Arizona State’s offense is loaded with weapons this year and one player that might be flying under the radar is WR Gio Sanders.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Sanders first played at Utah Tech coming out of Murrieta Mesa High School in California. After one year (10 games, 19 catches for 295 yards) at Utah Tech, he transferred to Riverside City College, where he was their go-to receiver.
Sanders and Riverside won the 2019 CCCAA Football State Championship after going 13-0. On the year Sanders had 59 catches for 854 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sanders then walked on to Arizona State and redshirted his 2020 season, but earned a scholarship going into the next season. In 2021, he saw limited playing time and didn’t record any stats.
God is great at all times! I want to thank my family and friends who supported me throughout this journey. I also want to thank @CoachPGill @HermEdwards & @ZakHill10 for everything they’ve done for me to this point. I’m happy to announce I’ve been put on scholarship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6Chdw6AbxA
— Gio Sanders (@BeLike6io) May 4, 2021
However, last season he finished second on the team in both catches (40) and receiving yards (500). His best performance came in the last game of the season against Arizona when he had eight catches for 120 yards and his first Division I touchdown, leaving Sun Devil fans excited about his future.
“I just think it shows you that hard work and perseverance will get you anywhere in life,” Sanders said. “There were days where I literally never thought this would work out for me and I still stay do just because I feel like this is the spot for me.”
What is his motivation to keep going?
“I haven’t really had a big supportive staff around me really since I can’t even remember when,” Sanders said. “I always had my parents always had my close friends and things like that. So it’s really just one proving people wrong who always never believed me or had negatives to say, but also like proving to the few people who actually do believe in me to prove them right.”
Showtime 2️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/QtA4prlUiK
— Gio Sanders (@BeLike6io) January 24, 2023
Going into camp, Sanders wants to improve most on his run after catch and wants the team to improve on being mentally tough.
Sanders is very excited for Dillingham’s offense and what he will be able to do in it. However, he knows the competition at the wide receiver spot is fierce and said it will be a “challenging run through the whole fall camp, but we’re definitely going to be ready for that it at the end of the fall camp.”
He said that he’s looking forward to the team “passing the ball more. (With Dillingham) coming from Oregon … Everyone who watches Oregon’s offense knows that you’re gonna pass the ball a lot more. I’m really looking forward to just getting more opportunities on the field.”
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
