CRONKITE SPORTS

Change of scenery: Transfers find challenges followed by opportunity at ASU

May 21, 2018, 6:20 PM

Arizona State’s Jake Godfrey pitches against Miami (OH) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Sunday, F...

Arizona State’s Jake Godfrey pitches against Miami (OH) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018.(Photo courtesy Fabian Ardaya/SunDevilSource).

(Photo courtesy Fabian Ardaya/SunDevilSource)

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State senior infielder Taylor Lane and senior right-handed pitcher Jake Godfrey never thought they would attend one school together, let alone two.

When both decided to transfer from their respective baseball powerhouse schools, Lane from Florida and Godfrey from LSU, a phone call between the two, who were formerly teammates on the EvoShield Canes, a high school travel baseball team, revealed that they had decided to attend the same junior college, Northwest Florida State.

After both had a successful season, Godfrey made another phone call to Lane, providing him with an opportunity to play at another one of college baseball’s most decorated programs, ASU, only this time together.  

“So Jake Godfrey got on the phone and said, ‘Hey, (Arizona State) needs some position players for next year,’ ” Lane said. “I was like, ‘Shoot, I’m looking for schools, too.’ We played together once so why not do it again? It worked out and I am really glad it did.”

Although many college athletes choose a school and stay there throughout the course of their career, not everyone takes that route. ASU has established itself as a popular destination for transfers.

In the 2017-2018 season, the Sun Devil basketball team was impacted by Ohio State transfer Mickey Mitchell as well as DeQuon Lake, who came to Tempe from Iowa Western Community College. The ASU football team received a pair of transfer wide receivers, Ryan Newsome and John Humphrey, in 2016 from high-profile football schools Texas and Oklahoma respectively. Each contributed in 2017 for the Sun Devils.

Even ASU’s newest Division I program, women’s lacrosse, received its fair share of transfer athletes, which includes 2018 co-captains Kerri Clayton, a Jacksonville University transfer, and Rachel Gregory, a transfer from Hofstra.

The decision to transfer ended up being a wise one that they have not regretted, Lane and Godfrey said, but the start of their college experience was not quite as positive. Lane’s issue stemmed from how he fit within the program and the limited playing time he received. Godfrey, meanwhile, admits he was a little bit in over his head.

“I got there and LSU is a big step,” Godfrey said on his reason for transferring. “It is probably the closest thing to Major League Baseball as there is in college baseball, if that makes sense. Honestly, I don’t think I was mature enough for it yet. I had to take a step back and go to juco and find out what it was all about and come back here to ASU.”

In 2016, 19 percent of the 7,441 Division I baseball student-athletes opted to transfer schools, the highest total of any sport.

Once Lane and Godfrey took a step back to junior college at Northwest Florida State, it humbled them in many ways and brought a new perspective on college baseball.

“You have to buy your own cleats, get your own pants, wash your own clothes, manicure your own field, all that stuff, so it was like glorified high school,” Godfrey said.

“It gave me a reality check and enforced the discipline of just doing the right thing and it definitely helps you,” Lane added. “You take things for granted when you are at a Division 1 program because they do everything for you, so it helped a lot just stepping back and thinking how good we have it.”

Both are now in their second seasons with the Sun Devils and have felt at home since stepping on campus. Of course, it doesn’t it hurt that they were already familiar with each other coming in.

“We weren’t roommates at (junior college) but we were together every day,” Lane said. “I have known him since, like I said, we were in high school. He is a good kid, love playing with him. He is a competitor.”

Like many that choose to attend ASU, both considered the weather as an obvious attraction, especially for Godfrey, who grew up in Illinois.

“I just had to get back in Division I baseball,” Godfrey said. “I have been there so it wasn’t really a big adjustment, it was just nicer weather really.”

Lane had a much easier time fitting in almost immediately with the Sun Devils, especially because, in addition to Godfrey, he knew a few players from social media.

“I was in a good program to begin with but it is about the guys you are around,” Lane said. “It’s not just about the program, the coaching staff and (head coach) Tracy (Smith) and (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator) Ben Greenspan and (volunteer assistant/hitting coach) Mike Earley are great guys. I fell in love with them as soon as I talked to them, came out here to visit probably the next day when I talked to them. It is the guys around the program that you really want to have to surround yourself around.”

Lane’s transfer process hasn’t all been smooth, as the negative he incurred came more on the academic side. He lost many credits going to Northwest Florida State from Florida, so Lane was forced to take a bunch of classes one year during Christmas break.

However, he recently completed his final class as a college student, proving that the decision to transfer paid dividends not just athletically, but also academically.

“Thankful to have that degree under my belt and it is surreal to just be playing baseball right now,” Lane said. “It’s kind of cool and kind of weird at the same time, but I love it.”

An opportunity to start anew

A unique opportunity presented itself with ASU’s women’s lacrosse in 2017: the opportunity to build a new program.

It is a situation that is in almost direct contrast with transferring to the Sun Devils’ baseball program, which has won five National Championship and is a perennial power in the landscape of the sport.  

Several players from other schools across the country took the chance to be a part of something from the ground up at one of the few lacrosse teams on the West Coast. The transfers still had the ability to practice with the Sun Devils but the team didn’t start playing games until 2018, making the acclimation process significantly more smoother.

“We were able to get in the groove of practicing every day and going to class and just getting used to it out here,” Clayton, a junior, said. “Just working in a small group with your coaches, that really builds a trust and I know what they expect from me and I am now able to go do it in practice without them having to repeat or stuff like that so it gave the foundation for what we needed.”

Gregory, who changed schools along with her best friend, and Winthrop transfer, junior midfielder Alexis Linhardt (who came to Tempe with her twin sister, Kienan, also a junior midfielder for the Sun Devils) had the luxury of a familiar face at school with them, which played a part in easing their transition.

Gregory transferred to ASU this past season and did not have the same adjustment process since she did not practice with the Sun Devils in 2017, but she doesn’t think that had much of an effect on the way she got used to the team.

“Division I program is a Division I program, you kind of know what to expect already,” Gregory said. “You just have to come in with an open mindset. Coach tells you to do something and it might be different than what you had to do in the past, but you just have to open your mind up and accept what they are telling you.”

Linhardt didn’t plan to attend multiple schools with her sister, but it turned out to be more of a byproduct of the way things worked out.

“First time, we both found that our first school was the best opportunity for us to play lacrosse, and we both knew that we wanted to transfer,” Linhardt said. “We did that process separately. We talked to the coaches, but turns out coming from Colorado and going West, a lot of the schools that we were looking at were all the same, so both of us ended up making the decision ourselves but found that here was the best decision for both of us.”

All three agree that their former schools just didn’t fit best for them, especially because they were all small schools, and it didn’t take long to figure out that a big school like ASU was more up their alley.

“At my old school, there weren’t very many school activities, so it was hard to meet other people,” Linhardt said. “Coming here there were more opportunities to meet people. It was a different environment and a warmer climate.”

Clayton also shares a bond with ASU coach Courtney Martinez Connor, who was credited with being an important piece in the players getting assimilated.

“I had known her before from back home and she is kind of that person I can go to with anything,” Clayton said. “Whether it is lacrosse, personal, school, so I think just having her here with me, because I’m really far from home, really helped me.”

The calculated risk that all three took in deciding to transfer was that another school would want their services. Luckily, ASU came along and alleviated some of the stress from an already trying process.

“You just have to take a chance and sign your paper and say, ‘I hope somebody wants to scoop me up, like look at my stats’ and just say, ‘Yes,’ “ Gregory said. “You close a blind eye and just go for it.”

Cronkite Sports

Cronkite Sports

Sports gambling in Arizona moves closer to reality

In the near future, the Arizona sports fan’s experience could include the ability to place bets inside sports venues while the action unfolds.

3 years ago

Higley quarterback Kai Millner committed to Cal this spring, despite visiting the campus just once ...

Cronkite Sports

Arizona high school football recruits still committing amid coronavirus

Despite visiting campuses few times if at all in some cases, class of 2021 high school football prospects from Arizona are committing at record rates.

4 years ago

(Photo via Cronkite News courtesy Mesa Community College Facebook)...

Arizona Sports

COVID-19 prompts junior colleges to push for cancellation of sports

The 2020-21 school year for Maricopa County community colleges may not include sports, schools await a decision by the district chancellor.

4 years ago

New Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez believes outreach in the Arizona Hispanic market is ...

Cronkite Sports

New Coyotes CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez looks to reach Latino community

New Coyotes CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez is the first Latino president and CEO in NHL history and hopes to reach new fans in the Valley.

4 years ago

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who joined the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason, is ready to get the WNBA...

Cronkite Sports

Full pay, 22-game season in Florida on tap for Phoenix Mercury

Another league has agreed on a return-to-play plan in the month of July. This time it’s the WNBA, whose members include the Phoenix Mercury.

4 years ago

Phoenix Rising FC assistant coaches Peter Ramage (left) and Blair Gavin are awaiting details about ...

Cronkite Sports

Phoenix Rising players await news on resumption of USL Championship

Phoenix Rising FC and the USL Championship are set to resume play July 11 while players wait on more details for the return.

4 years ago

Change of scenery: Transfers find challenges followed by opportunity at ASU