Dillingham Praises Tyson's Toughness After ASU Practice

Dillingham Definitively Defends Tyson

There have been several in the scouting/media world that have questioned Tyson's competitive fire ahead of the NFL draft on April 23 - Dillingham undoubtedly believes those concerns are ludicrous.

The head coach brought up that Tyson suffered a deep cut on his hand that required stitches at one point last season, prior to a game - the All-Big 12 talent obviously played in the game that week. The fact that Tyson worked tirelessly to return from the hamstring injury he suffered midseason, rather than shutting everything down to protect himself for the draft, speaks volumes about who he is and should be viewed in a positive light rather than as a point of critique.

Dillingham Discusses Pro-Family Culture at ASU

One of the major driving forces in retaining valued staff at ASU is Dillingham's flexible approach as a head coach - he recognizes the vitality of being there for family and supports his colleagues in making an effort to show up for their families.

"If we talk about family in our program, but we're not present in our own families, then it's all a fake, right?" Dillingham said.

The approach Dillingham has taken has absolutely contributed to the boost in positive morale around the program, as well as the boost in how the Sun Devils are perceived nationwide. Now, the program can reliably recruit blue-chip prospects once again thanks to moves like this.

Sun Devils Prioritizing Managable Down-and-Distance Scenarios

The defensive line is currently operating in many different short down-and-distance scenarios during practice, with a clear endgame in sight for the objectives.

“The best teams make the easy down and distances for the opponents challenging,” were the words of Dillingham when asked about the natural progression of the DL group.

One of the best attributes of Arizona State's defense over the last three seasons has been the sheer consistency that the defensive line has put forward in stuffing the run - reliable strong gap integrity, strong communication, and the growth of players such as C.J. Fite have resulted in the Sun Devils having one of the best run defenses in the entire Big 12. Now, the line looks significantly different from previous campaigns and is beginning to come together in a meaningful way.