The “only” 7-year player in Arizona State Sun Devils’ locker room is saying goodbye to coach Kenny Dillingham and Co. as he braces for his final Camp as a player. After a collegiate career stitched together with moments of triumph and stretches of adversity. From injuries to a sharp dip in playing time. He’s worn the mentor’s hat just as proudly as his helmet. And in his final sendoff, he didn’t make it about himself. Instead, his last words turned the spotlight on someone else entirely.

That player is Anthonie Cooper, the defensive lineman who arrived at ASU alongside Jayden Daniels and Ricky Pearsall in the Class of 2019. Now, in year 7, he stands as the longest-tenured Sun Devil in program history. A living timeline of the transition from Herm Edwards’ NFL-styled structure to coach Dilley’s unapologetically college-centric approach. “Coach Dilley brings a college experience, like Herm, he’s a pro guy, NFL dudes. I think with Coach Dilley, it’s just a college experience. He makes you do more of the stuff you don’t want to do. But it brings the team together, and like you guys have seen, it’s paying off,” Cooper said. It’s a window into a culture shift he’s lived, breathed, and now, endorsed.

Anthonie Cooper’s road to this point reads like the fine print of a football survivor’s contract. He redshirted after four games as a freshman, logged another four in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and then hit his stride. In 2021, he led the team in pass-rush snaps (262), followed by a 2022 campaign with 21 tackles over 12 starts and a 76.0 pass-rusher rating. Good for 10th in the Pac-12.

Injuries and role adjustments have since trimmed his on-field time, but they’ve widened his influence in the locker room. In an era when players vanish into the portal at the first sign of a depth-chart dip, Cooper has stayed, evolving from impact defender to cultural anchor. His coach Kenny Dillingham, meanwhile, faces his own tightrope act on offense. Replacing 4place Heisman finisher Cam Skattebo. That’s no plug-and-play job. The running back room now boasts local product Kyson Brown, bruising transfer Kanye Udoh, and speed merchant Raleek Brown.

The competition is fierce enough to make fall camp feel like an audition stage. The head coach offered a cheeky nod to all three backs in camp, but as every football mind knows, compliments don’t crown an RB1. Finding that answer could tilt the Sun Devils’ offensive balance in 2024. Camp T, ASU’s annual throwback-to-basics retreat, is now in full swing, with the final day featuring an intersquad scrimmage. It’s where Dillingham’s college-first blueprint comes alive: live tackling, position battles, and mental toughness tests baked into the heat and dust.

Cooper will be in the thick of it, alongside junior kicker Jesus Gomez and sophomore LB Martell Hughes, setting the tone in drills that mimic the rhythm and brutality of a real Saturday. For the 24-year-old defensive vet, these reps are as much about legacy as they are about the scoreboard. The irony? Cooper might be rehearsing for his post-playing career without realizing it. He’s already taken younger players under his wing, from technique pointers to the finer points of film study. Around the locker room, freshman wideout Harry Hassman and others have dubbed him “Unc,” a nod to both his age and his influence. Watch it, Kenny Dillingham might already have a future staff member on the field with him. Who knows, maybe even a future Coach Kenny in the making.

Kenny Dillingham’s side’s ground game has an “upper hand”

For years, Arizona State has stocked the backfield with talent, but when the season rolled around, one guy usually got the bulk of the work. The last two years, that bell cow was Cam Skattebo. This fall? Things feel different.

Spring drills gave everyone a taste, and all the backs had their moments. The thing is, no one planted a flag as the clear No. 1. That uncertainty isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just means the ASU could be headed for a true committee approach. Or, as has happened before, someone could break away from the pack once the real games start.

According to Sports Illustrated, RB Kyson Brown might have the early edge: “The running back race could truly go in any direction, as all three backs have been majorly impressive during fall camp. It does appear as if K. Brown has the upper hand at the moment.” Brown’s motivation is easy to spot. He’s coming off a lost season and is clearly hungry. Redshirt freshman Brown can’t be slept on, who’s got legit talent but has been buried on the depth chart. Then there’s Army transfer Udoh, a well-known commodity in a run-heavy system who knows how to grind out yards.