ASU transfer says the biggest difference at new school is the fans

TEMPE, Ariz. — LaDarius Henderson was a four-year player with ASU football, and was elected as a captain in his senior season. The offensive lineman compiled 29 starts for the Sun Devils. He started six games at left guard for Arizona State in 2022 before going down with an injury to Washington.

Henderson used his extra year of eligibility as a graduate transfer and headed to the Big Ten to play for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan. He was asked what the biggest difference is between Michigan, compared to Arizona State, and Sun Devil fans may not like what he had to say.

ASU transfer says the biggest difference at Michigan is the fanbase

“How much people actually care about football and Michigan!” Henderson said. “People care about Michigan football! At other places, you guys know where I’ve been (Arizona State), I can go around Tempe people don’t really care that much. It’s true. Like, ‘You play for who?’ So it’s like here people know who you are, people want to see the blue win, and I love that. These fans are awesome!”

Michigan is one of the biggest brands in football. They’re also one of the best teams in the sport right now, which certainly helps get fans involved. However, the overall issue of Pac-12 fanbases overall compared to the Big 10 and SEC is glaring.

There’s a lot of contributing factors to it. Bigger cities, with more things to do, as well as more professional sports options. Despite those factors, it is always unfortunate to hear players complain about the fanbase.

In a new era of the transfer portal, how big of a deal will the fanbase factor be? Could we see more players leave Pac-12 and West Coast schools for the South and the Midwest? All in search of sold-out stadiums and passionate fanbases?

We’ll see if new head coach Kenny Dillingham can build the program back up and energize the ASU fanbase.

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