(Tempe, AZ) First-year head coach Kenny Dillingham wasted no time building a strong roster which features talent on both sides of the ball. Arizona State fans will be treated to explosive plays, an aggressive style, and relentless effort. There is plenty of buzz being generated by the program heading into the 2023 season. Keeping track of all the members of Sun Devil Football that land on a Preseason Award Watch List.
Jalin Conyers, John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Redshirt junior tight end Jalin Conyers has been recognized as one of the top tight ends in the country heading into the 2023 season. Conyers emerged last season as one of the conference’s premier targets at the position and is considered one of the best in the nation prior to his second season in Tempe. In addition to earning a spot on the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List, he was also a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection by the coaches.
346 of Conyers’ 422 receiving yards have come in the final five games – the highest tally among FBS tight ends in the final five weeks of the regular season. His five touchdowns were the most among FBS tight ends in that time while his 126first downs receiving were second. He forced 21 missed tackles on the year – the most of any FBS tight end. 18 of those came in ASU’s final six games. No other FBS tight end had more than 14 from Week 7 through the conclusion of the bowl season.
Elijhah Badger, Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)
Redshirt junior wide receiver Elijhah Badger returns to Tempe as one of the most highly-touted wide receivers in college football. Thanks to a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign, Badger is considered one of the top receiving threats in the nation. The Biletnikoff Award has rewarded him with one of the coveted spots on the Preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List, targeting him as one of the best players at the position heading into the 2023 season. Badger is coming off a 2022 effort that yielded him Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention distinction.
Made one of — if not the — biggest jumps in nation last year going from seven catches in 2021 to 70 with seven touchdowns. Emerged as one of the top receiving threats in the Pac-12, finishing seventh in the league among wide receivers with a receiving grade of 77.3 on the season (min. 50 targets) and Top-35 in the FBS. Finished with 864 receiving yards (top-50 in the FBS regular season among receivers) and 5.8 receptions per game (32nd in the FBS). His 25 missed tackles forced were tops among Pac-12 receivers and second among all FBS receivers during the regular season.
Cam Skattebo, Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)
One of the biggest additions that new head coach Kenny Dillingham made to the roster was securing transfer running back Cam Skattebo. The junior was one of the top players at the FCS level last year, establishing himself as an all-around threat out of the backfield at Sacramento State. As he makes the jump to the FBS level similar production is expected, resulting in him landing on the Paul Hornung Award Preseason Watch List. The award recognizes the most versatile player in college football as Skattebo figures to add a different dynamic to the Sun Devil offense.
Skattebo was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after rushing for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns to help the Hornets go 11-0 in the regular season and becoming the No. 2-ranked FCS team in the nation…Added 31 catches for 371 yards and three touchdowns. His 1,382 yards were seventh in the FCS and he was the fifth-highest graded running back in the FCS this season (93.0)…Recorded a first down or touchdown on 40.3 percent of his touches – the highest tally in the FCS…Was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage just 5.1 percent of the time – the 16th-lowest tally in the FCS. He was a Third Team All-Big Sky selection at running back in 2021, amassing 520 yards on 57 carries with six touchdowns for an outstanding 9.12 yards per carry.
Slater Zellers, Patrick Mannelly Award (Best Long Snapper)
For the second time in his career, Sun Devil long snapper Slater Zellers was named to the Patrick Mannelly Award Preseason Watch List. The Scottsdale native returns to the state of Arizona for his Graduate season, where he will provide a consistent presence on special teams. Entering the 2023 season, Zellers is considered on the of the premiere players at his position in the nation. His experience and familarity with placekicker and fellow California transfer Dario Longhetto provide a huge advantage for the Sun Devils special teams unit.
Zellers is the No. 1 draft-eligible long snapper for the 2023 NFL Draft according to Phil Steele. He played in each of the past 38 Cal games over the last three-plus campaigns after redshirting as a 2018 true freshman and has made every snap on punts during the time frame although he did not snap on field goals or extra points for three consecutive contests of his 2021 junior season (Oregon, Colorado, Oregon State) before resuming those duties for the remainder of the campaign beginning with the ninth game of the season at Arizona and continuing them for each of the first five contests of his 2022 senior season. He is not afraid to participate on punt coverage, collecting five tackles, including a career-high three in 2022.
SUN DEVIL FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES CAMP T DATES
Sun Devil Football Head Coach Kenny Dillingham announced that the program will return to iconic Camp Tontozona August 10-12, highlighted by a Saturday morning scrimmage open to the public.
“One of the main goals I wanted when I was named head coach was to get us back to ‘Camp T’ in 2023,” Coach Dillingham remarked. “It is one of the favorite traditions of the fans, and growing up I know all that goes into the history. I am excited that our players will be able to experience it. The relationships and bonds formed during this time can’t be replicated. Times have changed and we understand that not everything can be the same as it once was, but we want to get up there this year and make sure our current team understands where so much history was created in our program. Every Sun Devil legend spent time at Camp Tontozona, and it is important the 2023 team understands this.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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