Cheers! ASU's CJ Fite Excited For Union Jack Classic Experience

By Simon Carroll

The Arizona State Sun Devils take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the Union Jack Classic this September – the first ever college football game to be played at Wembley Stadium. ASU defensive tackle CJ Fite joined a conference call with the UK media to share his thoughts on the upcoming trip to London:

Forks Up

“This place has been special since I got here my freshman year. Nobody’s changed.”

In 2025, Arizona State’s CJ Fite was recognised as one of the Big 12’s top interior defensive linemen, extending his streak to 26 consecutive starts for the Sun Devils and racking up 29 tackles, 6.5 TFL’s and a sack in the process. It was a contribution that helped ASU to eight wins despite a host of injuries, and catapulted the defensive tackle into the NFL Draft conversation. But instead of turning pro this offseason, Fite chose to return to Tempe in 2026. For him, it was an easy decision to make:

“Everyone here has been real from the start, from when I got recruited until now. There’s a few new pieces here and there, but Coach Dillingham does a good job of bringing in the right people. They’re genuine people that care about everybody. So I didn’t want to go anywhere else; it was declare or come back here. I had a lot of prayer, talked to God, and I’m excited to stay.”

Fite’s return to Arizona State means the senior will be on the plane when the team heads to London in Week 3. The Union Jack Classic between the Sun Devils and Kansas Jayhawks on September 19th is the first college football game to be played at Wembley Stadium. Whilst it didn’t factor into Fite’s decision to play one more year, it’s certainly something he and his teammates are excited for:

“It’s cool to be able to do something like this, and not everyone gets an opportunity like it. It’s probably a once in a lifetime experience, something that allows you to grow. It’s always been in the back of my head to go to London… so for it to actually happen hopefully will push me to do more things and step out of my comfort zone.”

Embracing Something Different

American football has exploded in the United Kingdom, with the NFL now being a mainstream sport and enjoying multiple games in London for almost twenty years. Interest in college football is also growing, a natural evolution as fans understand the NFL Draft and the collegiate system that feeds the pro game. Joining a conference call with a group of UK sports journalists, Fite explained why the trip will be special not just for the spectators, but for the young men down on the field too:

“It’s the subtle differences to the two cultures. Just now, somebody ended their question with ‘cheers’! Stuff as little as that is cool to me, the things you don’t hear all the time. In our locker room we enjoy learning about our teammates’ cultures, who have come from far and wide to play for ASU… It’s the same with London – going over there, seeing how they do things, how they talk, the food they eat. Just to be immersed in a different way of life is what I’m excited about.”

CJ Fite is a leader of a team that is primed to challenge in the Big 12 this coming season. The Sun Devils won the conference two years ago despite being predicted by many to finish last, earning a playoff spot in the first year of the expanded postseason bracket. A four-year player who has spent all his time with one school, Fite is becoming a rarity in a sport that sees much more fluid player movement with NIL opportunities and the transfer portal. Recruiting and transferring are two aspects of the sport that intrigues college football fans over here, and the senior explains the priorities he had when deciding to return to Tempe:

“I was committed to ASU under the old staff, And when they got fired, I was nervous. But I got a call from the new coaches and they made it clear they still wanted me. They were genuine, and it just reassured me I’d made the right decision. And I know other people focus on different things, but I have loved every minute I’ve been out here. So why change that? Coming to Arizona State was the best decision of my life, and I can’t wait to have one more year.”

The Beauty of the Big 12

So what can football fans in the UK expect when the Big 12 relocates to the Big Smoke for one Saturday in September? CJ Fite tries to explain the culture of a conference that has garnered a lot of fans for the parity between the sixteen members compared to other leagues:

“The Big 12 is real balanced. Balanced in the teams, and anyone can beat anyone on their day. But balanced with styles of play too. You’ll see some of the flashiness with receivers in the passing game, but then you get the hard nosed, smashmouth football like in the SEC too. You’e got running backs who can make the highlight reel cuts, pass rushers who bring the speed and the violence… It’s the best of both worlds – when fans go to Wembley to watch the Big 12 game, they’ll see a picture of all college football conferences in one game.”

Fite knows what it will take to be victorious when the Sun Devils descend on Wembley Stadium later this year. Four years of production in the most unpredictable conference in college football tells you he’s ready for anything. And as the sport grows over here and young fans harbour dreams of heading to the USA and earning a scholarship offer themselves, he had some sage advice on how to stand out from the crowd:

“You have to be able to separate yourself in different ways. And the mindset is one of them. I think everybody has that voice in their head where sometimes they don’t want to go. Sometimes they don’t want to do all the reps. Sometimes they don’t want to run that last gasser. But then you have to have the other voice in your head to be able to tell you, I’m going to do it anyways. Or I’m going to push through this. I’m going to be better. I’m going to be better than the dude next to me. I’ll be better than the team next to me. They say you shouldn’t have negative thoughts. I think that’s natural – you’ve just got to choose to ignore them.”

UNION JACK CLASSIC TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

College Football heads to London in 2026! Make sure you get to see the Arizona State Sun Devils take on the Kansas Jayhawks at Wembley Stadium. Book your tickets here:

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SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST, IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER FOR DAZN AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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