Talk About The Devils Podcast Sitdown Series
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TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — It’s one of those “Where were you when” moments for any Sun Devil.
The Jael Mary is one of the most iconic plays in Arizona state history, but it was just one of many great moments for the play’s namesake, Jaelen Strong. He went from a junior college transfer to one of the most productive players in school history. His future was bright…but injuries and a few lessons in humility cut his NFL career short. There were tough times, but Jaelen fought, grew and healed, both physically and mentally. Since then, he has become a strong advocate for the importance of mental health, something that is so often overlooked in sport or viewed as a weakness rather than a strength. He also mentored and coached the next generation of receivers here in the Valley, passing on his on-court techniques and hard-earned off-court life lessons. And yet, as one of the best players ASU has seen in recent years, the relationship between him and the program is…basically non-existent, which echoes what I’ve heard from a few other notable former players.
In this episode, Jaelen and I look back on his incredible ASU career, the hard truths and painful lessons of his time in the NFL, why mentorship is important, the critical importance of mental health, the status of his relationship with ASU, what he’d like to see from his alma mater towards former players, and much more.
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Recent episodes of the Sitdown series
Defensive back Jordan Clark: Jordan and I discuss a turbulent offseason, how the secondary stacks up after losing four starters, breakout players to watch, his growth as a Sun Devil, growing chip of the team on his shoulder, and much more.
Linebackers coach Chris Claiborne: The former All-American breaks down his roster’s key players, recruiting at NIL’s age, his development as a young coach and more.
Offensive Line Coach Mike Cavanaugh: We discuss positional battles, trench technique, recruiting linemen, breakout players and much more.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Joe Connolly: Connolly discusses the team’s gains this offseason, how leadership is forged in the weight room, the athlete development process, the latest trends and new frontiers in sports science, and much more.
Wide Receivers coach Bobby Wade: Wade discusses lessons from the past year, dealing with departures, breakout candidates, building relationships with a new quarterback, beating his alma mater (again) and more Moreover.
Running backs coach Shaun Aguano: He discusses the 2022 backline stable, their roles in the new attack, the pressure to help a developing passing game, how NIL and the Portal have changed coaching, strengthening local recruiting, how he evolved as a coach, and much more.
Athletic Director Ray Anderson: In this episode, Anderson dives deep into ASU’s NIL strategy, the status of the NCAA investigation, key wins over Arizona, critical Pac-12 and NCAA issues, the next major changes in college sports and much more.
Defensive Line Coach Robert Rodriguez: We discuss his lineman squad, how NIL and the Portal changed coaching, recruiting, his evolution as a coach, and more.
Defensive Coordinator Donnie Henderson: We discuss Edwards’ new tenure as DC, why he returned, regimen changes, returning and new personnel, spring training goals, and more.
Offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas: We discuss why he took the job, outline, philosophy, play calls, QBs, revitalizing the passing game and much more.
Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Fletcher: We discuss his coaching journey, influences and philosophies, DB play in an offensive era, Devils DB of 2022 and much more.
Head Coach Herm Edwards: We dive into the issues of the 2021 season, his staff turnover, recruiting issues, the evolution of the 2022 team, the impact of the NCAA investigation on the program and his legacy, and much more.
Defensive Lineman BJ Green: The leader-turned-bag leader discusses his impressive freshman year, why he passed up scholarship offers to roam around the country, robotics, and more.
Inside Sun Devil Sports Medicine: Dr. Anikar Chhabra and Dr. Joanne Vogel give you insight into the holistic approach ASU takes to the well-being and recovery of its student-athletes.
Charli Turner Thorne, Women’s Basketball Head Coach: On the eve of her 25th season at the helm, CTT discusses her motivations, lessons from the COVID year, importance of mental health, exciting new players and experienced revenants, expectations and much more.
Assistant basketball coach Joel Justus: ASU’s new coach talks about his time in Kentucky, learning from John Calipari, coaching with Bobby Hurley and more.
Guard Marreon Jackson: The reigning MAC Player of the Year talks about his road to Tempe, his better life through hoops, and more.
Forward Kimani Lawrence: The veteran explains why he came back, the value of loyalty, being a positive role model, what went wrong last year, the influx of new talent and much more.
Hall of Famer DB Mike Haynes: Haynes discusses his unlikely road to ASU, tough love for Frank Kush, the desire he had to play WR, his favorite memories as Sun Devil, his job today helping the players get out of the game, raise awareness about healthy living, and more.
Hall of Fame Safety David Fulcher: The legend talks about his illustrious Sun Devil career, what his Hall of Fame entry means, his charity work, his time with the Bengals, his views on Herm Edwards and the current Sun Devils, and more. .
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