Cover photo by @EverythingASU

ASU at Colorado: Saturday, October 15, 5:00pm PT Kickoff

Sun Devil Football (5-1, 2-1) opens Part 2 of the 2016 season on Saturday against the surging Colorado Buffalos (4-2, 2-1).

The topic at the forefront of most ASU fan’s minds is the team’s status at quarterback.

Starting sophomore QB Manny Wilkins was injured in the first half of ASU’s loss to USC two weeks ago. Redshirt freshman signal caller, Brady White, was then called up to fill Manny’s spot in Los Angeles. White stayed on duty up until roughly six minutes remaining in last Saturday’s victory over UCLA when he sustained a season-ending leg injury.

Enter newcomer, freshman QB Dillon Sterling-Cole. Coach Todd Graham and staff decided to insert Sterling-Cole once White went down last week. He only took two snaps before the Devils drained the clock and secured the victory. (Note: ASU can still assign a redshirt to Sterling-Cole in a subsequent season).

Any wide receiver catching a ball from this guy this week may be feeling a tingle!@PassDMC = ?? pic.twitter.com/0IjVfuvNBK

— Sun Devil Football (@FootballASU) August 4, 2016

Sterling-Cole is credited with a big arm and received high grades for his accuracy and pocket presence as a High School prospect. Below is a summary of his recruiting rankings:

1. 

   ASU QB Dillon Sterling-Cole

   Rated as a 4-star recruit by multiple major publications

2. Ranked as the No. 267 player in the nation, receiving All-American honors from PrepStar
3. Listed as the No. 345 overall prospect and No. 13 pro-style quarterback in the country by 24/7
4. Rated by Scout as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback prospect in Texas and No. 16 pro-style passer in the country
5. Ranked as the No. 205 player in the ESPN 300 and No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the country
6. Considered the No. 17 pro-style quarterback prospect by Rivals

Having landed in Tempe less than three months ago, Dillon Sterling-Cole turned just 19 yesterday. Now here he is, ready to lead his new team on the biggest stage. #ForksUp

Happy birthday bro, have a good one and be safe over there in Arizona fam! ? @PassDMC pic.twitter.com/wjkaHZVzfa

— Jay (@Jayvilla_96) October 14, 2016

DieHard Bonus

Sterling-Cole’s HS highlights below explain why he was ASU’s top quarterback target in the 2016 Class. 

Including ASU, Dillon’s primary suitors were Texas A&M and Florida. He also reported offers from UCLA, Houston, Oklahoma State, Utah, Boise State, and Mississippi State. He verbally committed to Arizona State on July 28, 2015.

Cool Recruiting Note

When he was hired in December, new ASU Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey made one stop on his flight to Tempe. That was to Dillon Sterling Cole’s home in Texas to make sure the young gun remained firmly on board with his commitment to ASU.

At the time, other programs were making a late push to flip him once prior Sun Devil OC Mike Norvell had left to become the head coach at Memphis.