nudo anticipated played out, as Harpole broke wide open in the left corner of the end zone where he caught the pass. Coincidentally, it was the same spot where he caught his first career touchdown three weeks earlier from his roommate, redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt.
“I try to do exactly what I’m asked to do,” Harpole said after his touchdown. “I just ran the route, the ball was there, it was a good play.”
Harpole’s two‑point conversion in the second quarter ultimately provided the margin of victory, as the Sun Devils went on to defeat West Virginia 25-23. By stark contrast, his milestone touchdown on Oct. 25, came when ASU was fighting uphill instead of protecting a cushion.
With 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter of that game, the Sun Devils trailed Houston 24–0. Stationed at the Cougars’ 3‑yard line, a touchdown was the only acceptable outcome for ASU. As fans shuffled toward the exits at Mountain America Stadium, Leavitt found Harpole for the score, connecting for the offense’s first sign of life all night.
“I just feel like it was all the hard work put into place. I wish we were in a better position in the game, but just all the hard work put together,” Harpole said. “Keep doing the right thing, and you’ll get found at one point.”
The moment grew heavier in hindsight when, almost a week later, Leavitt was ruled out for the season. His final touchdown pass of the year went to his roommate in a 24-16 loss. But Leavitt’s impact stretched beyond the field — he had driven Harpole toward greater discipline in the offseason.
After his first season with the Sun Devils in 2024, Harpole committed to reshaping his body by dialing in his nutrition. By the time ASU gathered at Camp Tontozona in August, he was 10 pounds heavier. Living with Leavitt — whose obsessive approach to routine, recovery, and nutrition is well‑known within the team — gave Harpole a blueprint to follow.
Along with the added 10 pounds to his frame, Harpole picked up a new nickname from Dillingham in the offseason: “The Harpinator.” Someone else on the coaching staff, tight ends coach Jason Mohns, pointed to Leavitt’s role in shaping Harpole’s transformation.
“Sam is neurotic about his routine, his nutrition, and how he takes care of his body and I think that was a tremendous influence on Harp,” Mohns said. “I think it’s a testament to Harp for putting himself around the right people.”
When Mohns broke down Harpole’s touchdown, he explained that it came on a passing concept known in the Sun Devil playbook as “Z‑Seattle.” Unlike the two‑point conversion, it has been practiced by ASU and called by offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo more than once. In the design, the tight end functions lines up and functions like a slot receiver, on this rep, that assignment fell to Harpole.
When the Sun Devils call it outside the red zone, the route from the slot is a toggle — an option to break inside or outside depending on coverage. But deep in the red zone, the toggle comes off and it can only be a corner route. Mohns describes the concept as part of the playbook since day one.
“That’s Z-Seattle. That’s a turbo call for us, a day-one install. Typically, when it’s outside of the low red, it’s a toggle route,” Mohns said. “Once we get in the low red, the toggle comes off, and it’s a locked corner. It’s something we’ve done a million times.”
Despite his background of playing receiver in high school, Harpole was primarily utilized as a hand-in-the-dirt blocker in his first two seasons at San Diego State — with roughly 72 percent of his snaps coming in line, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). When he arrived in Tempe, the majority of his snaps were still in line, but the percentage was reduced to around 52%.
Paired with his majority in-line usage last season, less than a third of Harpole’s snaps came from the slot. This year, that figure has jumped to around two thirds. His role in ASU’s offense has evolved into a flex tight end — essentially a wide receiver in a tight end’s frame. This development is something Mohns envisioned.
“We really knew that he is more of a flex tight end. He’s got the toughness and the willingness to put his face on people, but he really is a detailed route runner,” Mohns said. “He’s got a really natural feel for space. He’s got great body control and ball skills.”
In 2024, Harpole spent most of his time in 12 personnel, a formation with one running back and two tight ends, often used for heavier, run-focused sets. It’s where he did the dirty work of blocking defensive ends, chipping linebackers, and helping protect the quarterback. But this season, the Sun Devils began using him in more three- and four-wide receiver formations, spreading the field and giving Harpole space to operate like a receiver.
The more Harpole was flexed out, the more trust he earned — not just from Mohns, but from the entire offensive staff. Whether he was exploiting soft spots in zone coverage or staying visible during scramble drills, Harpole showed ASU’s brass that he could be a reliable target.
“When we put him in a position this year to get into 12 but use more of our three-wide and four-wide formations, it gave him an opportunity to showcase himself and earn the trust of the coaches, earn the trust of coach Arroyo, earn the trust of coach Dillingham,” Mohns said.
The trust Harpole earned from the coaches extended to Nudo, whose bold fake idea depended on Harpole’s reliability to finish it. That faith was rewarded in the same left corner of the end zone, where he had hauled in his first career touchdown from Leavitt weeks earlier.
In both moments, the common thread was trust — from roommate‑to‑roommate, to coach‑to‑coach, and ultimately in Harpole’s ability to turn opportunity into points.
“It’s just awesome to see him work to earn that trust and respect,” Mohns said. “When he’s been given the opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it.”
