79 days until kickoff, and Leif Fautanu helped revive Arizona State football

Our countdown series is fresh off recognizing legendary tight end Todd Heap, and as we transition from the 80's to the 70's, it's time to look at the more unheralded players throughout the history books of Sun Devil football: offensive linemen. First up is center Leif Fautanu, who just capped an impressive two year run in the Valley.

Born in the capitol of Hawaii, Fautanu was an overlooked prospect as a low 3-star, eventually committing to UNLV under head coach Tony Sanchez. A year later, Sanchez was out and replaced by Marcus Arroyo, ironically now the offensive coordinator at Arizona State.

Fautanu became the starting center for the Rebels in 2021 and played so well that he was named to the Rimington Tropy watchlist going into the 2022 season. In both of Fautanu's seasons as the starting center, UNLV boasted a 1,000 yard rusher, but the team as a whole didn't see much success, leading to Arroyo's firing after the 2022 season concluded.

That's when Fautanu decided to explore the transfer portal. Arizona State had just made their own coaching hire in Kenny Dillingham, and newly hired offensive line coach Saga Tuitele had his eye on Fautanu. Tuitele came from Fresno State, and had coached against Fautanu the last two years, later saying this about Fautanu:

"“We had some pretty good defensive tackles. I saw the center kicking our guys’ butts,” Tuitele said. “I said 'Man, that’s a good center.' Fast forward to when I got here and I saw his name in the transfer portal, he was the first one that I called. We jumped on him as fast as we could.”"

Fautanu chose to become a Sun Devil, buying into the pitch of both Dillingham and Tuitele. He quickly became the starting center in 2023, and had the notable distinction as the only offensive lineman to play every game for the Sun Devils that year, as injuries piled up all around him. At the conclusion of a pretty disastrous season, Fautanu was named the Team MVP for his reliability and stability.

The lack of success didn't deter Fautanu either. He remained in Tempe as the coaches worked to beef up their offensive line around him, and as Sam Leavitt was welcomed into the fold at quarterback. Having a seasoned veteran at center proved to be an asset for Leavitt, who quickly set the world on fire for Arizona State's offense, now coordinated by Fautanu's former head coach, Arroyo.

It all came together to form the most successful season in program history, as Arizona State won the Big 12 in their first season in the new conference and reached the College Football Playoff, where they nearly beat Texas in a double overtime thriller.

Fautanu was front and center for it all, quite literally. His leadership - Fautanu was named to the team's leadership council both years - and durability were massive boons for stabilizing the offense and turning the 2024 Sun Devils into a monster on the field.

Unfortunately, the NFL chose not to take notice. Fautanu went undrafted this past April, but signed with the Detroit Lions, who now have a surprise opening at center with the sudden retirement of starter Frank Ragnow. Could Fautanu step in and have a similarly stabilizing effect for the Lions as he did for the Sun Devils? Only time will tell.

Regardless of what Fautanu does in the NFL, his impact in Tempe will always be remembered. HIs contributions laid the foundation for a historic year of Sun Devil football, and his former teammate Ben Coleman, who is moving to center this year, certainly has big shoes to fill in 79 days.