ASU football reaping benefits of culture shifter Xavion Alford

TEMPE — It’d be hard to find a better match in college football than Xavion Alford and ASU with Kenny Dillingham.

Since arriving at his third school, the safety has represented exactly what Dillingham wants the program to look like, and his approach has been infectious throughout the team.

“This is more of the culture that I’m looking for: real, authentic, just about work, competitive, honesty within the program, within the coaches and players,” Alford told Arizona Sports on Monday. “So that’s really what I was looking for, and when I finally found it, it felt like home.”

The culture building started in 2023 when Alford spent Dillingham’s first season on the job as a member of the Sun Devils’ scout team due to what are now outdated transfer rules.

Alford, who played at Texas and USC before landing in Tempe, said the redshirt was humbling, but he understood the value he could bring as a solid defender for the offense to practice against.

“Obviously, a guy that’s played that people have a lot of expectations for … and being able to help your teammates even though you can’t play,” he said. “Just showing up every day, just showing them that even though things don’t go your way, that doesn’t mean quit or give up.”

The time spent developing is part of how the redshirt junior has become a vocal leader of the team, highlighted by his pregame speeches focused on changing the culture dating back to the beginning of the season.

Took care of business. Onto the next ⏭️#ForksUp /// #ActivateTheValley pic.twitter.com/lPkVVAUqCw

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) September 2, 2024

“It’s just a love of the game, just a love of football,” Alford said of where his vocal side comes from. “Just being a kid outside, just being energized. I’ve been playing this game since I was 4. I’ve always been this type of guy on every team I’ve been on.

“I think it’s just something that’s in me that I can’t change. And people just kind of gravitate towards me as a leader, so I put that on my shoulders and then I just attack it full speed and give people an example.”

He has been one of ASU’s most productive players with 82 tackles (second on the team) and two interceptions (tied for second).

He has the team lead in defensive snaps (835) and an 84.3 overall PFF grade (Caleb McCullough’s 78.5 is next-closest).

It’s come with his fair share of clutch moments, including a fourth-quarter interception and a knocked-down Hail Mary attempt to seal back-to-back wins over Texas State and Kansas.

How did Xavion Alford’s journey lead him to ASU?

The Houston-area native initially enrolled at potential Peach Bowl opponent Texas as the No. 139 overall prospect and a top-10 safety in the class of 2020, but he signed to then-co-defensive coordinator Craig Naivar, who was no longer on the Longhorns’ staff by the time Alford arrived.

As a true freshman, Alford appeared in only five games for Texas (50 snaps), leading him to a USC transfer, where he played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman (432 snaps) during the 2021 season.

His upward trajectory took a setback the next year, as he missed all of 2022 due to a procedure he said he could’ve played through if not for a long-term decision made with coaches.

Alford’s experience with season-ending injuries goes back to his senior year of high school, when he injured his left meniscus in the season opener.

“All the pain, passion that you build up, determination, things of that nature. Obviously just going through something like that and then battling through it, you kind of have to be a self-starter,” Alford said. “But I just wanted to give these guys an example and somebody just to be that fierce leader to help lead us into battle.”

Now, his journey may come full circle with Texas playing Clemson on Saturday, and the winner getting Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.

“We were all kind of pretty excited,” Alford said of how he and the other former Longhorns, such as Zac Swanson, reacted to the bracket. “But we’re just taking it one day at a time. Whatever color orange it is, burnt or bright, we’re gonna show up and do what we’re supposed to do.”