Summer is here, and that means we're starved for the return of football. Unfortunately, the entire month of July still stands between us and the opening of training camp, so for the time being, we'll have to reminisce to get our fix.
For this series, we're reaching back to the year 2000. Our goal is to find the best lineup combination for each program using only players from this century.
Today, it's the Arizona State Sun Devils.
OFFENSE
QB Andrew Walter: Was a second-team all-conference selection in 2004 and honorable mention in 2003. He still holds the ASU record for most career passing touchdowns with 85. He had more 300-yard passing games (13) than any other ASU quarterback.
RB DJ Foster: In four seasons, he rushed for 2,355 yards and 18 touchdowns and also caught 222 passes for 2,458 yards and 14 touchdowns. A fantastic dual-threat player who spent the bulk of his senior season as a receiver.
RB Marion Grice: A scoring machine, Grice accounted for 39 touchdowns in just two seasons. He scored 25 on the ground and added 14 more in the air.
OL Levi Jones: Won the Morris Trophy in 2001 (for league’s best lineman, as voted on by opposing players). Last offensive lineman from ASU to win the award.
OL Mike Pollak: First-team all-conference in 2007, second-team in 2006.
OL Jamil Douglas: First-team all-conference in 2014.
OL Evan Finkenberg: First-team all-conference in 2013.
OL Scott Peters: Two-time first-team all-conference, 2000 and 2001.
TE Todd Heap: One of the toughest calls to make (between Heap and Zach Miller), but Heap still holds the record for career yards by a tight end with 1,685 yards on 115 catches with 10 touchdowns.
WR Jaelen Strong: He snagged 157 catches for 2,287 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons. First-team all-conference in 2014, second-team in 2013. ESPN.com All-America team 2014. Oh yeah, a little something called the “Jael Mary” also comes to mind as well.
WR Derek Hagan: Hagan led the Sun Devils in receiving for three straight seasons (2003-05). His 258 catches and 27 touchdowns still stand as a school record.
DEFENSE
DL Will Sutton: The two-time Morris Trophy winner (’12 and ’13) had 13 sacks and 23.5 tackles for a loss in 2012.
DL Terrell Suggs: Won the 2002 Morris Trophy after posting 24 sacks and 31.5 tackles for a loss. The All-American is also the school’s all-time leader with 44 sacks.
DL Dexter Davis: One of Arizona State's most consistent defenders, Davis led the Sun Devils in sacks and tackles for a loss from 2006 to 2008.
DL Lawrence Guy: Named to the FWAA freshman All-America team in 2008, he was a three-time all-league honorable-mention pick.
LB Adam Archuleta: His 93 solo tackles in 2000 ranks second all-time among ASU defenders. And his 202 career solo tackles ranks fifth. He was second-team All-America (AP, Walter Camp) and the league's defensive player of the year in 2000.
LB Vontaze Burfict: The Pac-12’s defensive freshman of the year in 2009, Burfict went on to earn second-team all-league honors in 2010, when he made 90 tackles.
LB Dale Robinson: Crowned the league’s defensive player of the year in 2005, Robinson led the Sun Devils in tackles and tackles for a loss (93-13) in 2004 and in 2005 (115-15).
DB Omar Bolden: An all-league performer in 2010, Bolden finished with nine career interceptions. He was also a big special-teams contributor, returning a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns during his time in Tempe.
DB Justin Tryon: He was named second-team all-conference in 2007 after posting 16 pass breakups. He also had three interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown.
DB Damarious Randall: The Green Bay Packers’ first-round draft pick from 2015 made 106 stops -- 87 of them solo -- in 2014. He earned All-America honorable mention honors from SI.com to go with his three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown against Notre Dame.
DB Jason Shivers: A prolific tackler, Shivers led the Sun Devils in tackles from 2001-20. That included his 121 stops in 2002, when he earned all-league honorable mention. He was also second-team all-conference in 2003 for his special teams play.
SPECIALISTS
K Thomas Weber: The 2007 Lou Groza winner also earned all-league honors in 2007 and was named to the 2008 and 2009 Playboy All-America team. With 340 points, he’s second on ASU’s all-time scoring list. He’s also second with 68 career field goals.
P Nick Murphy: A two-time semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, he’s the school’s all-time leader for punting yards in a season (3,551 in 2000).
KR Terry Richardson: No player in ASU history has a higher kickoff return average for his career than Richardson, who had a robust 28.7 yards per return during his time in Tempe. He returned a pair of punts for touchdowns in 2005 and a kickoff for a touchdown in 2006.