Redshirt junior defensive back Xavion Alford struggled on the sidelines for 1,005 days. The sport he loved most was taken away for two consecutive seasons.
The once highly-touted Texan started his career at Texas before transferring to USC. He missed all of 2022 due to injury and 2023 due to NCAA transfer rules that have since been lifted. Alford went from a blue-chip prospect to a scout-team participant in the blink of an eye.
The sudden change came with strife. New challenges off the field arose as he grappled with his absence on the field. He lost loved ones and was in the midst of an intense internal battle.
"It's hard for a 19 to 22-year-old to be away from football for over 1,000 days, not be able to play out there on the grass and still be engaged, still be locked in, still be willing to learn. It's kind of easy to check out if you're dealt a hand,"said defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington, who recruited Alford and has coached him at all three schools during his college career. "(It) really took him to a dark place."
During this time, Alford saw two options in front of him: He could either quit or accept the situation and deal with it. Alford chose the second option.
What gave Alford the strength to persevere through such a dark place was his support system.
"I had my family, God, my teammates and coaches to support me," Alford said. "But I still had to go through it. It is what it is. I had to control what I could control, and I had to be ready for when my moment came."
As Alford leaned on his support system, he gave his all to the scout team and his teammates began to take notice. They watched his efforts while experiencing challenging circumstances and began to respect him even more.
The star safety was blossoming into a team leader.
Alford's moment had come by the time the 2024 season arrived. In the season opener, Alford started at safety and led the Sun Devil defense to a near-shutout performance in a 48-7 win over Wyoming. As the team huddled around the victory bell after the win, only one player stood out as most worthy to ring it: Alford.
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By week two, Alford was giving pregame speeches.
"The leadership of Xavion shows up," head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "The way he carries himself is something that I've been around a few times, but it's very rare the leadership style that he has, and the command he has."
Now, Alford has transcended into a new role Carrington describes as a "natural born leader."
"He's one of the stronger voices on our team when he talks," Carrington said. "People listen not only for how he plays, but how he is on an everyday basis, how he approached meetings and how he approached workouts. Kids will rally behind guys that not only talk about it, but guys that live up to the example. He's the guy that definitely lives up to the example."
Leadership isn't the only area in which the star safety has excelled. On the field, Alford says he feels better than ever, which has been reflected in his play. Alford has the highest PFF defensive, tackle and coverage grades among Sun Devil defenders who have played 100 or more snaps.
Despite playing the fifth-most coverage snaps in the Big 12 this season, Alford has allowed only four receptions and 36 yards, ranking seventh and 11th best, respectively, among FBS defensive backs. His forced incompletion rate of 44.4% when targeted ranks second in the FBS.
Alford, who transitioned to free safety, has fit the mold of defensive coordinator Brian Ward's group as a fast, aggressive and smart defensive back.
His excellence on the field is likely due to his enhanced mindset. After facing such extraordinary setbacks, Alford appears to be seeing his past struggles as the reason for his current success.
"It was a blessing in disguise," Alford said. "I wouldn't change it for anything, and it made me the person I am today."
The redshirt junior doesn't take anything for granted. Every play is an opportunity and every opportunity is a chance to succeed.
Alford wants to make one thing clear: this is only the beginning.
Edited by Jack Barron, Abigail Beck and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at jwkartso@asu.edu and follow @kartsonis3 on X.
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Jack is a sophomore studying sports journalism. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked at other student journalism organizations.
