Newsmakers Week: Todd Graham joins Doug and Wolf

There are only 28 days until Arizona State begins spring football, yet new head coach Todd Graham sounds like he's already raring to go.

Graham was part of Newsmakers Week with Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 620, and on Tuesday, stopped by Fry's in Mesa to chat with the guys.

"I think the number one goal in spring, first and foremost, is to develop a relationship with our players, building that trust and getting our philosophy established," Graham said.

On the topic of weeding out players that don't fit his philosophy, Graham said he had a clear message for the players he inherited from the previous coaching staff.

"We're going to do things one way...my way," Graham said about his philosophy, which also includes an emphasis on physicality. "We're going to run to the ball like our hair's on fire. If you don't like to hit, you don't like to be physical, I don't care if you play kicker. If they break a kickoff, our kicker is going to de-cleat that returner. He's going to go through cage drills, he's going to go through tackle drills during practice. I know that sounds crazy."

Graham will use the spring practices, which begin on March 13, to instill this attitude throughout the roster.

"We will be looking for those guys that have that look in their eye and that want to strap it on and put it in the left lane, put the hammer down and play this game like it's meant to be."

Camp T: Graham and several administrators from ASU drove up to Payson last week to visit the grounds at Camp Tontozona, where the Sun Devils held training camp from 1960 to 2007. A possible return to Camp T has been discussed, and Graham elaborated on that with Doug and Wolf.

"I love the tradition of college football, and our greatest tradition is going to Camp Tontozona," he said. "A lot of people don't think it really matters or not, but I know last time we went, we were 10-2.

"I can tell you this, I'm not against going, I can tell you that."

Nothing has been made official, but it appears that the Sun Devils will spend at least part of their fall camp at the legendary facility.

"We're going to do everything we can to make that happen," Graham said.

The quarterback competition: When Graham took the job in mid-December, he thought that he'd have senior-to-be Brock Osweiler quarterbacking the team in 2012. Osweiler, of course, opted to forego his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, leaving three quarterbacks on the roster who have thrown a combined total of 7 passes between them.

"The biggest thing about it is not the physical attributes at quarterback, it's the intangibles," Graham said. "None of these guys have really played, so it's about who the team is going to follow and they're going to follow the guy who takes them, leads them and performs."

Sophomores Mike Bercovici and Taylor Kelly along with redshirt freshman Michael Eubank are the candidates for the job, and each has an intriguing upside, according to Graham.

"We've got three very diverse guys, as far as their talents. They're very different and I like that," he said. "Mike can flat spin the football, I'm very impressed with Bercovici and you've got Taylor Kelly who can flat run and throw and then there's Michael Eubank who does some freakish things as far as what he can do with the football.

"It's going to be an exciting competition, but it's not going to be the most skilled player, it's going to be the one with the intangible to lead this football team."