ASU football redshirt junior linebacker Salamo Fiso's tenure as captain began long before he was assigned the position Tuesday.
"I'm not surprised at all," sophomore defensive lineman Tashon Smallwood said. "Salamo's been a great leader since I got here, and I already see him as a captain. Him being labeled as one is no surprise. He's always taken that role as a leader even when he wasn't honored as that."
Head coach Todd Graham made the move official on Tuesday, adding Fiso alongside redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici, senior wide receiver D.J. Foster and redshirt senior safety Jordan Simone.
"He's the most respected guy on our defense, in my opinion," Graham said of Fiso. "I know I respect him the most. He's had the most improvement. I think our players really look to him. He's obviously the communicator. ... Our staff just felt like he was deserving of (being named captain)."
Foster said he's learned a lot from the redshirt junior linebacker.
"Salamo is a very interesting person," Foster said. "I've never seen someone make the steps and the strides he has this year. It's unbelievable."
Fiso is the lone third-year starter for the Sun Devils, who have ridden their defense to a 4-2 record, highlighted by a 38-23 upset over No. 7 UCLA.
The former Rivals.com three-star prospect has burst on the scene and is playing at an "All-Pac-12 level" thus far, according to Graham. Thanks in large part to the 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker, the Sun Devils are fourth in the country in tackles for loss (56) and tied for 11th in sacks (19). Fiso is atop the national individual leader board with 45 total tackles.
"To be honest, I don't want to lead the nation in tackles, period," Fiso said. "That's all good, but it doesn't matter if we don't come out there and we don't play. Solo achievement is not what I want, because right now every game is a playoff game for us."
Fiso said having three years of experience as a starter has allowed him to open up his game so far this season.
"It's slower," Fiso said. "It's like when you play a game, it's not going to be slow if you don't prepare. Communicating is key, and I feel like it's good when I'm on the field because I feel like I'm a good communicator."
Fiso has earned a reputation for his intense play, which he says he dedicates to his faith.
"I get it from the man above, my parents, knowing that one day this game can take me somewhere that I never dreamed of," Fiso said. "I can just go all out and win a national championship with my guys, and that's just exciting to know."
Fish's impact this season is perhaps biggest on the younger players, especially those who have seen significant playing time this season.
"(Fiso) brings the energy every day," freshman defensive back Kareem Orr said. "He brings it every day, and I just want to learn to do it like him."
Sophomore linebacker Christian Sam, who worked at Fiso's "Sam" linebacker spot at times this season, said working with him has been crucial to his own development.
"Salamo man, he's great," Sam said. "Playing with him, he's so smart that you learn something. He's been here for so long and you learn so much. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from him."
Redshirt freshman Dasmond Tautalatasi called Fiso his brother and said his leadership style has led to his own improvement on the field.
"Just the way he goes about himself," Tautalatasi said. "He possesses a lot of leadership qualities. I love being around him. Just being around him makes everyone else better overall. On the field, his play has been tremendous."
Tautalatasi said he has been left most impressed by Fiso's selflessness, which has rubbed off on his teammates.
"He didn't even care that he was the leading tackler in NCAA," Tautalatasi said. "We'll be like, 'Hey, Salamo, you know you got the most tackles, right?' He's said, 'Yeah, but that doesn't matter. We just need to get these next wins.'"
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Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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