Arizona State LB Salamo Fiso makes SI.com’s list of top-100 players
Jul 13, 2016, 7:02 AM
Weber State quarterback Billy Green, left, tries to avoid a sack by Arizona State linebacker Salamo Fiso during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Arizona State linebacker Salamo Fiso might land atop a list of most under-appreciated players on its own roster.
Nationally, his services and impact over the last few years haven’t gone unnoticed. The fifth-year senior comes in No. 79 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top-100 players in college football heading into the 2016 season.
Like the star linebacker at rival Arizona last season (Scooby Wright), Fiso is one of the conference’s best players on an otherwise bad defense. Fiso finished eighth in the nation (with) 1.5 tackles for loss per game last year and enters 2016 as the Sun Devils’ most experienced defensive player. If Arizona State manages to improve on a defense that allowed 11 plays of 60 or more yards, Fiso will be the anchor behind that effort.
Fiso has made appearances on the Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Butkus award watch list heading into next season. He is 12 starts shy of matching Evan Finkenberg’s record of 48 career starts as a Sun Devil and with 11 will tie Dexter Davis’ school mark for most starts for a defensive player.
Last season, Fiso finished with 78 solo tackles and 99 total with 20 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also added an interception and two pass breakups.
With 6.5 more tackles for loss, the linebacker can finish his career in the Sun Devils’ top-10 list all-time. Fiso can also challenge Brett Wallerstedt’s school record of 238 solo tackles over the course of his career.
