Andrew Walter is finally living the dream that he always wanted to live: Playing quarterback for the team he watched as a kid and for the school where his parents first met.
So why would he be in a hurry to leave?
After shattering a school record by passing for 3,877 yards - despite starting just 10 games last season as a sophomore - Walter has heard countless questions of whether he would bypass his senior year after the 2003 season and move on to the NFL. After an interview before Tuesday's practice, it appears the junior from Grand Junction, Colo., is not going anywhere until his eligibility expires.
"As far as I'm concerned I've got two years left," Walter said. "I love college. I don't have a mortgage. I don't have a car payment. I don't pay taxes on a 9-to-5. I don't have all those things that regular people have. I'm in college. I take tests, and I worry about studying for class, so how easy and fun is that?"
Walter said, to him nothing beats college football.
"I wouldn't want anything more than to have another year, which I get," he added. "The next level is the next level. It's a profession and it's a job, and as long as I can play and have it be fun, I would love to do it."
After a pair of former teammates, defensive end Terrell Suggs and wide receiver Shaun McDonald, declared early for the NFL draft following All-American seasons last year, many assumed Walter would do the same if his performance this season at all resembled the numbers he put up in 2002.
"Somebody asked me my plans after college and I kind of ho-hummed around it because I don't like talking about what I do in class," Walter said. "I heard some snickers and stuff like they knew what I was going to do, but nobody really knows, I guess."
With the issue of the NFL out of his mind, Walter has set his sights on leading the Sun Devils, who retain 16 starters from a team that finished 8-6 last season, to a Rose Bowl. Yet he never keeps far from his mind where he was just one year ago.
The same guy
These days it seems everyone is vying for Walter's time. When he travels around campus, he is greeted by well-wishers, stopped by students for autographs and asked about the upcoming season and his future.
Then there are the interview requests. He's already been featured in "The Sporting News," The Denver Post, ESPN.com and USA Today. Walter has also received mention in the Heisman Trophy watch lists of some major publications - "Sports Illustrated" ranked him as the fourth most likely player to win the award.
"[The attention] is cool as long as I don't get caught up in it," Walter said. "It's only overwhelming if you let it get to that point. I try to take things with a grain of salt."
No player in team history has been as highly touted as Walter going into a season - not even Sun Devil greats such as Danny White and Jake Plummer, both of whom Walter passed up in the record books last season. But then again, few at ASU have come out of nowhere the way Walter has.
Going into the season opener last year, head coach Dirk Koetter didn't even think Walter was the best quarterback on his team, let alone one of the best in the nation, after freshman Chad Christensen won the starting job to start 2002.
"I've been pretty humble, the same person throughout it all because I know where I came from, which was a backup," Walter said. "I was second string, and nobody knew my name. I was not doing interviews; there were no expectations for me."
While the spotlight shines brightly on him now, Walter vividly remembers a time when people on campus wouldn't associate his 6-foot-5-inch frame with ASU football unless he came out and told them, particularly during a redshirt year in 2000 and while riding the bench in 2001.
"I remember I was actually named starter for one week [in 2001], and I was talking to somebody about the team, and they said something about the [starting quarterback]," Walter said. "I just let them keep talking, but they weren't talking about me. It was a far cry from where we are now."
Keeping clean
While Walter has made all attempts to maintain his modesty and not get a swelled head amidst the publicity, he has also made himself aware of the negative things that can come with the fame - namely living life in the fast lane.
Walter has witnessed firsthand how mistakes off the football field can be costly. When he arrived in Tempe in the fall of 2000, the quarterback position was in shambles, largely because the starter at the time, Ryan Kealy, was arrested for a DUI prior to his senior season. Kealy had been the starter since his freshman season and gained a reputation for leading a wild nightlife.
"To me, it's far more important to be known as a good guy and somebody who has their head on straight," Walter said. "Not somebody É that is going to be doing stupid things when they go out."
Walter turned 21 on May 11, so he can drink alcohol and go to bars. But Walter said he would just as soon watch a movie or play video games instead of going out. Walter said he especially enjoys playing EA Sports' NCAA 2004, which ranks him as the second best quarterback in the game.
"I'm a 94 [rating] on that game, so I can go out and smoke people, or try to anyway," Walter said.
Walter's positive attitude and commitment to the team have not gone unnoticed by those around him, and especially not by Koetter.
"I couldn't ask for a better representative of our program," Koetter said. "How he handles himself every day in front of the team, in front of boosters, in front of the media, in the weight room, film study on his own, bringing in players with him to do it, work ethic, loyalty and as a student. He's got the whole field."
High expectations
Even though Walter owns nearly every passing record the school has ever known, he realizes that his legacy at ASU will be judged on how far he can take the Sun Devils.
Over the summer, Walter chatted with Jeff Van Raaphorst and Plummer, the two quarterbacks who took ASU to its only Rose Bowl appearances in 1987 and 1997, respectively. He said the meetings gave him an indication of what to expect when the pressure is on.
"The people that looked toward ASU football looked at them," Walter said. "It was real good just to talk to somebody who has been there."
Fans are quick to assume that Walter will pass up the record-setting numbers this season that he threw for in 2002. But both player and coach agree Walter's success will be judged by how successful the team is, not on personal statistics.
"I hear this a lot: 'Do you think Andrew can have a better year than last year?'" Koetter said. "Absolutely. But I do not measure his better year by any numbers other than how many wins we have. The likelihood that Andrew will pass for 4,000 yards is extremely low in my opinion."
Koetter added, as well as Walter played last season, it was his first year as a starter. He said a year of experience will work strongly in Walter's favor.
"We will see a big jump in Andrew's play because of all the little things that you learn the second time through that you didn't know the first time," Koetter said. "Coming out of his sophomore year, he's the furthest along of any quarterback I've ever coached - and I've coached some good ones. So I think Andrew's best football is ahead of him."
Reach the reporter at christopher.drexel@asu.edu.
