The Arizona State brand has always been one that has stayed relatively strong throughout the years – but the end of Herm Edwards’ tenure bought serious damage to the image of the program.
Many speculated that the Sun Devils would face penalties from the NCAA that would set the program back several years before Kenny Dillingham was hired.
A self-imposed postseason ban and scholarship restriction was all that ensued – it allowed Dillingham to build a team that won the Big 12 and reached the College Football Playoff in 2024.
The Sun Devil brand is now alive and well – even on a national platform.
Arizona State is not only currently ranked in preseason polls by the majority of media outlets – but Sam Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, and Dillingham are getting positioned as contenders for major awards.
They have also seen the brand get mentioned in other media such as music.
One such example is former NFL player Darren Waller, who has turned to a music career in the last year since retiring from the league – the tight end mentioned the iconic pitchfork in a line of his most recent song.
Via Chris Karpman of SunDevilSource:
“I’m bringing home the Chip / easy money like Durant on the pull-up / what we doing? / top play / gotta put that … on SportsCenter / We gonna put a fork in ‘em / get it done.”
The pitchfork has become as synonymous with the Arizona State brand as Sparky the Sun Devil – which was the primary logo of Arizona State athletics until the 2011-12 school year.
This is a unique connection with an athlete who played college football at Georgia Tech – the recent success that the program has seen certainly hasn’t hurt.
As the 2025 season approaches, it appears as if the profile of Arizona State is only growing in a positive manner by the day – with an impressive 2026 recruiting class, a presumed spot top 25 preseason ranking, and stability that many programs envy.
Read more about the unbreakable culture that Kenny Dillingham has built in Tempe via defensive line Zac Swanson here, and the continued focus of the Arizona State coaching staff to draw in Arizona-based recruits here.
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