Redshirt defensive tackle Will Sutton, senior cornerback Osahon Irabor and senior safeties Chris Young and Alden Darby show off the backs of their Pat Tillman practice jerseys during Thursday's practice. Coach Todd Graham commended the four seniors with the honorary practice jersey for their leadership on and off the field. (Photo by Justin Janssen)When senior cornerback Osahon Irabor went to his locker before ASU football’s final spring practice, there was something waiting for him.
It was a camouflage No. 42 Pat Tillman jersey.
“It’s definitely a proud moment for me,” Irabor said. “Everything that Pat Tillman stood for. He is Sun Devil football to us. Iconic. To represent this jersey, it means everything to me as a Sun Devil football player.”
Players earn the Tillman jersey by consistently excelling in a variety of areas, football related and non-football related.
“It’s a national champion mentality with the Pat Tillman standard on the field, off the field, in the classroom (and) in the community,” coach Todd Graham said.
With the increased popularity in Pat’s Run which takes place Saturday, Tillman has garnered near-legendary status at ASU. Players bestowed with the jersey have a lot to live up to.
“These people in these jerseys are held to a higher standard,” Graham said. “They’re asking to be held to a higher standard. They’ve worked at the position to be held to a higher standard. … They can’t just be passing class. They’ve got to be excelling in the classroom, and they’ve got to have a service mentality in everything they’re doing.”
Irabor wasn’t the only Sun Devil player donning Tillman’s jersey during Thursday’s practice. In fact, he was one of four players to receive the honor.
“It’s not some fluff either, because you’ve seen the standard last year where one guy one day (wore it),” Graham said.
Last year, only one player, senior safety Alden Darby, earned the honor to wear the jersey during practice. Darby wore it again for the final spring practice of 2013.
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Will Sutton wore the jersey for the third consecutive practice and senior linebacker Chris Young also graced Tillman’s number in Thursday’s practice.
“We’ve tried to create peer pressure in people wanting that jersey,” Graham said. “I think that jersey means a lot to them. Those guys were excited today.”
All the players to earn the honor come from the defensive side of the ball, including two from the secondary.
“It’s not just for defense; it’s for everybody,” Graham said. “It’s not we’re going to put them on the best players. I think Will’s going to finish the semester with a 3.0 (GPA).”
It is one thing for a player to earn the jersey once, but Graham and Irabor stressed the importance of keeping the jersey.
“You’ve got to keep it every day,” Graham said. “If you’re not doing something in any of those phases you’re not going to keep it.”
Graham said ASU would utilize the jerseys as a measuring stick year-round, with players able to earn the jersey in the spring and fall.
“(Secondary) coach (Chris) Ball stressed to us at the end, ‘You’ve got to stay in this jersey now that you have it,’” Irabor said. “You definitely don’t want to let down his (Tillman’s) legacy. This is a jersey that I’m never going to give up.”
Reach the reporter at justin.janssen@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @JJanssen11
