Following sweltering practices in Tempe, some players are ready to get home, while others continue to focus on not only their game but also their teammates, becoming the leaders that shape ASU football.
Being one of the 11 players that make up the Pat Tillman Leadership Council, senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott has become one of the strongest voices for a locker room that’s winning despite its issues. He's one of the main voices on defense, and the example he sets is one that head coach Kenny Dillingham wants to see more of on his team.
"He's done such a phenomenal job," Dillingham said. "Talk about just an A-plus kid, A-plus player. He is everything you want in a football player that represents Arizona State."
Elliott, a Richmond, Mo. native, committed to New Mexico State out of high school, where he spent two seasons as an Aggie. Elliott's sophomore season was his breakout, leading the defense in total tackles with 111 and tackles for loss with 10. He committed to ASU for the 2024-25 season, beginning his career as a Sun Devil.
The then-junior was selected to the first Pat Tillman Leadership Council established by Dillingham before the start of the 2024-25 season. In his first season, Elliott was one of 12 Sun Devils on the council and one of two selected for first-year athletes.
As a senior, Elliott's evolution as a leader can be attributed to his ability to get close with the other players in the locker room.
"The more you grow your relationships, the better talker and better listener you're going to get," Elliott said. "So just building those relationships with everybody on this team is great. I know I can personally go up to anybody and talk to them, have a genuine conversation with them."
With his talents off the field as a leader, he has even more talent on the field as a linebacker. Elliott currently leads the Sun Devils in total tackles with 82, tackles for loss with 11 and sacks with five. His play earned him an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where college athletes can showcase themselves in front of all 32 NFL teams before the draft.
Elliott leads with his words and his play, something that seems to be working for the veteran linebacker. Another member of the leadership council, junior defensive back Keith Abney II, sees the stability Elliott brings to the defense and how they rally behind him.
"He's the one who gives us the call half the time," Abney II said. "Him being that consistent, him taking that leadership role is easy. Kind of like Coach Dilly (Dillingham), just having that consistent leader like that is easy to follow."
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One of the main players who is following Elliott's leadership is sophomore linebacker Martell Hughes. The veteran is helping to shape Hughes into the linebacker of the future for the Sun Devils, something that doesn't show up on the stats sheet every week.
"Sun Devil football fans in the future will see the job he's doing with Martell right now," linebackers coach A.J. Cooper said. "That's the stuff that you guys don't get to see that I get to see every day, and how he's helping him grow and mature."
Elliott sees the potential in his young teammate and wants him to become an even better version of himself.
"I was in Martell's shoes a couple of years ago," Elliott said. "My freshman year, I was playing under a six-year senior. The other linebacker was also a fifth or sixth-year senior. So just everything you can take in, be a sponge. You do all the things that I do, and learn from my mistakes and the coaching points that I'm getting, so when you're in my shoes, you don't make the same mistakes that I did."
With Elliott potentially looking at the professional level in the future, his leadership will be missed among the Sun Devils' locker room. He came to Tempe halfway through his collegiate career and established himself at the forefront of the defense.
The influence he has brought does not only show up on the practice and playing field — he resembles what it means to be a Sun Devil. Cooper is excited to see how Elliott continues to succeed and where he ends up in the future.
"It's fun to watch, to be honest with you. I'm really happy for him for how hard he's worked and the effort and the time and commitment," Cooper said. "He's the first guy in the linebacker position who is in the building every day, so it's always cool to see when young men put in the effort and the time, the commitment, the blood, sweat and tears, and success follows."
Edited by Jack McCarthy, George Headley and Ellis Preston.
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Niall Rosenberg is a lead Sports Reporter at the State Press. He has previously worked with sports teams such as the Rockford Rivets of the Northwoods League. He is in his 2nd semester with the State Press with the chance to cover football and other sports.
