Newcomer Jordan Crook serving as the spark plug in the revamped ASU linebacker unit

When Jordan Crook decided to enter the transfer portal after two years at Arkansas, it didn't take him long to find a landing spot. Chalk that up to a long-standing family connection to the Arizona State coaching staff.

The 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker is a product of Duncanville (Texas) High School where he played under head coach Reginald Samples, the father of then-Sun Devil wide receivers coach Ra'Shaad Samples. For Crook, it was a no-brainer to make Tempe his second college stop.

"Yes, that had a lot to do with it. (Samples) was my first call when I jumped in the portal," Crook said. "When he called me, I didn't have to put too much thought into it. He's pretty much like a big brother to me."

While Samples made that initial call, it was ASU linebackers coach A.J. Cooper and head coach Kenny Dillingham making a trip to Fayetteville to visit him. Crook had a visit to Central Florida scheduled but canceled it. The rest is history.

Now Crook is part of a retooled ASU linebacking unit that has been solid through the first six games. The surprising Sun Devils (5-1, 2-1) will take on Cincinnati (4-2, 2-1) in Big 12 play at 9 a.m. Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

"He's aggressive," Cooper said about what he liked about Crook. "And it's just his personality. It's not just him on the field. He's a spark plug. He's got energy. He's got a bounce in his step. He flies around. If you watch him out there, whether he's making the play or it is someone else making a play, he's dapping them up. He's just a very positive, energy guy."

Crook, who turns 21 later this month, signed with Arkansas after a stellar high school career. He had notable offers from Michigan, Washington and Nebraska, along with most Big 12 schools such as Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas Tech.

He came to ASU with two seasons plus a redshirt left in eligibility, but his start in Tempe didn't go as planned. Samples departed in April, halfway through spring practice after getting a position on the University of Oregon staff that was a promotion over what he had at ASU.

Despite the departure of somebody to whom he was close, Crook never thought about going elsewhere because he appreciated the relationships he had established with Cooper and Dillingham. He remains in touch with Samples, who serves as the Ducks' assistant head coach and running backs coach.

Cooper felt a strong rapport with this player right away.

"We had as good a man-to-man, heart-to-heart conversation as you could have," Cooper said of his first talk with Crook. "I wanted to know him, know what he was about, know about his goals and his intentions and vice versa. I wanted him to know what coach Dillingham's vision was, what his expectations were going to be, and what the room was going to look like."

"There were no promises, no sugar-coating. Just real conversations. I think he appreciated who we were and the opportunity we presented to him."

The start of his season was delayed three weeks by an infection in his leg that required surgery. He didn't make his ASU debut until the road game at Texas Tech where he contributed five tackles in a 30-22 loss. He had seven in last week's 27-19 upset of No. 16 Utah and has remained in the starting lineup.

He has 15 tackles and a pass breakup in three games.

One thing Crook appreciates is the camaraderie that has developed in his position group, which features two other newcomers in Keyshaun Elliott (New Mexico State) and Zyrus Fiaseu (San Diego State). While it is the newcomers that had been the headline players, last week it was the veteran Caleb McCullough with a breakout performance while subbing for Elliott who had to sit out the first half against Utah after a targeting call.

McCullough, one of three players on the roster to have played their entire career at ASU, delivered the best game of his career with 12 tackles and two interceptions to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"That's my dawg. We were all so happy for him to have that kind of game," Crook said. "He deserved that. We're all competitive but it's a good competitive and we're always working together. It's really about the team."

The result has been there as ASU is one win away from bowl eligibility — not to mention doubling its win total from last season.

"We say it all the time, the only people that believed in us were us," he said. "Ultimately that's all that matters. To those of us in this building, we feel like we have the best team and we're going to work and go out there and show it on weekends. All the factors outside the building, we can't worry about that. We know if we put in the work, the results will be there."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Newcomer Jordan Crook serving as the spark plug in the revamped ASU linebacker unit