Activate the Valley, I believe it was?” McAfee said. “That valley is a place where a lot of my friends live, I think it’s a beautiful place, and I want to retire there. “As long as Arizona State can continue to go, which it feels like they’re going to with Kenny Dillingham, I’m all about it.”
“Activate the (expletive) out of the Valley.”
“Activate the Valley,” was a phrase coined by Dillingham after he became Arizona State’s head coach, highlighting his desire to discover, recruit, and develop players native to Arizona and the Phoenix area, while also being more aggressive in national recruiting than previous Sun Devils coaches.
McAfee’s approval of Dillingham, the Sun Devils’ direction, and the “Activation of the Valley,” came on the day Arizona State secured a blue-chip recruit in the class of 2026. Israel Briggs, a 4-star tight end from California and the No. 6 TE in 2026 according to 247Sports, announced his verbal commitment to ASU on Tuesday morning.
Arizona State’s success this season truly was a miracle. The Sun Devils were voted last in the 2024 Big-12 preseason media poll, but three months later, the Sun Devils were crowned Big-12 Champions. With dynamic players like Cam Skattebo and Sam Leavitt, plus a pistol of a head coach in Dillingham, Arizona State became a fan-favorite in the College Football Playoff, where they nearly knocked off the Texas Longhorns.
McAfee rose to stardom following his NFL career with “The Pat McAfee Show,” a sports podcast that was acquired by ESPN in 2023. McAfee also is an analyst on ESPN’s “College Gameday,” a weekly preview show on college football Saturdays.
In 2025, it’s unlikely that Arizona State will be picked to finish last in the Big-12 like they were last year, and the Sun Devils have the talent on their roster to compete for a playoff spot — and potentially playoff wins — again this season.
