Diablos del Sol | Arizona State Sun Devils

[Caesar]

Baylor???? Is you cool?

[redsox907]

i personally wanted to see dj handed that belt but we move

21 #13 Miami (4-1) @ #23 Clemson 28 (4-1)

here we go

Oh alright, that's the type of time we on huh

Baylor???? Is you cool?

it was just one of those games

we'll be back. Before you can rise, you gotta fall

[redsox907]

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Prized JUCO Transfer LB Josh Swoope Heading To Tempe

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The MGCCC transfer chooses the Sun Devils over Tulane and UCF

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The Devil's Due Mailbag — Week Four Recruiting Update By Diego Alfaro

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Published: October 4th, 2026

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Kenny Dillingham and the ASU staff may still be licking their wounds after a brutal 38-17 defeat at the hands of Big XII rival Baylor, but they found a little solace when a campus visit from three-star linebacker Josh Swoope turned into a verbal commitment the following day.

"Excited to announce my next destination. From the Gulf to the desert!" posted the sophomore JUCO transfer on Instagram, alongside a picture of himself and Sparky, the ASU mascot, throwing the Sun Devils' signature "forks up" hand signal.

It's a remarkable turnaround for the former unranked recruit out of LaGrange High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Swoope didn't start playing football until his junior season at LaGrange not for lack of desire, but because of circumstances outside his control.

"We just couldn't afford it," Swoope said bluntly when asked about his late start to varsity football. "Single mom, three kids. It just didn't make sense."

Sharice Swoope, Josh's mother, had worked at The Mulberry Extended Stay Hotel in Westlake for ten years, slowly working her way up from a desk clerk position to Guest Services Coordinator. It wasn't glamorous, but it was enough to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. It did not, however, leave enough room for the oldest of her three children to pursue his wish of playing high school football.

Then everything changed. The nearby Golden Nugget Casino reached out to Sharice about an open Guest Experience Manager position. The pay raise was enough for the usually financially strapped Swoope household to afford a few amenities that would have felt like luxuries just a month earlier.

The first thing Sharice did with her signing bonus? Sign Josh up for football.

"He sacrificed so much to help with his younger sisters," Sharice said in an interview after Josh's scholarship offer from Mississippi Gulf Coast became official. "He never complained, never asked why. He just understood what the family needed and made sure he provided it. I knew it was finally time to give him something for himself. And football was all he'd ever wanted."

Swoope attacked the football field like a man who'd been handed his first glass of water after years in the desert. He made varsity in his first season at LaGrange and led Class 4A in tackles.

"He was everywhere," laughed Swoope's head coach at LaGrange, Terrence Harris. "You could tell he was just happy to be out there. Never complained, never questioned. You get some guys who come in late like that, and they just want the notoriety of being on the team. Josh wasn't content to just be on the team—he wanted to carry them on his back. He attacked everything like he only had one shot at it."

Swoope followed up a stellar first season with an even better senior campaign, once again leading Class 4A in tackles, while also topping the conference in tackles for loss, linebacker pass breakups, and recording five sacks. His performance helped lead the Gators to their first state championship appearance in over fifty years. LaGrange ultimately fell short in the title game, but not because of Swoope—the senior linebacker recorded 13 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble and recovery in a narrow 20-14 loss.

It wasn't enough to win a championship. It was enough for Mississippi Gulf Coast to offer Josh Swoope a football scholarship, making him the first member of his family to attend college.

"It's a dream come true," Sharice said through tears after Swoope enrolled at Gulf Coast.

Two years later, Swoope hasn't slowed down. He led the conference in tackles with 135 during his first season on campus and is well on his way to a second consecutive tackling title, sitting at 89 through his first six games this year.

"I'll always be appreciative of the opportunity Coach Wright gave me. I'll forever be a Bulldog at heart," Swoope said when announcing his decision to pursue an FBS offer over the summer. "But this feels like the next best step. I'll never know if I don't try."

Swoope enters the recruiting cycle as the 412th-overall prospect nationally and the 15th-ranked middle linebacker in the class — a stark contrast to being unranked out of high school.

"Swoope is exactly the kind of player who excels going the JUCO route," Josh Omura said after the signing. "We watched his tape from high school, and it was raw. But you could see the talent, and more importantly, the drive. You could tell he wanted to be great — the way he responded to coaching. And from everyone we talked to, from LaGrange to Gulf Coast, he's one of the most coachable players they've ever had come through their programs. That means something."

Scouts love Swoope's athleticism but are quick to point out his play recognition still needs work, especially at the FBS level.

"He's got elite athleticism for his size, and he uses it. He's quick to the spot, always around the ball, and rarely gets caught in the muck," praised Anthony Peerman with On3. "That's the good. The bad? He relies too much on that athleticism and doesn't trust the scheme. He'll bite on run fakes, get lost in the RPO at times, and is usually a step slow in coverage—not because he lacks the talent, but because he isn't trusting what he sees. He reacts to the ball, not the play. It's coachable, but it's a concern as he moves to the next level, where his athleticism won't stand out as much by comparison."

At worst, Swoope is a feel-good story that adds depth to the Sun Devils' roster. At best, he could turn into a steal for his final two seasons in Tempe.

[The JZA]

Losing to Baylor is ill...