TEMPE – The Pac-12 All-Conference team were released on Tuesday with ten Sun Devils being honored for their efforts in the 2017 campaign, league officials announced today.
Sophomore wide receiver N'Keal Harry earned First Team honors after being being an Honorable Mention selection as a freshman in 2016. Junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker earned Second Team accolades for the second consecutive season while freshman defensive back Chase Lucas was also a Second Team selection. Additionally, DB Chad Adams, LB DJ Calhoun, OL Sam Jones, RB Demario Richard, LB Christian Sam, DL Tashon Smallwood and QB Manny Wilkins earned Honorable Mention nods this season.
With Tuesday's announcement, the Sun Devils now have 422 All-Pac-12 selections in program history. The 10 selections were tied for fourth in the conference this season behind USC, Washington and Stanford.
At 1,000 yards thus far this season, Harry is second in the conference and 16th nationally en route to Pac-12 All-Conference honors. With 73 catches this season, Harry is seventh in receptions in Sun Devil single-season history. The single season record is 87 by Shaun McDonald in 2002.
Harry has proved himself as a valuable possession receiver as well and has 69 receptions on 103 targets this season - both totals good for first in the Pac-12 this season and 13th and 18th nationally on the year. The sophomore has appeared in all 24 games at Arizona State - starting 23 of those - and has a catch in all 24 games. He is the only true sophomore in the country to have a catch in the first 24 games of their career.
Harry led a receiving corps that was the 30th-highest graded group in the country this season according to PFF.
Wicker came on strong during the second half of the season, finishing third among 3-4 defensive ends with 37 pressures this season while also sitting 20th among all ends with a 5.9 run-stop percentage. Wicker finished sixth on the team with 39 total tackles, matching his career high from last season with the Sun Bowl still remaining to play. His 12.0 tackles for loss were a career best and were tied for sixth in the Pac-12 Conference.
Lucas earned Second Team honors at defensive back after an incredible freshman campaign in 2017, despite never playing a single snap at Division I cornerback in his career prior to this season and not playing as a day-to-day player at the position in high school.
He has allowed just 40 catches despite being targeted 78 times this season (second among Pac-12 corners) for a menial completion percentage while allowing an NFL QBR of 72.4 with two interceptions and six passes defensed.
Despite being targeted more than any of the 23 Pac-12 corners that have played at least 60 percent of snaps this season (once every 4.6 passing plays), Lucas has allowed the fifth-lowest completion percentage of any corner in the conference – regardless of year.
Chad Adams wrapped up his career as a daily starter at safety this season, and earned the Darren Woodson Outstanding Secondary Award at the team's annual awards banquet. Adams was fourth on the team with 64 tackles - a career best -including a career-high 13 tackles on Senior Day to help the Sun Devils reclaim the Territorial Cup against Arizona.
D.J. Calhoun earned All-Conference honors for the second time in his career and first time since his freshman season. He was fourth in the Pac-12 in averaging 5.1 solo tackles per game and seventh with 7.8 tackles per game following the regular season.
Calhoun is one of just nine inside linebackers in the country this season to miss two or fewer tackles on the year on 830 total snaps this season.He has missed one tackle on a running play and one tackle on a passing play, good for a 49.5 tackle efficiency rating from Pro Football Focus that ranks third among all inside linebabackers. The remarkable turnaround comes after Calhoun was eighth in the FBS among all inside linebackers for most missed tackles last season with 18.
Sam Jones started every game for the Sun Devils this season and helped pace the offensive line to an impressive turnaround in the running game this year. ASU had the 34th-best run-blocking game this season as graded by Pro Football Focus after finishing 39th last season.
Jones led the charge and finished as the only guard in the Pac-12 to not give up a sack or a quarterback hit this season. He is was 24th nationally among guards with a 98.5 pass blocking efficiency rating according to Pro Football Focus – third among Pac-12 guards.
Demario Richard led all Pac-12 running backs with 598 rushing yards in November (149.50 yards per game) - good for fourth nationally, as were his seven touchdown runs during the month.
Richard became the fifth running back in school history to surpass the 3000-yard career rushing mark, doing so against Arizona. At 3,152 career yards, he is second in the Pac-10/12 era in ASU history and needs 147 yards in the bowl game to become ASU's leading rusher all time in the era (J.R. Redmond at 3,299).
Richard recorded his 13th career 100-yard rushing game this season, becoming the first Sun Devil in the Pac-10/12 era to reach 13 such games. He is now in sole possession of fifth place in school history with his 13 100-yard rushing games.
Richard has a touchdown rush in nine of his last 11 games and has 33 touchdowns overall in his career (rushing and receiving) - good for eighth in Sun Devil football history.
With 23 more yards, Richard would become the first Sun Devil with multiple 1,000-yard seasons since Freddie Williams in 1974-75 and thus the first Sun Devil in the Pac-12 era to do so. In fact, he'd be one of just three players ever to accomplish the feat, with only Woody Green joining he and Williams on the list.
Sam reached double-digit tackles in seven consecutive games prior to the UCLA contest, more than any other Sun Devil had accomplished since AT LEAST 2000 - let alone in consecutive games. He has nine total games this season with double-digit tackles. Over the last three years, there have been 34 instances of a Sun Devil reaching double digit tackles. Sam is responsible for 13 of those while 11 other players combined for the other 21.
His 127 total tackles are third among Power Five linebackers while his 87 solo tackles are second in the country. The 87 solo tackles are tied for fourth in ASU history and the most since Adam Archuleta had 93 in 2000.
Christian Sam is finished the regular season ranked second in the nation and first in the Pac-12 with 7.3 solo tackles per game. He is 7th nationally and first in the conference in averaging 10.6 tackles per game.
Tashon Smallwood is seventh nationally among all FBS defensive tackles with 32 quarterback pressures this season. Smallwood logged a career best 4.0 tackles for loss with two sacks against NMSU, becoming the first Sun Devil to have 4.0+ tackles for loss since Antonio Longino against Arizona in 2015.
Manny Wilkins established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in a loaded Pac-12 Conference this season and was easily one of the most improved players, regardless of position, in the league. Behind Wilkins, ASU psoted the 10th highest-graded passing attack this season, according to Pro Football Focus, improving 76 positions from its 86th-place rating last season – the third highest swing among FBS teams this season.
Wilkins needs just 82 more passing yards to become only the ninth Sun Devil in history to reach 3,000 passing yards in a season. Wilkins, who earned Pac-12 All-Conference honors this season, is under 100 yards from moving into ASU's all-time Top-10 in career passing yards. Wilkins finished the regular season with 2,918 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for six more.
One of the most accurate passers in the nation and in the history of Sun Devil football, Wilkins broke the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 192 dating back to last season before his first quarter interception against Stanford, breaking Rudy Carpenter's previous school record of 149 from the end of 2005 to 2006.
Wilkins has just five interceptions this season (three of which have come on tipped balls). This number is notable as only one other time in the Pac-12 era has a quarterback had 5 or fewer interceptions in a season where they started over 75 percent of the games (Taylor Kelly with 5 on 278 attempts in 2014, missed three games). In fact, outside of Kelly, no quarterback in Sun Devil history with at least 275 attempts in a season had fewer than seven interceptions (Wilkins is currently at 370).
Wilkins has shown what he can do in a clean pocket this season, ranked 12th nationally with a 70.8 completion percentage when there's been no pressure this season - good for second in the Pac-12.
Sophomore wide receiver N'Keal Harry earned First Team honors after being being an Honorable Mention selection as a freshman in 2016. Junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker earned Second Team accolades for the second consecutive season while freshman defensive back Chase Lucas was also a Second Team selection. Additionally, DB Chad Adams, LB DJ Calhoun, OL Sam Jones, RB Demario Richard, LB Christian Sam, DL Tashon Smallwood and QB Manny Wilkins earned Honorable Mention nods this season.
With Tuesday's announcement, the Sun Devils now have 422 All-Pac-12 selections in program history. The 10 selections were tied for fourth in the conference this season behind USC, Washington and Stanford.
At 1,000 yards thus far this season, Harry is second in the conference and 16th nationally en route to Pac-12 All-Conference honors. With 73 catches this season, Harry is seventh in receptions in Sun Devil single-season history. The single season record is 87 by Shaun McDonald in 2002.
Harry has proved himself as a valuable possession receiver as well and has 69 receptions on 103 targets this season - both totals good for first in the Pac-12 this season and 13th and 18th nationally on the year. The sophomore has appeared in all 24 games at Arizona State - starting 23 of those - and has a catch in all 24 games. He is the only true sophomore in the country to have a catch in the first 24 games of their career.
Harry led a receiving corps that was the 30th-highest graded group in the country this season according to PFF.
Wicker came on strong during the second half of the season, finishing third among 3-4 defensive ends with 37 pressures this season while also sitting 20th among all ends with a 5.9 run-stop percentage. Wicker finished sixth on the team with 39 total tackles, matching his career high from last season with the Sun Bowl still remaining to play. His 12.0 tackles for loss were a career best and were tied for sixth in the Pac-12 Conference.
Lucas earned Second Team honors at defensive back after an incredible freshman campaign in 2017, despite never playing a single snap at Division I cornerback in his career prior to this season and not playing as a day-to-day player at the position in high school.
He has allowed just 40 catches despite being targeted 78 times this season (second among Pac-12 corners) for a menial completion percentage while allowing an NFL QBR of 72.4 with two interceptions and six passes defensed.
Despite being targeted more than any of the 23 Pac-12 corners that have played at least 60 percent of snaps this season (once every 4.6 passing plays), Lucas has allowed the fifth-lowest completion percentage of any corner in the conference – regardless of year.
Chad Adams wrapped up his career as a daily starter at safety this season, and earned the Darren Woodson Outstanding Secondary Award at the team's annual awards banquet. Adams was fourth on the team with 64 tackles - a career best -including a career-high 13 tackles on Senior Day to help the Sun Devils reclaim the Territorial Cup against Arizona.
D.J. Calhoun earned All-Conference honors for the second time in his career and first time since his freshman season. He was fourth in the Pac-12 in averaging 5.1 solo tackles per game and seventh with 7.8 tackles per game following the regular season.
Calhoun is one of just nine inside linebackers in the country this season to miss two or fewer tackles on the year on 830 total snaps this season.He has missed one tackle on a running play and one tackle on a passing play, good for a 49.5 tackle efficiency rating from Pro Football Focus that ranks third among all inside linebabackers. The remarkable turnaround comes after Calhoun was eighth in the FBS among all inside linebackers for most missed tackles last season with 18.
Sam Jones started every game for the Sun Devils this season and helped pace the offensive line to an impressive turnaround in the running game this year. ASU had the 34th-best run-blocking game this season as graded by Pro Football Focus after finishing 39th last season.
Jones led the charge and finished as the only guard in the Pac-12 to not give up a sack or a quarterback hit this season. He is was 24th nationally among guards with a 98.5 pass blocking efficiency rating according to Pro Football Focus – third among Pac-12 guards.
Demario Richard led all Pac-12 running backs with 598 rushing yards in November (149.50 yards per game) - good for fourth nationally, as were his seven touchdown runs during the month.
Richard became the fifth running back in school history to surpass the 3000-yard career rushing mark, doing so against Arizona. At 3,152 career yards, he is second in the Pac-10/12 era in ASU history and needs 147 yards in the bowl game to become ASU's leading rusher all time in the era (J.R. Redmond at 3,299).
Richard recorded his 13th career 100-yard rushing game this season, becoming the first Sun Devil in the Pac-10/12 era to reach 13 such games. He is now in sole possession of fifth place in school history with his 13 100-yard rushing games.
Richard has a touchdown rush in nine of his last 11 games and has 33 touchdowns overall in his career (rushing and receiving) - good for eighth in Sun Devil football history.
With 23 more yards, Richard would become the first Sun Devil with multiple 1,000-yard seasons since Freddie Williams in 1974-75 and thus the first Sun Devil in the Pac-12 era to do so. In fact, he'd be one of just three players ever to accomplish the feat, with only Woody Green joining he and Williams on the list.
Sam reached double-digit tackles in seven consecutive games prior to the UCLA contest, more than any other Sun Devil had accomplished since AT LEAST 2000 - let alone in consecutive games. He has nine total games this season with double-digit tackles. Over the last three years, there have been 34 instances of a Sun Devil reaching double digit tackles. Sam is responsible for 13 of those while 11 other players combined for the other 21.
His 127 total tackles are third among Power Five linebackers while his 87 solo tackles are second in the country. The 87 solo tackles are tied for fourth in ASU history and the most since Adam Archuleta had 93 in 2000.
Christian Sam is finished the regular season ranked second in the nation and first in the Pac-12 with 7.3 solo tackles per game. He is 7th nationally and first in the conference in averaging 10.6 tackles per game.
Tashon Smallwood is seventh nationally among all FBS defensive tackles with 32 quarterback pressures this season. Smallwood logged a career best 4.0 tackles for loss with two sacks against NMSU, becoming the first Sun Devil to have 4.0+ tackles for loss since Antonio Longino against Arizona in 2015.
Manny Wilkins established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in a loaded Pac-12 Conference this season and was easily one of the most improved players, regardless of position, in the league. Behind Wilkins, ASU psoted the 10th highest-graded passing attack this season, according to Pro Football Focus, improving 76 positions from its 86th-place rating last season – the third highest swing among FBS teams this season.
Wilkins needs just 82 more passing yards to become only the ninth Sun Devil in history to reach 3,000 passing yards in a season. Wilkins, who earned Pac-12 All-Conference honors this season, is under 100 yards from moving into ASU's all-time Top-10 in career passing yards. Wilkins finished the regular season with 2,918 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for six more.
One of the most accurate passers in the nation and in the history of Sun Devil football, Wilkins broke the school record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 192 dating back to last season before his first quarter interception against Stanford, breaking Rudy Carpenter's previous school record of 149 from the end of 2005 to 2006.
Wilkins has just five interceptions this season (three of which have come on tipped balls). This number is notable as only one other time in the Pac-12 era has a quarterback had 5 or fewer interceptions in a season where they started over 75 percent of the games (Taylor Kelly with 5 on 278 attempts in 2014, missed three games). In fact, outside of Kelly, no quarterback in Sun Devil history with at least 275 attempts in a season had fewer than seven interceptions (Wilkins is currently at 370).
Wilkins has shown what he can do in a clean pocket this season, ranked 12th nationally with a 70.8 completion percentage when there's been no pressure this season - good for second in the Pac-12.