ASU Football: Off to Camp T
By Mike Slifer
Today, the ASU football team treks to the White Mountains to begin their five days at Camp Tontozona. Camp T is an ASU tradition that was only suspended briefly during the Dennis Ericson era. The Sun Devils practiced this morning before packing up and leaving.
Camps like this do quite a bit for college and high school teams. It allows for total focus on football. There will be no girlfriends, no cell phones, no TV, no distractions whatsoever. Just football. There will most likely be some team bonding activities, lots of meetings and filmwork.
The shared “hardship” of sleeping in bunkbeds, having to wait to use the shower and living in tight quarters usually is enough to bring teammates closer together, which besides the practice, is what football camp is all about.
The coaching staff undoubtedly has some team activities planned to increase the bond of brotherhood and to foster leadership, but their main focus will be to get some good work in and most importantly; solidify the starting positions.
Nothing will ever be set in stone, but coach Todd Graham will definitely want to be settled on starting units when they resume practice in Tempe next Monday. There will be some exceptions. Junior defensive tackle Jaxon Hood, who has been excused from practice the first ten days, probably will not be with the starters when they return to the valley. But it’s a good bet that he’ll be the starter for game one. The same might be said of redshirt freshmen safety Marcus Ball. Although since Ball has yet to take a snap for the Sun Devils, he may have to legitimately earn a spot to bump somebody else.
The bottom line is that coach Graham will want to be hitting on all cylinders when they return and are only ten days away from opening night.
For the players, Camp T is their last open chance to make a statement. Their last rush to prove they belong in the 2-deep conversation. Because after Camp T, scout teams (red-shirts) will be determined. Special teams will be nearly complete and reps will start to get limited to those who will play.
For fans, Camp T is a lot of fun, too. It’s a chance to get out of the heat, take in the pines and watch the scrimmage on Saturday–a scrimmage that should be spirited with competition.