After yesterday's detour to the defensive side of the ball, our countdown series continues today with number 67, which belongs to the man who is (so far) the most successful Sun Devil offensive lineman this century: Shawn Lauvao.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lauvao caught the eye of Arizona State head coach Dirk Koetter with his massive frame. HIs final year of high school ball in Honolulu, Lauvao was named the state's strongest teenager.
While Koetter was right about Lauvao's outsized potential, he hardly got to coach the hulking lineman. Lauvao took a redshirt in 2005, during which time he was named the Scout Team MVP, and only saw spot duty in 2006 as a redshirt freshman.
After that, Koetter was out and Dennis Erickson was in, tasked with elevating a program that Koetter had recruited well for but hadn't consistently won. That changed immediately, as the Sun Devils won 10 games in Erickson's first year on the job.
Lauvao was a big part of that. He earned the starting left guard job a few weeks into the season and never looked back. His size and strength proved crucial in opening holes for the run game, a three-headed monster featuring Ryan Torain, Dimitri Nance, and Keegan Herring. All three backs topped 500 rushing yards that year.
Over the next two years, Lauvao would also show off his versatility, making multiple starts at both tackle spots in addition to left guard. He was named to the second team All-Pac 10 each of his final two seasons in Tempe, serving as a model of consistency despite frequently moving around on the line.
Lauvao's power and versatility helped get him drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns in 2010, making him just the third Arizona State offensive lineman this century to be drafted in the top 100 after Levi Jones and Mike Pollak, both of whom were previously featured in this countdown series.
Lauvao worked his way into a starting role in just his second season with the Browns, where he helped open holes for two star running backs in Peyton Hillis and Trent Richardson. After his rookie contract expired, Lauvao signed with the Washington Commanders, where he was the starting left guard for the next five years.
Lauvao became a cornerstone of the offensive line there for both the Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins years, the most successful period of football that franchise had seen under now-former owner Dan Snyder. Lauvao's body began to break down after some time, which led to his retirement after the 2018 season.
Still, Lauvao enjoyed a nine-year career in the NFL after a dominant run at Arizona State. To this day, no Sun Devil lineman has been drafted higher than Lauvao, cementing his status as one of the best this program has seen this century. And in 67 days, the entire Sun Devil offensive line will get back to work to surpass Lauvao's impressive career.