He’s college football’s worst kept secret.
You couldn’t make the same argument one year ago with now consensus Arizona State All-American defensive tackle Will Sutton.
The senior burst onto the national scene last fall for new head coach Todd Graham disrupting offenses to the tune of 13 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Sutton surprised some by returning to Tempe for his senior year and now he and the Sun Devils have even higher expectations heading into this season.
“Jadaveon Clowney gets a lot of hype and deservedly so,” CBS College Sports Network analyst Adam Archuleta told Pros2Preps.com in a recent phone interview. “But Will Sutton…for a guy that plays defensive tackle…there aren’t many that our that disruptive play in and play out versus the run, versus the pass.”
He believes Sutton’s game mirrors Clowney’s in many ways.
He is the real deal and there’s not a lot of weaknesses in his game. He embarrasses offensive lineman.
“From a production standpoint they’re very equal in talent,” Archuleta explained. “[Clowney] gets the hype because of his pro prospect status…but Will Sutton inside is a disruptive force. He is the real deal and there’s not a lot of weaknesses in his game. He embarrasses offensive lineman.”
The former Sun Devil Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and seven-year NFL safety applauded the work of defensive coordinator/associate head coach Paul Randolph putting his players in positions to have success and applying pressure in the pocket, spear-headed by the efforts of Sutton, Carl Bradford, Chris Young and others on an experienced ASU defense.
He’s anxious to see how the Devils handle the heightened expectations, something they’ve struggled with over the past several years. ASU has tough road out the gate with games against Wisconsin, USC, Stanford and Notre Dame in the front half of the schedule.
“The stretch they have is one of the toughest in college football, let alone for a program trying to break through and get over the hump. We’re going to have a chance to see ASU on a big stage…I look forward to seeing them.”
The Sun Devils open their season hosting Sacramento State on September 5th.
