Arizona State Football: 5 Most Important Post-Spring Dates

The Arizona State Sun Devils already held their Spring Game on April 21, so it is time to look ahead to how things will break down from here on.

The team still has to figure out its depth situations all around the roster, but most importantly at quarterback where Mike Bercovici, Michael Eubank and Taylor Kelly all continue to battle it out for the starting position.

The summer is just about to get started, so pay attention to these dates as the Sun Devils continue to prepare for the 2012 season.

May 21: Summer Sessions Begin

For those freshmen who decide to get things started early this year, they can apply for summer sessions and get their scholarship and football practices underway.

While it hasn't been said yet if top-recruit and in-state athlete D.J. Foster will be joining the team this summer or fall, one would have to assume he would be excited to join his future teammates as soon as possible.

According to the Arizona Republic's Tyler Killian, Foster is excited to join the team, and figures to fit in immediately, given coach Todd Graham's system.

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Listed as a four-star prospect by recruiting service Rivals.com, Foster chose ASU over California and USC, saying his decision was made in part by the fact that newly-hired coach Todd Graham's offense is similar to what he ran the past three seasons at Saguaro, and he feels that familiarity will help bring him immediate success at the college level.

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It will remain to be seen who will show up starting around this date, but the Sun Devils will get their first look at some of Graham's recruits.

June 1: "Return to Camp T"

June 1 is a huge day for coach Todd Graham's plan to bring back important traditions to the Arizona State Sun Devils football program, as he would like to see the team return to Camp Tontozona this summer.

According to AZCentral.com's Doug Haller, the team is still waiting on some needed funding for the project, which must be met by June 1.

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The campaign, "Return to Camp T," will require fundraising of $150,000 to return to Tontozona this year. If that figure is met by June 1, the Sun Devils would visit from Aug. 14-18, with a scrimmage held Aug.18. (Summer school ends Aug. 14.) If the goal is not met, funds will be applied to returning to Tontozona for the 2013 preseason.

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This situation is still pending on the funding, but if it were to pass, the Sun Devils would be heading up to Payson to get things going away from Tempe.

Graham is clearly trying to move away from the way former head coach Dennis Erickson handled things, making tradition an especially important part of his effort.

Aug. 23: Fall Semester Begins

Aug. 23 is the official day that all incoming Arizona State Sun Devil freshmen will start school if they didn't already join this summer.

Most players will already have reported to camp, and the Sun Devils should have a good idea of who will be red-shirted. 

The team should also have its starting quarterback situation figured out by now, as well as the rest of the depth chart.

As the roster begins to take shape, the team will begin to focus on getting ready to compete for the season, with its first game just seven days away.

Aug. 30/Sept. 1: Opening Game Against NAU

While the date isn't set in stone, the Arizona State Sun Devils will open the Todd Graham era at Sun Devil Stadium against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on either Aug. 30 or Sept. 1.

Many should expect the Sun Devils to walk away with an easy victory in this game, but it will be a true test to see if the team has seen any change with its new coach, as well as how its raw quarterback will do in game action.

There will still be a long season ahead, but getting things started off against NAU at home will allow the Sun Devils to figure things out before heading into games with Illinois, Missouri and Utah the following three weeks.

Nov. 23: Last Game of the Season at Arizona Wildcats

After falling 31-27 at home, the Arizona State Sun Devils have had their game against the Arizona Wildcats circled, no matter where it were to land.

To no one's surprise the game is the last of the season, and will essentially be the Sun Devils championship game.

While one can hope that the team will have a great season, it will be difficult to imagine the Sun Devils turning everything around so quickly after their collapse last season. Then again, they did start out last year hot, so they could potentially see strides of a similar performance.

Either way, the team must come away with a win in Tucson after losing on its home turf a season ago.

Coach Todd Graham obviously has huge aspirations as new the new head coach, but he knows nothing is more important than taking down the Wildcats.