Scrolling through ESPN's award candidate list for every team and I keep coming back to the same thing. They list all these skill guys, these flashy quarterbacks and receivers who put up numbers in these wide-open systems. But when is the last time you saw a punter or a long snapper get mentioned? When is the last time a kid who just blows up a wedge on kickoff coverage gets any love? Back in the 90s when Coach Patterson was building this program from the ground up, we measured guys by how they practiced in August when it was 105 degrees and nobody was watching. That is where toughness was forged, not in some highlight reel.
This whole generation of fans wants to talk about who has the best NIL deal or who transferred in from where. But I will tell you what separated the 2009 Fiesta Bowl team from everybody else. It was not the offensive numbers. It was a defense that would hit you in the mouth for four quarters and a special teams unit that treated every punt coverage like it was the last play of the game. You watch our guys this spring and you hope the staff is still drilling that mentality into them. Because you can have all the five-star transfers in the world, but if you cannot cover a punt or make a tackle in the open field when it is 3rd and 4 in the fouurth quarter, none of that window dressing means a thing.