Big 12 debut brings new academic and travel hurdles for ASU and Arizona athletes

File photo by William Wilson/Cronkite News: As Arizona State makes the transition to the Big 12, logistical challenges loom for the equipment staff, with longer trips to games, some even on the East Coast.

By Joshua Heron/Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu plans to rely more on his counselor this year. The caution stems from the increased travel responsibility he will have to shoulder during the upcoming college football season and the potential academic challenges that may arise.

Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Utah and the University of Colorado will all make their Big 12 Conference debuts in the upcoming football season. As a result, schools like Arizona and ASU now face more frequent travel away from the West Coast, including games against teams as far away as the University of Central Florida.

The shift to new time zones brings with it challenges such as altered assignment deadlines and potential reduced cognitive function among players due to jet lag. These factors raise concerns about athletes’ ability to maintain full focus on their education.

“Yes, there may be some academic challenges,” Manu said Wednesday. “Just being so busy with football and having to travel with different time changes can be difficult.”

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark acknowledged the potential hindrances that more travel can have on an athlete’s academic achievements and plans to set parameters to ensure their education remains paramount.

“Student-athlete travel, as well as the inconveniences and challenges that come with it, is certainly something we’re considering,” Yormark said. “When you look at our scheduling matrix, it’s a big part of it. How can we reduce travel in ways that we can and still maintain the proper rivalries and competitive spirit of the conference? It’s a balancing act. We won’t always be perfect, but we’re trying to make sure that’s a key component in any decision we make.”

Next season, Arizona is scheduled to play on the road against the University of Central Florida, which is more than 2,100 miles from Tucson by equipment truck and is one of three matchups that will be played away from the West Coast. Arizona coach Brent Brennan, who is in his first year, relies on his school’s staff to help students when academic difficulties may arise due to travel.

“We have incredible academic support,” Brennan said. “And as a coaching staff, we take supporting the academic mission of our university very seriously.”

While ASU will not travel to Florida, the Sun Devils will travel outside the West Coast five times this upcoming season, compared to zero trips last year. They will play on the road against Texas Tech, Texas State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini says preparation before the trip is critical to ensuring players can focus on their studies, adding that the adjustment to college won’t be difficult, but “different than what we’re used to.” He says the distance traveled doesn’t change, but he acknowledges the time zone change and believes the responsibility of taking care of athletes doesn’t fall solely on the coaching staff.

“We’re leveraging our sports medicine team, our sports performance team, our nutrition team,” Rossini said. “And there are things we can do before a trip to make sure we’re focused on peak performance and recovery, knowing that their student-athletes have demands on their time and academic expectations.”

Rossini recognizes the importance of asking practical questions when traveling across time zones to ensure players meet their academic expectations.

“And so how do we travel, the time it takes to get out? Do we need to add an extra day on road trips in particular, depending on where we’re traveling? All of that comes into the conversations, as we know traveling to the Big 12 is going to be a little bit different,” Rossini said. “And so, looking at all of that, what do we do with meals before the trip, on the trip, when we land? How do we find a responsible way to get to decent times so that everyone gets a good night’s rest and is prepared to compete?”

Rossini added that the athletics department needs to be “mindful” of students’ expectations in the classroom, making sure they have “hotel space” to complete exams and attend classes if necessary.

“The well-being and experience of the student-athlete is at the heart of our decision-making,” Rossini said.

The National Football Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on spreading the importance of academics to amateur football players. NFF COO Matthew Sign places the responsibility on each college to provide the indicators necessary for students to thrive academically, but maintains confidence in the schools’ collective plan.

“Overall, especially as you go up the ladder, those schools do a really good job of trying to prepare kids for what’s going to happen,” Sign said. “From what we’re seeing and what we’re hearing … everyone’s working on this, and I think everyone has a good plan for it. Will it be difficult? Yes. But everyone’s just going to have to adapt.”

ASU defensive back Xavion Alford believes the time difference presents a new academic hurdle for athletes, but his advice to all players is simple: “Don’t procrastinate.”

“You (athletes) know you have training from Thursday onwards. It gets serious during the week,” Alford said. “Take care of your work on the weekends beforehand, like Sundays, use days like that. Use the beginning of the week to get your work done so you can just focus on the game for the rest of the week.”

For Alford, business is business no matter the area and no matter whether it is on the field or in the classroom.

“There are time differences everywhere, but we still have to get the job done,” he said. “We have to prepare as best as we can for the time zone, but at the end of the day, we still have a job to do.”