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Not many freshman saw the field for the Sun Devils this season with the exception of defensive back Kareem Orr and defensive lineman JoJo Wicker.
The only offensive freshman to make a significant contribution this season was redshirt freshman Jalen Harvey who caught a 41-yard touchdown pass against U of A and redshirt freshman tackle Sam Jones who saw the field at time this year.
Even if more freshman had played this season, it would have been hard not to pick Orr to receive this award.
When Arizona State fans became upset over the snubs of Antonio Longino and Salamo Fiso for both first team and second team All-Pac 12, I was surprised.
Not about the fact that fans were rightfully questioning the omission of those two players, but the fact that I didn't see any sort of questioning over why Kareem Orr didn't even receive an honorable mention.
Freshman of the Year: Kareem Orr, DB-No. 25 (Freshman, duh.)
One of the key plays of the season was Orr's pick six that sealed the 52-37 win against Arizona. Not only did it put the game out of reach for the Wildcats, but it lifted the spirits of just about every Sun Devil fan who saw this season as disappointing.
Here was a freshman defensive back, collecting his conference-leading fifth interception of the season, and taking it back to the house.
Orr not only led the conference and team in interceptions this year, but also was the only Sun Devil who ranked in the top 10 in the conference in passes defended.
Orr provided hope for the future of the ASU secondary, one that is losing a majority of its key contributors such as Jordan Simone, Lloyd Carrington, Kweishi Brown and Solomon Means.
A young secondary next season will need someone reliable to count on and has a lot of room to grow, it seems as if Orr could be that guy moving forward for ASU.
Runner Up
JoJo Wicker, DL-No. 1 (Freshman, again duh.)
The only other freshman that saw a considerable amount of time on the field was Wicker, the freshman defensive lineman from Long Beach, Calif.
On a defense in desperate need of pressure from the defensive line, Wicker led all defensive linemen in sacks with four over the course of the season and also managed to force two fumbles.
A future defensive line with Wicker, sophomore Tashon Smallwood and redshirt freshman Ismael Murphy-Richardson, is something to be optimistic about for any Sun Devil fan.