DL Justin Wodtly believes ASU is on right trajectory to become a blue blood

TEMPE — It’s been emphasized time and time again that Arizona State football’s magical run in 2024 will quickly be forgotten if the Sun Devils can’t sustain success.

But if they can, Kenny Dillingham and Co. could be on the doorstep of building something special, or as defensive lineman Justin Wodtly put it on Wednesday, becoming a blue-blood program.

“Coach Dillingham is a young head coach with a lot of great energy and he’s on the rise,” Wodtly said in advance of fall camp opening next week. “And all the different changes with college football, I feel like (ASU) is definitely trending in the right direction to become one of those powerhouse names in college football.”

If ASU can repeat as Big 12 champions, Wodtly said, it would prove that teams don’t need to seek out the top names and that players don’t need to seek out the top schools for success.

“I can’t get to step 20 before I finish step 1,” he said of understanding the process it takes to get there. “Focusing day-to-day, just perfecting your craft, coming out with your guys and leaning on one another, we’re getting ready to go through those dog days at camp and stuff like that.”

Wodtly is proof of concept as he enters his sixth college season. Once a three-star prospect ranked outside the top 85 at his position by 247Sports, he posted 26 tackles with 0.5 sacks and three forced fumbles last season.

His competitive fire stood out throughout the debut season with the team and did so again this spring, including one practice when things nearly boiled over within his position group. Defensive line coach Diron Reynolds was instrumental in diffusing the situation, and the group moved on.

“It’s a family, man. Coach Reynolds is a guy that’s been through it all, seen it all,” Wodtly said of his relationship with the assistant. And when you are blessed to have a position coach with a resume like that, it’s only right that you go and pick his brain and gain as much knowledge as possible.

“And families, things get heated sometimes, you know? Especially in the D-line room. But just knowing that at the end of the day, everybody really has the same goals and the same interests, you know that everything is all out of the love of the game. … Even when things hit the fan, all those guys in that room, they’re going to have my back at the end of the day.”

Arizona State’s Justin Wodtly has some skin in the game

The senior is entering his second in Tempe after transferring from Cincinnati. He still holds a lot of stake in the program, not only as an emotional leader but also on his skin, thanks to a recent calf tattoo.

It’s STAMPED ‼️ Love yall 4L 🤞🏽🔱 #GoDevils pic.twitter.com/3aoJwUCXmN

— Justin Wodtly (@JustinWodtly) July 16, 2025

“It was a really easy decision to make. … This is pretty much the most fun I’ve had with college football in my long six years,” Wodtly said. “I like tattoos a lot, so just having the opportunity to add that as well shows how much this program, this group of guys and this city really mean to you.

“Putting in the work and actually seeing the shift … and everybody wants to be a part of it. And just being a guy that I want to leave things better than I found it, being able to come here and mesh with my guys and build that team chemistry, that’s been the (most fun) parts of it for me.”

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