FITE CLUB! | Journey continues for Tatum’s Fite in Peach Bowl today; Montana Warren another E. Texan on ASU roster

University of Texas fans will root for their team to win the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl today, and move on to the quarterfinals in the College Football Playoff.

But let me give you a reason that, should the Longhorns lose to Arizona State, it might be bittersweet.

C.J. Fite, the former Tatum High School standout, is a defensive lineman for the Sun Devils, and has had a big impact on their rise to the top of the Big 12 Conference this season.

Fite, one of two college football-playing sons of Drenon and Tamara Fite, had a large cheering section last month when he and his team won the Big 12 title in a rout of Iowa State close to home, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

And C.J. was featured late last week in one of his adopted state’s most prominent media outlets, The Arizona Republic (Who is C.J. Fite? What to know about ASU defensive tackle).

ETBlitz.com visited with C.J., dad Drenon, and brother Trey, who plays linebacker for the University of Louisiana, back in the spring, right before both brothers had to report back to their respective campuses (FOOTBALL IS THEIR BUSINESS, & BUSINESS IS GOOD | Meet the Fites, and read about their fascinating football life).

C.J. is the youngest of the brothers, and watched as Trey was recruited, almost wound up at Arkansas, went to SMU, and then found his place in Lafayette.

“…When he was going through recruiting, I was always around,” C.J. told us, back in our visit to the Fite home in the spring. “Every trip he was on, I was right there with him. So I was really on the radar of all the schools that were recruiting him. It was a matter if they wanted to offer or not.

“It was kind of iffy, because I’m undersized for an interior lineman. That was really the biggest challenge. But with (Drenon) being an educator, and having the resources, I didn’t have to do it all myself – he had connections to coaches, connections to others.”

And Fite loved it at ASU.

But then head coach Herm Edwards was dismissed by the university. And he re-thought things.

“I thought it was going to be a breeze when I committed during the summer to Arizona State. But when coach Herm got fired, that’s when I had to make a tough decision. I liked that whole staff, they were nice. I had to figure out if I was going to decommit or stay. I ended up decommitting, and then, I was trying to get back in the recruiting process.

“It was tough trying to figure out where I was going to go. It was very stressful, trying to figure out what was open, who would take me, things like that, trying to figure out what was the next place. And then when I got the call from the new staff at Arizona State, I told them I’d call them back. After I got out of class, I did talk to them – that was Monday, and had it done by Wednesday. I never really wanted to decommit, but it was kind of like I needed to; there were a lot of uncertainties; so we were trying to make sure things were more stable when they got the new staff.”

But he did eventually decide to stay with the Sun Devils, and not only is he glad he did – they are, as well.

In the 2023 season, playing in the Pac-12 Conference, the “undersized” defensive tackle (listed at 6-2, 315 pounds) was one of eight interior linemen in all of major college football to play more than 300 snaps as a freshman. Fite played 200 more snaps than any other freshman D-line player in the conference.

And in 2024, Fite as a sophomore made 29 tackles, three tackles for a loss, had two sacks, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries. He was named second-team All-Big 12.

That fumble recovery was for a touchdown, by the way, in a 30-23 win over Southeastern Conference program Mississippi State.

The Fites’ family and extended family, as one can imagine, had to balance their time between watching C.J. and Trey, whose Ragin’ Cajuns reached the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game this year, as well.

It’s a family tradition: dad Drenon was a football player at Texas State University, and Madison, sister to C.J. and Trey, played volleyball.

C.J. had a vocal crowd at Arlington for the title game at AT&T, and the Sun Devils claimed the conference title and their spot in the College Football Playoff with a convincing 45-19 win over Iowa State.

The Sun Devils, coached by Kenny Dillingham, got a huge performance by Cam Skattebo, one of the best running backs in the nation. Skattebo gashed the Iowa State defense for 170 yards, two touchdowns – one of them on the game’s first play – and a catch for a touchdown. Another of Fite’s teammates, receiver Xavier Guillory, had a pair of touchdown catches, and freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 12-of-17 passes for 219 yards and the three scores.

C.J. had two tackles and a solo tackle in the game, and proudly wore his Big 12 Conference Champions T-shirt in the confetti shower that took place afterward, as he greeted ETBlitz.com’s Mitch Lucas with a big grin. “Proud to be here,” Fite said, with a smile.

Up in the stands, Drenon – surrounded by about 25 family members and friends – had one thing to say: “We’re excited!”

The family had to divide that day, on Dec. 7, because Trey’s game was at the Ragin’ Cajuns’ home stadium in Lafayette.

It was a bittersweet night. C.J. and the Sun Devils won the Big 12, but Louisiana lost the Sun Belt title game to Marshall.

C.J. and Arizona State likely know they’ll have a big challenge on their hands today: the Texas Longhorns (12-2), the runners-up in the SEC.

Kickoff of the Peach Bowl is at noon today on ESPN. The winners of today’s game will play the winner of the Rose Bowl by Prudential: either top-ranked Oregon or Ohio State.

The winner of the top half of the CFP bracket will play for the national championship on Jan. 20 against either Penn State – winners over Boise State in Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl – or Notre Dame or Georgia, who also play tonight.

C.J. and his teammates will likely face both Quinn Ewers, Texas’ starter at quarterback, and back-up Arch Manning. Ewers has thrown for 2,867 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season; Manning, known for his mobility, has thrown for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, and has ran for exactly 100 yards and four scores on 24 carries.

Arizona State has several players from Texas: 21 of them, to be exact, and another from East Texas: defensive back Montana Warren, listed from Marshall.

Montana’s grandmother, Marie Anderson, lives in Henderson, and was at the Big 12 title game, her first trip to AT&T Stadium. His grandfathers, Don Alexander and Vincent Warren, were also on hand.

Montana’s dad coached at Elysian Fields and then at Henderson, where Warren graduated.

Mrs. Anderson agreed with Drenon Fite that being the family member of a college athlete is just a travel life.

“I love to travel,” she told ETBlitz, back on Dec. 7. “I always keep a suitcase ready in case a trip (comes up). I don’t know where they’ll go next. As long as it’s not too cold, and I have an overnight bag ready, too.”