One of Arizona State's more popular players in recent years won't be going away. In fact, he's going to be seen — and heard — more often. Former Sun Devil offensive lineman Ben Coleman will join Jeff Munn and work on Sun Devil football broadcasts for the 2026 season. Coleman is not replacing anyone; he will be an addition to the team on the pre-game, post-game, and halftime shows. "He will have great perspective," producer Shawn Crespin said. "We have excellent people who have been around the program for a long time, but he is someone who actually played for Kenny and this current staff, so it will be nice to have someone from the new era. He'll be a great fit." After transferring from California, Coleman spent three years at ASU, though he missed the first year with an Achilles injury.
He started all 13 games in 2024 at left guard, helping ASU to the Big 12 title and a berth in the Peach Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. He moved to center for 2025, only to have his season end halfway through it with a torn triceps sustained in the loss at Utah. He finished his college career with 42 total games started. "I'm very excited about the opportunity," he said. "It should be a lesson for a lot of athletes. It just goes to show you never know who's watching you, listening to you, seeing how you conduct yourself. Relationships go a long way." Coleman was part of the Pat Tillman Leadership Council and represented ASU at Big 12 Media Day. He has two master's degrees from ASU, one in communications and the other in digital and audience strategies. His undergraduate degree from Cal is in media studies. He's been busy since finishing his playing days at ASU, with a couple of entrepreneurial endeavors. He joined a former teammate at Cal to launch a mobile football arcade called Touchdown Phoenix, which features four interactive games. He also developed an online financial literacy program with eight chapters and roughly 40 lessons designed to help athletes navigate financial matters ranging from buying a car to learning the ins and outs of maximizing NIL opportunities. Crespin said Coleman impressed all the media personnel he met during his time at ASU. He appeared on the "Sparky's Den" show twice. Crespin and those who work on the show talked about his presence and articulate demeanor. Crespin said he told Doug Tammaro, senior associate athletic director for media relations, that if Coleman ever reached out about wanting to be more active in the program, to put him in touch with him. That is indeed what happened. "He's just got a lot of knowledge and a great personality," Crespin said of Coleman. "Anybody who has been around him can see how engaging he is, and we're happy to be able to add him to our team." Crespin added that all are so high on Coleman, they are open to working him into broadcasts of other sports, not just football. "Obviously, football is my specialty," Coleman said. "I don't pretend to know everything about other sports, but I'm open to learning. We'll just deal with football first and see where it goes." Coleman will be one of the guests on the Aug. 26 taping of Sparky's Den from 6 to 7 p.m. at Trophy Bar in Chandler. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former ASU center Ben Coleman joins Sun Devil radio