Arizona State’s season may have ended badly, with losses to Stanford in the conference title game and Texas Tech in the bowl game. Still it’s hard to take away from a team that wins 10 games in a tough conference. The Sun Devils had an explosive offense last season blowing away many opponents, but the defense struggled at times, in part because they had a number of younger players high on the depth chart. This year, expect those players to grow up some more.
After taking a redshirt in 2012, Salamo Fiso started most of the season at strongside linebacker – depending on the defensive system – and acclimated himself very well. Fiso made 71 tackles, 5.5 for loss, with three sacks, and improved over the course of the season. At 6 foot 1, 235 pounds with good speed, Fiso has the tools to be a factor on every down, and his sideline-to-sideline range and aggressive tackling will put him in the position to make big plays. Most importantly, he has a great motor, something a rebuilt ASU defense will need this year. With stars like Carl Bradford and Will Sutton gone, Fiso will be expected to provide leadership, even though he’s just a sophomore.
Campus Sports recently caught up with star Sun Devil’s Linebacker Salamo Fiso. He was very honest about himself and his fellow Sun Devil teammates, and when asked about the team’s aspirations, he did not hold back.
“Our goal is to win the National Championship. That’s got to be the goal. We have got a great squad and if we believe that and work towards that we can achieve it.”
Fiso spoke highly of his training camp experience and is looking forward to their season opener this Thursday at home versus Weber State.
“All the students are back on campus, I am expecting a great atmosphere for that game… I can’t wait for the season to start,” he said.
Last year, Fiso recorded 71 tackles in 10 starts, while playing in all 14 games as a red-shirt freshman, when asked if he expected to contribute so much, early on he was rather candid.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t expect to start so early on. I knew I had a chance to play and help contribute but was not expecting to start so early on.”
Fiso plans to be a major part of this Sun Devil defense this year and while he can cover both the ground and passing game well, he says he loves to stuff the run most.
Look for a big second campaign from talented backer.
Thursday’s game versus Weber State is at 10:30 (EST) and can be seen on PAC 12 Networks.
*Photo credits to Associated Press
