From FCS to ASU: Arizona State football hopes to see impact from transfers

Arizona State will have a grinder mentality when stacked against the rest of the Pac-12 this season.

Given the team’s additions, grinding through adversity is part of the team’s DNA.

Last season, ASU's few bright spots came from defensive back Chris Edmonds. Edmonds joined ASU after three years at Samford, a Football Championship Subdivision program, and led the defense with three interceptions.

One of his most memorable came on the first possession against UCLA at Sun Devil Stadium when Edmonds picked off quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to give ASU early momentum.

“It’s something that you dream about as a little kid growing up,” Edmonds said. “You want to play at this level and games where it’s packed-out crowds, all great opponents. It’s a dream come true for me.”

When Kenny Dillingham and his staff took the reins, they not only brought back players to Arizona, but went after players like Edmonds.

The Sun Devils added high-level FCS players in defensive backs Shamari Simmons and Demetries Ford (Austin Peay), wide receiver Xavier Guillory (Idaho State), and running back Cam Skattebo (Sacramento State).

Simmons and Guillory opened eyes in the spring and transitioned quickly in their first workouts with a Power Five program.

“With the transfer portal, it’s a unique thing. A lot of guys are romanticizing about Power Five bounce backs and me and coach (Brian) Ward went and got some FCS All-Americans,” cornerbacks coach Bryan Carrington said. “Those guys are looking at the world totally different from a P5 bounce back, a guy from like a Tennessee or a Texas. A lot of hunger. They’re happy to see Gatorade in the fridge 24/7.”

Take Edmonds as an example of what a year in a bigger program can do. There are more people around him working to make sure his needs are met off the field from treatment to nutrition. On top of that, access to better facilities, bigger training staff, and more experienced coaches expanded his development.

“My IQ has gotten a lot better,” Edmonds said. “I’ve learned from all of the great minds since I’ve been here at Arizona State, like Herm Edwards, Marvin Lewis, Donnie Henderson, Coach Ward, Coach Dillingham. Great minds I’ve just been able to pick from and take my game to another level.”

“With all this stuff around, how can you not be successful and not be great?” Edmonds added. “You have all the tools necessary, so it’s really on you. What are you going to do with all the tools and the things that they’ve given you?”

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Luckily for players like Simmons, the moment isn't lost on him. After working his way through junior college and the FCS, he's ready to make an impact on the bigger stage.

"Once you come and stay in a Power Five, you don’t know how it feels to come from a Juco or an FCS. You just naturally look over stuff. It’s just me coming from Juco to FCS that has just made me be thankful for everything," Simmons said.

Depending on how this season goes, it likely won't be the last time that ASU will provide more opportunities for FCS players. While there is still prestige that comes with bringing in a Power Five transfer, the Sun Devils admire the qualities that FCS players possess. From a strong work ethic to a general gratefulness, there's a lot of reasons why ASU will find more gems in the portal.

"A lot of guys come and look for so much more and they miss the opportunity so it’s a breath of fresh air to find those FCS guys and they’re hungry for the opportunity because they feel like they were slept on," Carrington said. "You find a diamond in the rough and give him a chance to play with this kind of platform, all four of those guys aren’t FCS prospects, those guys are Power 5 guys. They just happened to be on FCS rosters.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State sees adding FCS transfers to roster as a good thing