The 2017 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in the

2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017. The regular season began on August 26, 2017, and end ...

. The Sun Devils were led by sixth-year head coach Todd Graham and played their home games at

Sun Devil Stadium Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU). It is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Big 12 Conference. The stadium o ...

. They competed as a member of the South Division of the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

. They finished the season 7–6, 6–3 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place in the South Division. They were invited to the

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

where they lost to NC State. On November 26, one day after the conclusion of the regular season, Graham and Arizona State agreed to part ways. He continued to coach the team through their bowl game.

Preseason

Coaching changes

Arizona State hired

Phil Bennett Philip Bennett (24 October 1948 – 12 June 2022) was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken ...

as defensive coordinator on January 11, 2017. Bennett was previously the defensive coordinator at

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

. He replaced Keith Patterson, who remained on the staff as linebackers coach. Arizona State hired Billy Napier as offensive coordinator on January 28, 2017. Napier was previously the receivers coach at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. He replaced Chip Lindsey, who left to become the offensive coordinator at

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

Recruiting class

Incoming transfers

Arizona State had one incoming transfer. Quarterback Blake Barnett transferred from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Barnett was eligible to play the entire 2017 season at Arizona State following an appeal to the NCAA.

Offseason departures

Arizona State lost 18 players in the 2016 offseason, 13 due to graduation and 5 due to transferring or injuries.

Schedule

Arizona State announced their 2017 football schedule on January 18, 2017. In non-conference play, the Sun Devils played former

Border Conference The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 school year. Centered in the southwestern Unite ...

rivals New Mexico State and Texas Tech, as well as San Diego State. In Pac-12 conference play, they played all conference members except cross-divisional foes

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Source
2017 Arizona State Sun Devils Football Schedule

Game summaries

vs New Mexico State

vs San Diego State

at Texas Tech

vs No. 24 Oregon

at Stanford

vs No. 5 Washington

at Utah

vs No. 21 USC

vs Colorado

at UCLA

at Oregon State

vs Arizona

vs No. 24 NC State (
Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...
)

NC State running back Nyheim Hines was named MVP.

Personnel

Final roster

Coaching staff

Players in the 2018 NFL draft

The Sun Devils had three players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

References

{{Arizona State Sun Devils football navbox Arizona State Arizona State Sun Devils football seasons Arizona State Sun Devils football