Arizona State Football: 4 Reasons Sun Devils Should Be Optimistic in 2012

Despite limited expectations and a plethora of unknown talent, the Arizona State Sun Devils are going to compete with Southern California for the Pac-12 South title.

With a number of key players departing, a (formerly) successful head coach replaced and a huge letdown of a season in the rear-view mirror, that may not look to be the case on the surface.

However, the Devils are going to come on strong next year.

ASU has plenty to be excited about in looking ahead to the 2012 football season.

New Head Coach Todd Graham

After spending less than a full calendar year with Pittsburgh, Todd Graham decided to take up ASU on the offer to become its new head coach. This is a guy who has now been the head coach of four different schools since 2006, which raises something of a red flag.

However, assuming he is with the Devils for at least a few seasons, Graham will be a much-needed remedy for a program mired in substandard performances.

ASU has a longstanding history of underperforming on the recruiting trail, something Graham will look to change immediately.

The Dennis Erickson era also saw the Sun Devils develop a tradition of undisciplined play and lackadaisical off-field practices.

Graham's teams have historically been among the best in the nation in penalty yards, a marker of disciplined play.

He also has a precedent of elevating teams significantly. In 2006, he took the Rice Owls to their first bowl appearance in 45 years. From '07-'10, he led Tulsa to a 36-17 record, including three 10-win seasons and three bowl appearances.

This is a strong hire for the Devils.

The Running Game

The departure of quarterback Brock Osweiler to the NFL figures to make the Sun Devil offense a run-heavy philosophy, but that shouldn't be a problem.

2011 starting tailback Cameron Marshall returns for what should be a stellar senior year. Last season, Marshall topped 1,000 yards on 4.6 yards per carry. His 18 rushing touchdowns tied a school record.

However, what the Devils will have next year is what they largely lacked last year: a quality tailback with speed.

Marshall relies mostly on power and vision, as his footspeed is fairly average. Kyle Middlebrooks played the change-of-pace role for the Devils in 2011, but his lack of talent limited him to only 42 rushes. He will likely play more often as a receiver in 2012.

Next season, the Devils will employ both Deantre Lewis and freshman D.J. Foster in the backfield. Both backs are extremely fast and capable of eluding tacklers in the open field.

Lewis displayed considerable potential in 2010 before suffering an offseason gunshot wound that kept him from participating in 2011.

Foster is a highly touted back that will be eager to put his talents on display in Tempe, as he will likely step into a far more prominent role in 2013 if he impresses next season.

With the quarterback situation far from ideal, Coach Graham won't be afraid to pound the rock next season. He will have plenty of guys to give it to.

A New Attitude

While this goes along with head coach Todd Graham, it's important enough to warrant its own slide.

Under Dennis Erickson, the Sun Devils became complacent, overconfident and entitled. They played far outside the rules and almost always below expectations.

They were cocky but hadn't done anything to deserve applause.

The biggest disappointment of all, and perhaps the worst offender in these categories, is former Sun Devil Vontaze Burfict.

After an almost shockingly good sophomore campaign, Burfict came into the 2011 season pegged nationally as a preseason All-American and targeted by a number of awards for preseason watch lists.

He flopped on virtually every front.

The once dominant inside linebacker disappeared in nearly every game. He made few plays and even fewer of the highlight-reel plays he had built his name on.

If that weren't bad enough, he took his attitude to the NFL combine, where he threw nearly his entire team and the coaching staff under the bus. He blamed everybody but himself for his disappointing season.

Then he showed NFL scouts his measurables, which were comparable to those of an offensive lineman.

In short, he embarrassed himself and the university he was representing.

After entering the 2011 season as a potential top-10 pick in the NFL draft, and drawing numerous comparisons to NFL-great Ray Lewis, Burfict is now being projected into the third round.

That just emphasizes the problems that occurred on every level during Erickson's tenure.

Graham must change this, and says he will do exactly that.

"Our kids are going to be the hardest-working, best-prepared, most-disciplined team in the country," Graham said.

Can't wait.

Graham's First Recruiting Class

Though Rivals.com ranks it only 38th nationally, Todd Graham's first recruiting class speaks a great deal to his priorities and intentions for the Sun Devils.

Most important of all is that he landed in-state phenom D.J. Foster.

Both he and University of Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez have publicly stated their intentions to change the perception of their schools' in-state recruiting.

Over the years, the best talents in the state of Arizona have bolted for the likes of California and Texas schools, and sprinkled elsewhere, too. Seldom have they stayed to fight for the maroon and gold of ASU or taken their talents to Tucson.

However, with Foster committing to ASU, that could all be changing. Rivals.com ranks Foster as the fifth-best running back nationally and the 71st best player overall.

And he stayed.

He had offers from 16 schools, including USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Auburn and Nebraska.

Yet he chose Arizona State.

So while the class may be 38th nationally this year, the future is bright for ASU recruiting.