Filling Sun Devil Stadium is a necessary step for ASU's growth

This story was originally published on May 14, 2016.

From his Arizona State office, coach Todd Graham can hear the sounds of construction. From his desk, he can look out the window and see the early phases of the Sun Devil Stadium face lift.

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When it comes to football, Graham is not a patient man, but when it comes to this, he sees the bigger picture. And in his mind, it's as big as you can imagine.

Since his arrival in the winter of 2011, ASU football has improved. The trajectory hasn't been like that of a rocket fired toward the heavens. Instead, Graham moves his hand like an airplane lifting off from nearby Sky Harbor. It's been gradual, a few steps at a time.

Two keys to the future: Winning a Pac-12 championship. And to their credit, the Sun Devils have positioned themselves to do so the last two seasons.

"And then the next for step for us is to fill this stadium and fill it every week,'' Graham said.

Last season, ASU averaged 57,719 fans at home games, a 9 percent decrease from the 2013 season. Although ASU's decision to remove the upper deck in the north end zone contributed significantly to this, there's room to grow.

With nine defensive starters returning, as well as quarterback Mike Bercovici, ASU this season is again expected to contend in the Pac-12. The home schedule – with USC, Oregon and rival Arizona – is great, but the building itself will be in transition. The rebuilding of Sun Devil Stadium – a $256 million project – will be spread over three years, with completion not expected until the start of the 2017 season.

Graham preaches patience.

"I know that it's uncomfortable for people that we're phasing it over a couple years, but in 2017, to kick off that season we're going to have a brand new stadium and a brand new football complex that's going to be state of the art," Graham said.

There's also this, a reason ASU will continue to play at Sun Devil Stadium throughout the process: "I'm 12-1 in that stadium in the regular season the past two seasons. I did not want to move out."

In the end, Graham hopes for a perfect storm. That is, while the stadium construction continues each offseason, his football team wins a Pac-12 championship, climbing into the national-title picture. Then, just as the excitement starts to peak, Sun Devil Stadium and the student-athletic building open, taking it to a higher level.

"I can't wait for you to go through that new facility," he said of the building that will sit at the stadium's north end. "No one will have a better commitment and a better facility to do what we do. It will be high tech. Oregon sets the bar right now with facilities. They won't have a better facility than we will. We're not building moats and crap like that, but it will fit us. It will make a bold statement that, yes, we are committed to building a top-five program in the nation."

Tough opener

Graham has made it clear: He does not fear a tough schedule. In fact, he says playing nonconference games against Wisconsin and Notre Dame were among the chief reasons ASU won the Pac-12 South in 2013.

Even so, this season is different simply because the Sun Devils won't ease into their schedule. They open Sept. 5 against Texas A&M in Houston. It could be their first opener against a ranked opponent since starting against Nebraska in 2002.

"Obviously, there's a lot of reasons why that A&M game is important," Graham said. "It's going against the SEC. It's our first game, nationally televised, against a very good opponent. We go into Texas and recruit, they've come in here and recruited. It ought to be a heck of a game. You get thrown into the fire quickly, but our guys are ready for that. We have a veteran quarterback. We'll be fine."

Extra points

- Former quarterback Taylor Kelly tried out for the Cardinals last week but did not land an immediate contract offer. His future plans are not known, but it sounds as if he'll always have a coaching option. "I can tell you this: I'd take him right now," Graham said.

- Over the past three years, offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball have attracted interest from other schools. In that sense, it might say something about their ASU commitment that both recently purchased houses in the Valley. "If they're buying a house, they must like it here," Graham said. "… Mike has had a lot of people talking to him, but I think he realizes this is a pretty good situation."

- Graham and Norvell meet with coaches in the offseason to exchange ideas. Regulars on the list: Auburn's Gus Malzahn, Fresno State's Tim DeRuyter and SMU's Chad Morris. More recently, an NFL franchise was added. "I really love what the Cardinals are doing," Graham said. "They've invited me to come out and I'll probably go and watch some camps with them. We've exchanged ideas with their defensive coordinator over there and (Norvell) went by and visited with their offensive coordinator the other day."

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.