Sun Devil fans have had a wild ride lately. If you’ve been following the Arizona State athletic department, you know it’s basically been a decade of "hold my beer" moments, ranging from the Herm Edwards NCAA investigation to the absolute earthquake of leaving the Pac-12. It’s a lot. For a long time, ASU felt like a sleeping giant that just wouldn’t wake up, but under the current leadership of Athletics Director Graham Rossini, the alarm clock is finally blaring.
Arizona State isn't just another school in the desert; it's a massive institution with over 140,000 students across all campuses. That scale is a blessing and a curse. You’ve got this incredible potential for a donor base, yet for years, the "innovation" brand championed by University President Michael Crow didn't seem to translate to the football field or the basketball court. Then came the realignment.
The Big 12 Jump and Why it Actually Matters
August 2024 changed everything. When the Pac-12 collapsed like a house of cards, the Arizona State athletic department had to move fast. Joining the Big 12 wasn't just about finding a home; it was about survival. The revenue gap between the "Power Two" (Big Ten and SEC) and everyone else is widening, and the Big 12 is the scrappy middle ground where ASU thinks it can actually win.
Honestly, the Pac-12 felt elitist and slow. The Big 12? It’s a basketball powerhouse and a chaotic football conference. It fits the ASU vibe.
Think about the travel. Instead of heading to Seattle or the Bay Area, the Sun Devils are now flying to Morgantown and Orlando. It’s a logistical nightmare for the Olympic sports—think volleyball or softball—but the television money from the Big 12’s deal with ESPN and FOX is the only thing keeping the lights on in Tempe right now. Without that $30 million-plus annual payout, the department would be underwater.
The NIL Elephant in the Room
You can’t talk about college sports in 2026 without mentioning NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). For a while, ASU was lagging. They were way behind. While schools like Oregon and Tennessee were building massive war chests, ASU was still trying to figure out how to keep their best players from entering the transfer portal.
The Sun Angel Collective has stepped up, but it’s still an uphill battle.
Business leaders in Phoenix are finally starting to realize that a winning Arizona State athletic department is good for the local economy. When the football team is good, Mill Avenue is packed. When they lose, the energy just dies. It’s that simple. Rossini, who has a deep background in both ASU baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks, understands the "business" of sports better than a traditional academic AD might. He knows it’s about ROI.
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The Herm Edwards Hangover and the Dillingham Era
Let’s be real: the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period was a disaster. It cost the program years of progress. It led to a self-imposed bowl ban in 2023 that absolutely gutted the locker room.
But then came Kenny Dillingham.
He’s a local guy. He went to Chaparral High School. He’s young, he’s manic, and he’s obsessed with "The Valley."
Dillingham is the first coach in a long time who seems to actually like being at ASU for reasons other than the weather. He’s trying to build a "fence" around Phoenix to keep the four and five-star recruits from leaving for Ohio State or Alabama. It’s working, slowly. But the Arizona State athletic department has to support him with more than just a paycheck; they need facilities that don't look like they’re from the 1990s.
Mountain Village is the answer to that.
This massive multi-use development project near the football stadium is supposed to turn the athletic district into a 365-day-a-year revenue generator. It’s got hotels, retail, and office space. It’s the "President Crow" way of doing athletics—make it a real estate play so the sports can pay for themselves.
Olympic Sports: The Quiet Success Stories
While football and basketball get the headlines, the Arizona State athletic department is actually a powerhouse in the "smaller" sports.
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- Swimming and Diving: Under Bob Bowman (who coached Michael Phelps), the men’s team won a national title in 2024. It was historic. Even with Bowman leaving for Texas, the culture there is elite.
- Wrestling: Zeke Jones has turned ASU into a consistent top-10 program.
- Golf: It’s Arizona. The golf programs are perennial contenders. Thunderbirds Golf Complex at Papago is one of the best facilities in the country. Period.
- Baseball: The "Basebe Devils" have a legendary history, but they’ve struggled to get back to Omaha recently. The move to Phoenix Municipal Stadium was controversial at first, but it’s grown on people.
The Financial Reality of the New Era
Here is the part most people get wrong: ASU isn't "broke," but they are cash-strapped relative to their ambitions.
The Arizona State athletic department has had to make some hard choices. They’ve cut staff in some areas and consolidated others. The debt service on the Sun Devil Stadium renovations (now Mountain Island Stadium) is a heavy lift.
When you look at the 2025-2026 budget, you see a department trying to balance the books while the "House vs. NCAA" settlement looms. That settlement, which will likely allow schools to share revenue directly with athletes, is going to cost big-time programs roughly $20 million or more per year.
Where does that money come from?
It comes from donors. It comes from ticket sales. It comes from $15 beers at the arena.
If you're a fan, you’ve probably noticed the aggressive push for "Sun Devil Club" memberships. That’s why. The days of relying solely on TV checks are over. The department is now essentially a medium-sized marketing and entertainment firm that happens to support student-athletes.
Changing the Game Day Experience
If you haven't been to Tempe lately, the game day vibe is shifting. They’re trying to make it more "pro-style."
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Rossini and his team are leaning into the "Valley" identity. They want the Arizona State athletic department to be the heartbeat of Phoenix sports, alongside the Suns and the Cardinals. They’re experimenting with better concessions, better WiFi (finally), and more interactive fan zones.
They know they are competing with air conditioning and 70-inch TVs at home.
Moving Forward: What to Watch For
The next two years are the most critical in the history of the Arizona State athletic department.
Success in the Big 12 isn't guaranteed. If the football team can't consistently win 8 or 9 games, the donor interest will wane. If Bobby Hurley can't get the basketball team into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, the "Desert Financial Arena" will stay half-empty.
But there’s a sense of optimism that hasn’t been there in a decade.
The leadership is aligned. Crow, Rossini, and the coaching staff are finally speaking the same language. They aren't pretending to be an Ivy League school or a Southern football factory. They are leaning into being a massive, innovative, slightly chaotic school in one of the fastest-growing cities in America.
Actionable Steps for Sun Devil Fans and Stakeholders
If you want to actually stay informed or get involved with the future of the program, here is what you need to do:
- Monitor the NIL Landscape: Follow the Sun Angel Collective. Even if you don't donate, seeing how they market players tells you everything you need to know about the department’s priorities.
- Watch the Big 12 Revenue Reports: Keep an eye on the conference’s distribution numbers compared to the ACC and the Big Ten. This gap determines whether ASU can afford to keep top-tier coaches.
- Track the Mountain Village Development: This real estate project is the "canary in the coal mine" for the department’s financial health. If construction stalls, be worried. If it thrives, ASU will have a massive leg up on its Big 12 peers.
- Attend Non-Revenue Sports: If you want to see what a winning culture looks like without the drama of football, go to a wrestling match or a softball game. These programs are the bedrock of the department's "Broad-based Excellence" goal.
- Engage with the "Valley" Branding: The shift toward local recruiting and local partnerships is the department's new North Star. Supporting local businesses that partner with ASU actually helps the athletic budget more than most people realize.
The Arizona State athletic department is no longer just a collection of sports teams. It’s a massive enterprise navigating the most volatile era in the history of college athletics. It’s messy, it’s expensive, and it’s occasionally frustrating, but for the first time in a long time, there’s a clear map for where they’re going.