College Sports
In PWHL draft, Frost pick Kendall Cooper and two of her youth teammates
They played youth hockey together for a stacked Stoney Creek Sabres junior team from Ontario whose most threatening opponent might have been a pandemic. They went their separate ways to play college hockey — some 500 miles apart, from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean — before the Frost and the PWHL draft brought them […]

They played youth hockey together for a stacked Stoney Creek Sabres junior team from Ontario whose most threatening opponent might have been a pandemic. They went their separate ways to play college hockey — some 500 miles apart, from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean — before the Frost and the PWHL draft brought them back together.
They were reunited and became a professional trio when the Frost took their former Stoney Creek teammate Brooke Becker, a Providence defender, in the sixth and final round, 46th overall. They all had played youth hockey in Hamilton, Ontario, about an hour from Toronto.
In St. Paul for a Friday introduction, Cooper was asked just how high she leapt when pal Upson’s name was called in the fifth round by the two-time Walter Cup champion Frost.
“It felt like a [personal record], honestly,” Cooper said. “I was so excited. I didn’t want to take the spotlight away from her. Hopefully, I didn’t. We were talking about it afterward; it was so cool.”

Vanessa Upson played for Mercyhurst before getting drafted by the Minnesota Frost. (Cameron Horning, Mercyhurst athletics) (Cameron Horning/Mercyhurst athletics)
The Frost’s draft-night decisions included connections beyond that, too. They took two former St. Lawrence teammates, too: Abby Hustler in the second round and Anna Segedi in the third.
Hustler and Segedi hung out together before the draft in Ottawa.
“We’re just super supportive of each other,” said Segedi, who has played for China’s national team. “We’ve been friends since she came to St. Lawrence. We played together for the last couple years. She’s really a special player. I really am looking forward to continuing working with her. Maybe we can live together or something like that.”
College Sports
2025 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival Set For Aug. 3-9 In Lake Placid, New York
The group is made up of 76 college and professional players, along with 46 players under the age of 18. For the full roster, click HERE. The 25-player rosters for the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team and the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team will be amend at the conclusion of camp. Both teams will face Canada […]

The group is made up of 76 college and professional players, along with 46 players under the age of 18.
For the full roster, click HERE.
The 25-player rosters for the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team and the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team will be amend at the conclusion of camp. Both teams will face Canada in a three-game series August 13, 14 and 16 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The full series schedule is below. All games will be available live and on-demand on USAHockeyTV.com.
College Sports
Covering the Women’s Sports Beat
Marisa Ingemi has covered the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries. But her favorite story unfolded far away from the bright lights of any sold-out arena, in a leaky warehouse where a nonprofit roller derby league was struggling to survive. “This rundown West Oakland building is the physical and spiritual home of […]

Marisa Ingemi has covered the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries. But her favorite story unfolded far away from the bright lights of any sold-out arena, in a leaky warehouse where a nonprofit roller derby league was struggling to survive.
“This rundown West Oakland building is the physical and spiritual home of Bay Area Derby, aka BAD,” Ingemi (’17) wrote in August 2023. “Almost everyone among BAD’s three teams and 20-plus skaters is queer. Many are trans, an identity now being pushed out of traditional sports by legislation across the country.”
“I love to find a niche. I’m always looking for stories within the margins that other reporters aren’t thinking of,” she says. Though Ingemi’s first big break came covering men’s professional ice hockey, the niches she most enjoys covering—and for which she’s built her reputation—involve women’s sports and queer athletes. Her roller derby story received a 2024 Excellence in Sports Writing award from the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists and Ingemi was a finalist for the inaugural Billie Jean King Award for Excellence in Women’s Sports Coverage, which is presented by the Associated Press Sports Editors.
“Sometimes people get into sports journalism because they love sports, then they fall in love with the journalism. That’s definitely what happened with me,” Ingemi says. “Sports journalism intersects with every topic. You’re kind of covering everything and I really love that.”
Women’s sports are exploding in popularity. Professional basketball, hockey and soccer leagues have all expanded in the past two years. Two billion people watched the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. And the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball championship game—in which the University of South Carolina defeated the University of Iowa and their superstar Caitlin Clark—drew more viewers than the men’s final the next day.
The sports media industry, historically male-dominated, is slowly catching up. According to a report published by the Wasserman talent agency and ESPN Research, women’s sports accounted for just 16 percent of the sports media coverage in 2022—but that still represented a 300 percent increase since 2019.
At the San Francisco Chronicle, where Ingemi has worked since 2022, she landed in a newsroom that is investing in women’s sports coverage. They’ve given her the freedom to cover stories like the Bay Area Derby and she’s one of only four beat writers across the 13-team WNBA who travels to away games.
The Golden State Valkyries played their first game in May 2025, but rumors of the league’s possible expansion to the Bay Area had been circulating for years. “I love seeing people who have wanted a WNBA team for 20 years,” Ingemi says. “We’re in this moment where we’re seeing other groups of people being acknowledged—like, you matter.”
Writing for this audience, Ingemi says, motivates her to bring something new to the sports section. “There’s an opportunity to change things. We don’t have to always do things the way men’s sports have historically [been covered]. There are going to be fans of the Valkyries that have never opened a sports section before.”
That means explaining the league and the game for new fans in a way that writers on the men’s beat may not. It also means looking beyond the court. “The people drawn to women’s basketball want more people-oriented stuff, social issue stuff,” she says.
Sports journalism intersects with every topic. You’re kind of covering everything and I really love that.
Marisa Ingemi
Over the past year, some of those social issues have also exploded into political controversy. “Sports are political,” Ingemi says. “And women’s sports especially are political because there’s a lot of people who don’t even want women to do them.”
No sports topic has been more politicized over the past year than the participation of transgender women. In 2024, then-presidential-candidate Donald Trump promised to ban transgender women from women’s sports and targeted the San Jose State University volleyball team, for whom a transgender woman was competing. The story grew as several schools forfeited games rather than play against the Spartans and a member of the team joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn the NCAA rule allowing transgender women to compete. (The NCAA updated its policy in February 2025, limiting participation in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth.)
From October 2024 into early 2025, Ingemi reported almost exclusively on the San Jose State story. She wrote more than 20 stories about the team and the growing controversy, even fact-checking President Trump after he falsely claimed that the player could spike the ball dangerously fast and had injured an opponent. That coverage earned Ingemi 2024 National Sports Media Association cosportswriter of the year honors for California.
Ingemi has had mixed feelings about blending her love of sports with her profession. At one point, she realized she could no longer watch baseball and football for fun. But focusing on women’s sports has reinvigorated the passion that drew her to sports journalism in the first place.
“It’s just so different seeing something grow like this,” she says. “This must’ve been what it was like watching baseball in 1915. We’re seeing something come into itself. And we’re seeing something that people love and that they’re getting access to for the first time. That’s made me really love what sports can do for people.”
College Sports
Jordyn Tyson, Sam Leavitt Land on Maxwell Award Watch List
PHILADELPHIA – The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 89th Maxwell Award and Sun Devil Football has a pair of representatives. Quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson are each candidates for the annual award given to the most outstanding player in college football. The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College […]

PHILADELPHIA – The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 89th Maxwell Award and Sun Devil Football has a pair of representatives.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson are each candidates for the annual award given to the most outstanding player in college football. The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Leavitt and Tyson are one of only 17 pairs of teammates to land on the Preseason Maxwell Award Watch List. The tandem is considered one of the best quarterback-wide receiver combinations in the country heading into the 2025 season and national outlets continue to take notice. Earlier in the offseason, both Leavitt and Tyson were named Walter Camp Preseason All-Americans.
The Maxwell Award watch list incorporates a broad spectrum of FBS programs and conferences from coast to coast. The full list consists of 80 players and the Big 12 (15) is one of the three conferences with at least 15 representatives (SEC, 17; ACC, 16). Arizona State is one of just three programs nationally to have a QB/WR duo land on the Maxwell Award watch list, joined by only Auburn and Clemson.
Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List
FIRST | LAST | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS |
Sam | Leavitt | Arizona State | So. | QB |
Jordyn | Tyson | Arizona State | Jr. | WR |
Drew | Allar | Penn State | Sr. | QB |
Kaytron | Allen | Penn State | Sr. | RB |
Luke | Altmyer | Illinois | Sr. | QB |
Jackson | Arnold | Auburn | Jr. | QB |
CJ | Bailey | NC State | So. | QB |
Alonza | Barnett III | James Madison | Jr. | QB |
Rocco | Becht | Iowa State | Jr. | QB |
Carson | Beck | Miami | Sr. | QB |
Braylon | Braxton | Southern Miss | Sr. | QB |
Isaac | Brown | Louisville | So. | RB |
Jalen | Buckley | Western Michigan | Jr. | RB |
Tommy | Castellanos | Florida State | Sr. | QB |
Demond | Claiborne | Wake Forest | Sr. | RB |
Cam | Coleman | Auburn | So. | WR |
Jonah | Coleman | Washington | Sr. | RB |
Devon | Dampier | Utah | Jr. | QB |
Kyron | Drones | Virginia Tech | Sr. | QB |
Caden | Durham | LSU | So. | RB |
Dylan | Edwards | Kansas State | Jr. | RB |
Noah | Fifita | Arizona | Jr. | QB |
Nate | Frazier | Georgia | So. | RB |
Tucker | Gleason | Toledo | Sr. | QB |
Taylen | Green | Arkansas | Sr. | QB |
Mark | Gronowski | Iowa | Sr. | QB |
Anthony | Hankerson | Oregon State | Sr. | RB |
Ahmad | Hardy | Missouri | So. | RB |
Jamal | Haynes | Georgia Tech | Sr. | RB |
Justice | Haynes | Michigan | Jr. | RB |
Al-Jay | Henderson | Buffalo | Sr. | RB |
Eli | Holstein | Pitt | So. | QB |
Josh | Hoover | TCU | Jr. | QB |
Blake | Horvath | Navy | Sr. | QB |
Makhi | Hughes | Oregon | Jr. | RB |
Nico | Iamaleava | UCLA | So. | QB |
Keyone | Jenkins | FIU | Jr. | QB |
Kevin | Jennings | SMU | Jr. | QB |
Avery | Johnson | Kansas State | Jr. | QB |
Haynes | King | Georgia Tech | Sr. | QB |
Cade | Klubnik | Clemson | Sr. | QB |
DJ | Lagway | Florida | So. | QB |
Jeremiyah | Love | Notre Dame | Jr. | RB |
Maddux | Madsen | Boise State | Jr. | QB |
Arch | Manning | Texas | So. | QB |
John | Mateer | Oklahoma | Jr. | QB |
Owen | McCown | UTSA | Jr. | QB |
Maverick | McIvor | Western Kentucky | Sr. | QB |
Fernando | Mendoza | Indiana | Jr. | QB |
Darian | Mensah | Duke | So. | QB |
Chandler | Morris | Virginia | Sr. | QB |
Behren | Morton | Texas Tech | Sr. | QB |
Miller | Moss | Louisville | Sr. | QB |
Le’Veon | Moss | Texas A&M | Sr. | RB |
Maalik | Murphy | Oregon State | Jr. | QB |
Parker | Navarro | Ohio | Sr. | QB |
Jaden | Nixon | UCF | Sr. | RB |
Garrett | Nussmeier | LSU | Sr. | QB |
Jaydn | Ott | Oklahoma | Sr. | RB |
Diego | Pavia | Vanderbilt | Sr. | QB |
Dylan | Raiola | Nebraska | So. | QB |
Marcel | Reed | Texas A&M | So. | QB |
Desmond | Reid | Pitt | Sr. | RB |
Sawyer | Robertson | Baylor | Sr. | QB |
Corey | Rucker | Arkansas State | Sr. | WR |
Elijah | Sarratt | Indiana | Sr. | WR |
LaNorris | Sellers | South Carolina | So. | QB |
Nicholas | Singleton | Penn State | Sr. | RB |
Jeremiah | Smith | Ohio State | So. | WR |
Brendan | Sorsby | Cincinnati | Jr. | QB |
Terion | Stewart | Virginia Tech | Sr. | RB |
Darius | Taylor | Minnesota | Jr. | RB |
Jai’Den | Thomas | UNLV | Jr. | RB |
Caden | Veltkamp | Florida Atlantic | Jr. | QB |
Bryson | Washington | Baylor | So. | RB |
Jahiem | White | West Virginia | Jr. | RB |
Ryan | Williams | Alabama | So. | WR |
Antonio | Williams | Clemson | Jr. | WR |
Demond | Williams Jr. | Washington | So. | QB |
Quintrevion | Wisner | Texas | Jr. | RB |
Selection Process
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Award Timeline
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 11, 2025, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 25, 2025. The winner of the 89th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 11, 2025. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sam Leavitt, RS-So. (West Linn, OR)
– The lone quarterback to land on the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Second Team.
– Finished his first year in Tempe as the school record holder for total offense by a freshman with 3,328 yards and second in program history in passing yards by a freshman at 2,885.
– The 3,328 total yards of offense are eighth in ASU single-season history regardless of class.
– Named the Big 12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
– The nation’s second-highest graded freshman player (true or redshirt with 400 snaps) on either side of the football by PFF (88.9), behind only Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith (89.8).
– His 88.9 grade for the season is the eighth-best among all FBS freshman quarterbacks in the PFF era since 2015 (min. 400 snaps played). Of the seven players ahead of him, six started an NFL game last season (Brock Purdy, Trevor Lawrence, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud and Spencer Rattler).
– His grade was higher than the freshman year grades of NFL starting quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones, Jordan Love, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels.
– The grade was good for 12th among all FBS quarterbacks in 2024.
– After having just three touchdown passes in his first four games, he finished with 21 over his final nine games played with just four interceptions.
– Had eight passes for 50+ yards, most in Big 12 and tied for second most in the FBS for the season, only ASU player this century to have more in one season was Jayden Daniels in 2019.
– Among players with at least 300 dropbacks, Leavitt tied for third in the FBS with just five turnover-worthy throws on the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
– His six interceptions were tied for sixth-fewest in the FBS among those with at least 300 dropbacks.
– Was one of just four with 20+ touchdowns (24) with six or fewer interceptions (six) AND turnover-worthy throws (5) (min. 300 dropbacks).
– Only 20 of his passes were broken, good for the 20th-lowest total in the FBS. His four passes batted at the line of scrimmage at tied for 25th-lowest in the FBS (min. 300 dropbacks).
– Leavitt showed his ability to keep his composure under pressure, with 708 passing yards while pressured – good for 19th nationally despite missing a game. His 7.8 yards per attempt while under pressure were 12th-best in the country. His 5 under pressure touchdowns were 20th.
– His 74.8 NFL QBR while under pressure was 30th in the nation. He picked up a first down with his arm 41 times on 143 pressures – 13th-most in the FBS.
– Set his receivers up for success, finding open players and hitting dudes in stride to the tune of 58.6 percent of his total yardage coming after the catch – good for third nationally.
– Rushed for 435 yards on 51 scrambles, good for the second-most among quarterbacks in the FBS.
– Picked up a first down or touchdown on 47.1 percent of those QB scrambles, good for 11th among FBS quarterbacks (min 25 scrambles).
– Had the nation’s sixth-best rushing grade when scrambling at 76.4. His 79.1 overall rushing grade was 18th among FBS quarterbacks.
– First ASU quarterback to have six games in a season with three or more touchdown passes (6) since Mike Berocovici in 2015 (6). The six games were tied for second-most this century behind only Andrew Walter’s seven in 2004. The last Big 12 freshman to have that many performances in a season was Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford in 2007 (eight).
– Thrice earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and also earned the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week honor following the K-State contest.
– First Sun Devil to post three consecutive games with three touchdown passes and no picks since Jayden Daniels did it three times in 2019.
– He had his first career 300+ yard game on the road against Oklahoma State, finishing 20-of-29 for 304 yards and three touchdowns with no picks.
– Named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following his four-touchdown effort against Kansas, including the game-winner with less than a minute remaining. The four touchdowns were the most for any quarterback in the country in Week 6 as he was the highest-graded quarterback in the Big 12 for the week by PFF and ninth best in the FBS (89.4).
– Leavitt’s 258 passing yards in his starting debut against Wyoming were the third-most by a Sun Devil making his debut since 1996, behind only Joey Yellen (292 in 2019) and Jayden Daniels (284 in 2019)
– Sun Devil QB Sam Leavitt shines at Big 12 Media Days (by Scott Bordow, ASU News/July 17, 2025)
– Sam Leavitt reaping the benefits of ASU’s return to national prominence (by John Marshall, Associated Press/April 17, 2025)
Jordyn Tyson, RS-Jr. (Allen, TX)
– One of only two receivers to land on the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Second Team.
– A Third-Team All-America selection in 2024 by the Associated Press.
– Had a breakout season in 2024, with 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns before getting injured in the second half of the Nov. 30 Arizona game and missing the postseason.
– Earned Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
– Had five games of 100-yards receiving including 12 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns at No. 16 Kansas State on Nov. 16.
– In the first six games, he totaled 25 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns. In the second six games he had 50 receptions for 732 yards and six scores.
– He caught eight touchdowns in six-game stretch and 624 yards (104.0 yards per game) on 44 catches in that span. In the first four games, he had 14 catches for 209 yards with one touchdown.
– His ten touchdowns tied him for sixth all-time in Sun Devil history, one of just 11 Sun Devils total to reach double digits in a season, and the most since Jaelen Strong had 10 in 2014.
– The 176 receiving yards against KSU were the most since Brandon Aiyuk put up 196 on Washington State back on Oct. 12, 2019. It was the most receiving yards in a road game since Devin Lucien had 200 yards at California on Nov. 28, 2015.
– Four of his touchdown receptions were in the final five minutes of a half (two in the first half and two in the second half).
– Three of his seven touchdown catches came in the fourth quarter of games – which was tied for fourth among FBS receivers when his season ended. His 12 third down receiving conversions were tied for 17th in the FBS through the month of November.
– Tyson has emphasized wide receiver coach Hines Ward’s “No Block, No Rock” mantra as he was fifth among FBS receivers with 298 run-blocking snaps until his season was cut short.
More on Sun Devil Football’s 2025 Preseason…
2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List
Sun Devil Football Head Coach Kenny Dillingham was named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Dodd Trophy. The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. released the initial candidates for the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. This year’s list includes 26 of the nation’s top college football coaches, highlighted by Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham.
Dillingham was a finalist for the 2024 Dodd Trophy after leading the Sun Devils to a historic 11-3 season which culminated in a Big 12 Championship, Peach Bowl Appearance, and berth in the College Football Playoff. He was named 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year for his efforts and is once again being considered as one of the top coaches entering the 2025 season.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Bret Bielema, Illinois
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Mario Cristobal, Miami (FL)
Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Spencer Danielson, Boise State
Ryan Day, Ohio State
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Eliah Drinkwitz, Mizzou
Mike Elko, Texas A&M
James Franklin, Penn State
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Brian Kelly, LSU
Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Jeff Monken, Army
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Ryan Silverfield, Memphis
Kalani Sitake, BYU
Kirby Smart, Georgia
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
The Big 12 Conference announced the 2025 Preseason All-Conference Team and Sun Devil Football is heavily featured. Arizona State has five players on the Preseason All-Big12 Team and Sam Leavitt has been voted as the Preseason Offensive Player of the league by the media. The five selections are the most of any team in the conference, a clear sign of respect for the talent returning to the program.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech, Sr.
Preseason All-Conference Team (Offense)
RB: Bryson Washington, Baylor, RS-So.
RB: Jahiem White, West Virginia, Jr.
FB/H-Back: Will Swanson, Kansas State, Sr.
WR: Eric McAlister, TCU, Sr.
WR: Chase Roberts, BYU, RS-Sr.
TE: Joe Royer, Cincinnati, RS-Sr.
OL: Spencer Fano, Utah, Jr.
OL: Bryce Foster, Kansas, RS-Jr.
OL: Caleb Lomu, Utah, RS-So.
OL: Jordan Seaton, Colorado, So.
PK: Will Ferrin, BYU, RS-Sr.
Preseason All-Conference Team (Defense)
DL: David Bailey, Texas Tech, Sr.
DL: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati, RS-Sr.
DL: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech, Sr.
DL: Dominique Orange, Iowa State, Sr.
LB: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech, Sr.
LB: Austin Romaine, Kansas State, Jr.
LB: Keaton Thomas, Baylor, RS-Jr.
DB: Bud Clark, TCU, Sr.
DB: Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State, Sr.
DB: DJ McKinney, Colorado, Jr.
DB: Jontez Williams, Iowa State, RS-Jr.
Most Preseason All-Conference Selections
Sun Devil Football received the most Preseason All-Conference selections by the media, an indication of the level of expectations set for the program around the nation. It is a complete contrast to last season, when zero players from Arizona State landed on the Preseason All-Conference team.
Arizona State, 5
Baylor, 4
Iowa State, 3
Texas Tech, 3
Six teams tied with 2
Walter Camp Preseason All-American Teams
The Walter Camp Football Foundation released their Preseason All-American Teams at the end of June and Sun Devil Football has a pair of representatives. Quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson each landed on the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Second Team. They are two of the 11 individuals to earn the national recognition. The Sun Devil offense will feature one of the nation’s best quarterback-wide receiver duos. Arizona State is one of 11 schools to have at least two players be named Preseason All-Americans by Walter Camp.
Walter Camp Preseason Second Team All-Americans
Second Team Offense
QB: Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)
WR: Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Elijah Sarratt (Indiana)
RB: Makhi Hughes (Oregon), Isaac Brown (Louisville)
TE: Justin Joly (North Carolina State)
OL: Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Texas A&M), Cayden Green (Missouri), Jordan Seaton (Colorado), Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State)
C: Logan Jones (Iowa)
Walter Camp Preseason All-Americans by School
Alabama, Clemson, Indiana, Penn State, Texas – 3
Arizona State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas A&M – 2
Athlon Sports Preseason Big 12 Honors
A total of 15 Sun Devils received Big 12 Preseason All-Conference recognition from Athlon Sports. Leading the way was wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who landed on the First Team Offense of Athlon Sports’ Preseason All-American Team. Tyson also was a First Team Big 12 All-Conference selection and is joined by fellow Media Day attendees Sam Leavitt, Ben Coleman, and Xavian Alford in earning the distinction. Here is a full list of preseason honorees from Athlon Sports.
All-America Honors
First Team Offense
WR Jordyn Tyson
Texas to Tempe
Eight of the 16 returning starters for the Sun Devils this year are from Texas. The list includes Jordyn Tyson (Allen), Josh Atkins (Mansfield Timberview), Keith Abney (Waxahachie), Xavion Alford (Shadow Creek), C.J. Fite (Tatum), Clayton Smith (Texas High School in Texasarkana), Prince Dorbah (Highland Park) and Jordan Crook (Duncanville).
Elite experience
Eight Sun Devils started all 14 games last year, and seven of them return. C.J. Fite, Josh Atkins, Ben Coleman, Max Iheanachor, Javan Robinson, Myles Rowser and Keith Abney II were 14-game starters. Center and second-team Walter Camp All-American Leif Fautanu is the only 14-game starter who doesn’t return in 2025.
Protecting home turf
Arizona State (6-0) was one of 16 teams to go undefeated at home in 2024 and the only Big 12 team. Oregon, Boise State, Alabama, Missouri, Army, Memphis and Tennessee all went 7-0, while Miami, Ohio, Marshall, UTSA, Georgia and Washington joined ASU at 6-0. Indiana went 8-0, while Georgia Tech went 5-0. ASU travels to one-home loss Big 12 teams from last year Iowa State (6-1), Colorado (5-1) and Baylor (5-1). The Sun Devils didn’t lose a home game for the first time since 2004.
Comfortable when it’s close
Arizona State was 6-2 in one score games (5-1 in games of seven points or less) in 2024. The only teams with six or more wins in one-score games were Arkansas State (7-1), Sam Houston State (6-0), Texas Tech, Duke and Missouri (all 6-1) and Syracuse (7-2).
Fo(u)rks Up
ASU made 18 fourth-down conversions in 2024. After converting on those 18, ASU had 12 touchdowns, 2 field goals and took a knee to end the Mississippi State game. The only three times it didn’t work as it had an interception, a missed field goal and turned it over on down later in the drive.
Undefeated in November
ASU went undefeated in November for the first time since 2013 and just its third time from 1976-present. ASU also was undefeated in November in 2013 (4-0), 1996 (3-0), 1975 (5-0), 1972 (4-0), 1971 (4-0), 1970 (3-0), 1969 (5-0), 1968 (5-0), 1967 (3-0), 1965 (3-0), 1963 (4-0), 1959 (4-0), 1958 (4-0), 1957 (5-0) and 1950 (4-0).
Returning AP All-Americans
Jordyn Tyson earned Third-Team Associated Press All-American honors last and is one of 16 returners from those teams in 2025. He is one of five returning AP All-Americans returning on offense along with center Jake Slaughter (Florida), wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Eric Rivers (Florida International) and tackle Spencer Fano (Utah).
2024 Big 12 honorees are back
Arizona State has six returnees from the 2024 All Big 12 Team returning next year, led by wide receiver and first-team honoree Jordyn Tyson (Offensive Newcomer of the Year), second-team honoree Sam Leavitt (Offensive Freshman of the Year), defensive back Xavion Alford (first), tight end Chamon Metayer (second), defensive lineman C.J. Fite (second) and linebacker Keyshaun Elliott (second).
ASU alumni on Sun Devil Football 2025 roster (listed alphabetically)
Xavion Alford, BA Liberal Studies, 2024
Coben Bourguet, BSE Engineering Management, 2024
Ben Coleman, MA Communication, 2024
Anthonie Cooper, BA Interdisciplinary Studies (Communication/Nutrition and Healthy Living), 2022
Prince Dorbah, BS Communication, 2024
Adama Fall, BA Liberal Studies
Zyrus Fiaseu, BA Liberal Studies, 2025
Cameron Harpole, BA Communication, 2025
Max Iheanachor, BA Liberal Studies, 2025
Chamon Metayer, BA Liberal Studies, 2025
Elijah O’Neal, BA Liberal Studies, 2024
Kyle Scott, BS Psychology, 2025
Ian Shewell, BS Clinical Exercise Science, 2025
Clayton Smith, BA Liberal Studies, 2025
Justin Wodtly, BA Liberal Studies, 2025
Sun Devil Football on social
For exclusive content, the latest updates, and more information on the Sun Devil Football program, follow our X (@ASUFootball) and Instagram (@sundevilfb) accounts, like our Facebook page (facebook.com/SunDevilFootball), and visit our website (sundevils.com).
Kenny Dillingham (X: @KennyDillingham | Instagram: @coachdillinghamasu)
Sam Leavitt (X: @S_leav10 | Instagram: @samleavitt10)
Jordyn Tyson (X: @tyson_jordyn | Instagram: @jordyntyson_)
College Sports
Cullen Potter has unique hockey path to World Junior Summer Showcase
Walking before six months, Potter was on the ice when he was only a year old. Since skates that small weren’t available, his grandpa Dwayne made some for Potter to wear by riveting blades into boots. “It was hard to pull him back in because he loved it so much,” Schmidgall-Potter said. After growing up […]

Walking before six months, Potter was on the ice when he was only a year old. Since skates that small weren’t available, his grandpa Dwayne made some for Potter to wear by riveting blades into boots.
“It was hard to pull him back in because he loved it so much,” Schmidgall-Potter said.
After growing up in Edina, Schmidgall-Potter went on to play for the Gophers before going to Minnesota Duluth, where she led the nation in scoring as a sophomore and won a national championship in 2003.
Earlier, she captured gold with the U.S. in the inaugural Olympics for women’s ice hockey in 1998, and her son was 3 years old when she appeared in her fourth and final Olympics in 2010; the Americans earned silver after she scored a team-high six goals.
Schmidgall-Potter and her husband Rob trained Cullen, playing pickup games outside. That was how Cullen kept up with the sport as a kid, not sticking with a team until he was 12.
“He played with us,” Schmidgall-Potter said, “learned from how we played and with older guys, and we thought that was the best way for him to just be creative and learn the game how we grew up but also love the sport. It wasn’t too structured. It was just something, hey, if this is what you decide, we want it to be fun, too.”
College Sports
Men's Soccer
By Russ Hodges, Sports Editor ROCHELLE — Diego Salazar never played defense throughout his four varsity seasons with the Rochelle Hub soccer program. A two-time All-Interstate 8 Conference forward, Salazar scored 42 goals and dished out nine assists over his junior and senior years with the Hubs. Despite his success on offense as a high-schooler, […]


By Russ Hodges, Sports Editor
ROCHELLE — Diego Salazar never played defense throughout his four varsity seasons with the Rochelle Hub soccer program. A two-time All-Interstate 8 Conference forward, Salazar scored 42 goals and dished out nine assists over his junior and senior years with the Hubs.
Despite his success on offense as a high-schooler, Salazar transitioned to a defensive role during his first season of NJCAA soccer at Kishwaukee College, where he became the team’s starting left back and helped the Kougars to five victories in 2024. Although Salazar spent more time protecting his team’s goal as opposed to attacking the opponent’s goal, the RTHS alum is eyeing a bigger role on offense in 2025 after finishing the 2024 season as the left midfielder.
“It was my first time playing defense at a high level,” Salazar said. “When I first started, it was very different because as a forward, my job was to score goals and help my teammates. But on defense, I couldn’t go up very much and if I did, I had to work even harder to get back and help my teammates… If I made one mistake, then the other team could counter-attack and score.”
Salazar posted two goals and two assists during his freshman season with the Kougars. The former Hub recorded his first collegiate assist during Kishwaukee’s match against McHenry County College on Aug. 24, when the Kougars earned a 2-1 victory, their first of the season.
“The team was very welcoming and everybody got along pretty quickly,” Salazar said. “When we trained, we tried pushing each other to our limits. Since we did a lot of conditioning during my four years at high school, I thought that helped me a lot because, when I first started training with the Kish team, we did a lot of conditioning and I found that I was already in good shape because we’d run a lot during practice. There was a lot more intensity and a lot more pressure.”
Salazar scored his first collegiate goal on Oct. 2, helping the Kougars avoid a shutout during a 5-2 defeat at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. The former Hub forward connected on another goal two weeks later, finding the net during Kish’s 3-1 loss against Carl Sandburg College.
“It made me feel pretty good and it motivated me to score more goals,” Salazar said. “Scoring as a left back gave me more confidence, especially when I started playing left midfielder later in the season. If my coach moves me to left midfielder, I know that I can be scoring more goals.”
Salazar, whose second assist came during an 8-0 win against UW-Whitewater at Rock County on Oct. 4, said his goals for the 2025 season include playing more in the midfield and helping the Kougars improve upon their 5-9 record from the 2024 campaign. Salazar, who’s currently studying for his associate’s degree, intends on pursuing a career as an electrician after college.
“As a team, I want us to communicate better and push ourselves to our limits more,” Salazar said. “If we push each other, then we can all get better individually and start playing with more confidence. I think I’ll be playing more on offense this year, which motivates me because this is my final year with the team. I want to score more goals and have the best season possible.”
College Sports
ASU, NCAA hockey look to grow as CHL players join college ranks
Arizona State forward Ryan Alexander is among the ASU players with Canadian roots. Starting this upcoming season, the NCAA is allowing players from the Canadian Hockey League to be eligible to play collegiate hockey in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics) LOS ANGELES – As college hockey prepares for a new season, […]


Arizona State forward Ryan Alexander is among the ASU players with Canadian roots. Starting this upcoming season, the NCAA is allowing players from the Canadian Hockey League to be eligible to play collegiate hockey in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
LOS ANGELES – As college hockey prepares for a new season, the NCAA is seeing an influx of players who would not have been eligible to play at the collegiate level at this time last year. And Arizona State anticipates taking advantage of the welcome change to the sport.
The NCAA announced before the 2024-25 season that players from the Canadian Hockey League would be eligible to play collegiate hockey in the United States.
Athletes who seek to play in the NHL have often used the CHL and the NCAA as spring boards to gain recognition and increase their skills. But until last year, those two routes were mutually exclusive.
Composed of many developmental hockey teams, the CHL has three major junior leagues – the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
While the NCAA has produced some top current talent in the NHL like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, a majority of professional North American star power comes from the CHL system. Players like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon were drafted out of the CHL.
Five of the top six point scorers in the 2024-25 season came from the CHL, including Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who finished the season with the most points.
Not only did some of the top professional talent develop in the CHL, but more than half of all players who competed in the 2025 NHL playoffs were drafted out of the amateur league.
While players cannot play in the NCAA until they reach college age, at about 17 or 18, players are eligible for the CHL when they turn 16.
This means that players would be able to play a season or two in the CHL before being eligible to play college hockey.
In the past, CHL players were not allowed to move to the NCAA once they played in the CHL. The NCAA had a ban in place for CHL players because they receive a monthly stipend of $250 in Canada, leading to the NCAA classifying them as professionals instead of amateurs.
However, that changed last November when the NCAA decided to drop the ruling that prohibited CHL players from playing NCAA hockey, opening a new path and set of choices for young hockey players hoping to make the NHL.
The ruling already has an impact on the college hockey world.
Gavin McKenna, the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, committed to play college hockey at Penn State. This decision comes after Keaton Verhoeff, another projected top pick in 2026, committed to North Dakota earlier in the summer. Both players are making the jump from the CHL.
The ruling not only impacts players at the top of the board, but all around the country as well.
While ASU’s roster usually consists of high school recruits and college transfers, the upcoming season will feature six CHL players joining the Sun Devils.
In fact, the first domino that fell in the CHL-to-NCAA pipeline was in Tempe.
While the lawsuit that reversed the ruling was still ongoing, Braxton Whitehead of the Regina Pats – the WHL team that produced Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in 2023 – committed to play hockey at Arizona State.
“[ASU’s] slogan is ‘Be the Tradition’ and I think they love the idea of me being a trailblazer throughout all this and paving the way with NCAA and CHL relations,” said Whitehead, who scored 115 points in four seasons in the WHL. “I’m very hopeful that [the rules] will turn over before the 2025-26 season.”
The rules were reversed two months after his commitment to Arizona State.
From the player perspective, the experience of competing against older and bigger college athletes has a positive impact on their goal to make it to the NHL. ASU forwards Cullen Potter and Ben Kevan share similar philosophies about the benefits of college hockey.
“(I) put on some more muscle to get stronger,” said Potter, who was selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. “I want to play in the NHL someday. So being able to go against those guys that are 6-3, 6-4, and super strong, I got to get stronger.”
While Potter is entering his sophomore season with ASU, Kevan looks ahead to experiencing his first year of college hockey when the Sun Devils open the season Oct. 1 against Penn State at Mullett Arena.
“I’d say the biggest one for me is just getting stronger,” said Kevan, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. “I think being an 18-year-old kid, I want to make the NHL and I think I just need to be bigger, stronger and just be able to play against men.”
When McKenna announced his commitment to Penn State on ESPN, he had a similar explanation regarding the benefits of playing in the NCAA.
“I think it honestly it just makes the jump easier, going against older, heavier, stronger guys. It really prepares you,” said McKenna, who scored 129 points in the 2024-25 WHL season, placing him third among U-18 WHL skaters in the past 30 years. “Even in the locker room, hanging around older guys and being around more mature guys, I think that will help me a lot.”
While there has been a steady increase in recent years of NCAA players selected in the NHL Draft, the top of the board has marked a very quick rise in college talent.
Prior to 2020, three No. 1 picks came from the NCAA. If McKenna is taken first overall, he would become the third since 2020, joining Macklin Celibrini and Owen Power as NCAA players selected with the top pick.
As the hockey world anticipates changes to the sport from the ruling, hockey higher-ups like OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford are hopeful for the positive impact of the changes.
“Having players who maybe weren’t ready for the NHL have a chance to prolong their development window in the NCAA, that’s going to raise the quality,” Crawford said. “That ultimately is going to raise the quality of the NHL. To me, it’s better for the families and the players. It’s better for hockey as a whole.”
-
College Sports3 weeks ago
Why a rising mid-major power with an NCAA Tournament team opted out of revenue-sharing — and advertised it
-
Sports3 weeks ago
New 'Bosch' spin
-
Fashion2 weeks ago
EA Sports College Football 26 review – They got us in the first half, not gonna lie
-
Health2 weeks ago
CAREGD Trademark Hits the Streets for Mental Health Month
-
Sports2 weeks ago
Volleyball Releases 2025 Schedule – Niagara University Athletics
-
Youtube3 weeks ago
Will Giannis DEPART Milwaukee⁉️ + How signing Turner & waiving Dame impacts the Bucks | NBA Today
-
Sports2 weeks ago
Adapti, Inc. (OTC
-
Sports2 weeks ago
New NCAA historical database provides wealth of information on championships
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
Buford DB Tyriq Green Commits to Georgia
-
Youtube3 weeks ago
FREE AGENCY BREAKDOWN 🚨 What moves can the 76ers make? 🤔 | NBA Today