2025 Camp T represents the last dance for Anthonie Cooper
CAMP TONTOZONA- Fall camp is typically a time for anticipation and excitement for college football programs and players. The season is just weeks away from kicking off, and for a school like Arizona State, the ASU fans wouldn’t wait any longer for the Big 12 Champions to take the field once again.
However, for the Sun Devils’ longest tenured player, Graduate Anthonie Cooper, his final trip up north to Camp T brings a bittersweet tone to the preseason. Cooper, who prepped locally at Goodyear Millennium High School, is about to embark on his seventh season as an ASU player. Joining the team in 2019 as a freshman, he’s taken additional years of eligibility for COVID-19, injuries, and the traditional redshirt year.
Cooper’s story saw the highs and lows of collegiate athletics. As a freshman, he played four games, causing him to redshirt. The following year, he appeared in all four games during the COVID-19 pandemic, making one start against Southern California.
He then moved on to his best seasons for the Maroon and Gold, playing 262 snaps as a pass rusher in 2021, the most on the team, and in 2022, he finished with 21 tackles in 12 starts, while recording a 76.0 pass rusher rating, the No.10 mark in the Pac-12 that season.
Then things took a turn for Cooper’s career.
During the 2023 season as a redshirt senior, Cooper made just four starts in six games for the Sun Devils while battling through injury. After being granted eligibility for the following 2024 season, he’d get injured again, having to miss the entire year. After seeing a major dip in his time on the field in 2023 and 2024, Cooper thought about walking away from the game of football, but was drawn back because of his desire to be around the program.
“It wasn’t easy,” Cooper admitted Friday. “I had a lot of ups and downs throughout my career, but I enjoy being out here, and I enjoy playing football. I got a great group of teammates and a great group of coaches, so it makes it easier to come back.
“It’s tough going through all the injuries and stuff. I had thoughts of just being done, but it didn’t sit right with me. I made it this far, and I’ve been here this long.”
Cooper hasn’t allowed injuries to phase his desire to be on the gridiron. As an older player and mentor, Cooper has accepted his new status amongst some of the younger players with freshman wide receiver Harry Hassman and others calling him “Unc.”
Taking on this role over time has been an easy thing for Cooper to do; oftentimes, leadership can be utilized in simple ways. Cooper emphasized the importance of connecting with his teammates off the field and actively supporting his younger teammates on the field.
“I find pride in helping out the young guys, like (freshman defensive lineman) Daeshon Morgan,” Cooper said. “It’s a process, it’s a lot to learn to play football. It’s a tough game, so any little bits of knowledge I can pass on to the next guy, I try.”
Cooper, a Valley native, claimed he wasn’t a die-hard ASU supporter before setting foot on campus; however, over time, he’s grown into that. As a Sun Devil, he’s experienced success, hardship, and loads of traditions and change, and as a person, he’s developed a love for the university and its supporters.
“My Fondest memory? I’d say Camp T,” Cooper said. “There’s nothing like it. Going out into the young guys’ dorms and doing all the crazy stuff, the cafeteria beat boxing and rapping, I love it all.
“When I first came in, I wasn’t really thinking about college; I was just trying to play football. Since I’ve been here, I’ve definitely seen what it is to be a Sun Devil and how much it impacts the valley.”
Cooper’s final day at Camp T as a player is Saturday, and the occasion is one he’s thought about; however, he didn’t close the chapter on ever returning to camp, but in the future, as a potential member of the Sun Devils coaching staff instead of a player.
“As a player, this is going to be my last one,” Cooper said. “I don’t know what the future holds for coaching or anything like that. But definitely, as a player, this is my last one. The experience is like no other.”
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For Cooper, his last Camp T is one of numerous he’s traveled to, but for others, the final stint at Camp T is also their first; that’s the case for senior kicker Jesus Gomez. Ever since arriving to Tempe, the Eastern Michigan kicker transfer has become a fan favorite amongst the Sun Devil faithful. Thursday, he nailed a 55-yard attempt during an 11-on-11 period, and ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said after practice, “When he’s kicking, I go talk to somebody else, that’s how much confidence I have in him.”
Gomez has enjoyed his first and last trip up to camp, which provides a great way to continue acclimating with his teammates.
“I love it,” Gomez mentioned about Camp T. “I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’m so mad it’s only going to be one year for me, but I would love to experience this again.
Despite his first name, Gomez’s consistency through fall camp is due to years of repetition and hard work. Dillingham noted Thursday that when Gomez has free time on the sidelines during practice, he isn’t just conversing with teammates or nonchalantly going through the motions; rather, he’s actively drilling his steps and footwork over and over again without fail.
Gomez’s work ethic is his own, but the drills and tactics he does have have been passed down from others who have helped him along the way, including a former Eastern Michigan kicker from 2018-2021, Chad Ryland. For those who find that name familiar, Ryland is currently the starting place kicker for the Arizona Cardinals. He converted 28-32 attempts in 2024, including all four of his 50+ yard attempts.
For Gomez, learning from others has been a staple of his development. He strives to be perfect in every aspect of his game, knowing that if he fails, he’ll be amongst the stars.
“I didn’t get that from me, I got that from Chad Ryland,” Gomez said. “I was with him for six months, and I learned that. You can always get better at something, and if you want to make it to the next level, you have to be good at the details.”
Gomez’s connection to ASU only scratches the surface when mentioning Ryland. Gomez’s first career field goal came back in 2022 for the Eagles, when they faced and beat the Sun Devils in Tempe. His first game on the field was one to remember, going 3-3 on field goals. Including a 40-yarder, along with conversions on all three PATs when Eastern Michigan upset the Sun Devils 30-21 in Tempe.
The unique history Gomez has at ASU hasn’t impacted his ability to be connected to the program. He joins the special teams unit as the oldest place kicker on the roster, but Gomez has built strong relationships with the rest of the unit, including redshirt sophomore kicker Carston Kieffer.
“It’s only day nine of camp. So we still got time to get better,” Gomez said about the special teams unit. “But as long as every day I get better, it’s going to be good.
“We understand each other, we know what we need. If something is going wrong, we can talk to each other and figure that out. It’s always good to have someone to talk to who understands what you’re going through.”
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On the other side of the line of scrimmage, sophomore linebacker Martell Hughes is participating in his second Camp T with multiple trips potentially still on the horizon. The second-year backer had an impressive freshman campaign that saw him appear in 13 games, with a majority of his time coming during special teams and passing downs. He went on to earn Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his blocked punt against Central Florida. Hughes also earned gametime in 138 defensive snaps, the fourth most among true freshman linebackers in the Big 12.
Coming into his second year, Hughes continues to rotate amongst the high-level second-string linebacker position, with seniors Jordan Crook, Keyshaun Elliott, and Zyrus Fiaseu all taking up the heavy lifting for the position group. With all the talent and experience ahead of him, Hughes has maximized fall camp by plucking the brains of the leaders in his position group to rapidly grow as a player.
“I feel like if you’re not learning, you’re not growing,” Hughes said. “Just taking the knowledge that they’re giving me, so when they’re gone, I can be comfortable where I’m at and I’m able to teach.
“It’s been great for my growth and the way I’ve been playing. Because of the other guys like that.”
For Hughes, the most essential skill he’s adding to his toolkit involves the run game, where ASU dominated in 2024 defensively as those very same experienced linebackers clogged rushing lanes and made running the ball a nightmare.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot more from last year just in the run game and things like that,” Hughes said. “Last year, I was more of a third-down guy, and I really want to show I can play base downs. I’m a lot more comfortable (this year) and the game has slowed down for me.”
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Hughes and many other players will have a chance to show their growth in front of thousands of ASU fans Saturday as the final day of Camp T includes the team’s intersquad scrimmage. The day will kick off at 9 a.m. with fans piling in during the hours before then.
The scrimmage will be fully live tackling, according to Dillingham as well, making for a competitive day to end off the team’s 2025 Camp T trip.
“100% scrimmage,” Dillingham said on his plan for Saturday. “All live, all tackling to the ground. We haven’t done a lot of tackling to the ground. I told our guys with our ones and twos, we only tackled to the ground one time since we lost to Texas. So we gotta be able to do that a couple more times before we kickoff versus Northern Arizona.”
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