Caleb on offense, Scott on defense
Key offensive players rehabbing from injuries, such as quarterback Jaden Rashada and wide receivers Elijhah Badger and Xavier Guillory, increased their practice involvement as the Sun Devils began their third week of spring practices.
Offensive Two-Deep
First Team
LT Colby Garvin
LG Ben Coleman
C Sean Na’a
RG Kyle Scott
RT Jalen Klemm
QB Trenton Bourgue
RB Raleek Brown/Cam Skattebo
SLOT Melquan Stovall
WR Jake Smith
WR Derek Eusebio
TE Markeston Douglas
Second Team
LT Emmit Bohle
LG Keona Peat
C Leif Fautanu
RG Makua Pule
RT Max Iheanachor
QB Sam Leavitt
RB Kyson Brown/George Hart III
SLOT Kaleb Black
WR Jordyn Tyson
WR Troy Omeire
TE Bryce Pierre
In the wake of Rashaad Samples’s departure, thus leaving a leadership void in the wide receiver room, head coach Kenny Dillingham and graduate assistant Brady White personally oversaw the group today. Dillingham went into vital detail with the players on releases off the line of scrimmage, emphasizing technique and quickness. Dillingham said that he will continue to be involved with this unit in the spring, assuming a wide receiver coach isn’t hired later this month.
While they didn’t take any team reps, both Xavier Guillory and Elijhah Badger were present and participating in positional drills for the first time this spring. Jake Smith and Melquan Stovall had strong outings in 1v1s, creating separation on multiple levels of the field for easy catches on the run. Korbin Hendrix stood out with a couple of highlight reel-type grabs, while Kaleb Black made plays in 7v7s as well. Wide receiver positional drills focused on the aforementioned releases, as well as primary route running and catching.
Another first for the spring, quarterback Jaden Rashada threw passes in positional drills following surgery on his thumb. Likely not going at 100 percent, the soon-to-be redshirt freshman was still sharp in drills, while Trenton Bourguet and Sam Leavitt limited mistakes as well. Navi Bruzon struggled in his reps, tossing an interception in 7v7s and being run out of the pocket quickly. Leavitt and Bourguet continue to excel in short-yardage situations but have yet to show off much in explosive gains in live play. Quarterback drills were of the usual on Tuesday, with pocket passing and rollouts aplenty.
As the deepest position group of the offense, variation in running back pairings continued on Tuesday. Separating its top two runners in Raleek Brown and Cam Skattebo, the latter feasted on the second-team defense with plenty of solid runs, primarily working outside the guards, having already established himself as a bruiser. Working a fair amount of halfback tosses, Skattebo and Brown were successful in gaining the edges while both breaking off yards after the catch on some live flat routes. Running back positional drills honed in ball security when acing a two-man tackle, as well as agility running.
Mixing and matching continue on the offensive line, with players being spotted all across the trenches, still trying to figure out the most workable combinations. Emmit Bohle took reps at left tackle for the first this spring, and Jalen Klemm lined up at right tackle.
Sean Na’a spent his second session at center and held his own in particular.
Defensive Two Deep
First Team
EDGE Clayton Smith
DL Jacob Kongaika
DL CJ Fite
EDGE Elijah O’Neal
LB Tate Romney
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
DB Xavian Alford
DB Macen Williams
DB Ed Woods
DB Javan Robinson
DB Shamari Simmons
Second Team
EDGE Prince Dorbah
DL JP Deeter
DL Blazen Lono-Wong
EDGE Kyran Bourda
LB Keyshaun Elliott
LB Caleb McCullough
NICKEL Cole Martin
CB Rodney Bimage
CB Keontez Bradley
Safety Kamari Wilson
Safety Myles Rowser
Despite letting the offense gain some traction in Saturday’s scrimmage, the defensive group's energy was high on Tuesday. Then again, it’s hard to have a lack of enthusiasm and intensity around coordinator Brian Ward.
The high motor was evident from the opening moments of practice, as Clayton Smith recorded a sack in the starting team tempo period. Tate Romney’s return to the field helped stabilize the linebacking corps, as Caleb McCullough stood out with several good reps on the day. McCullough’s success carried into live play as well, tipping a pass that would’ve gone for a touchdown in 11v11s.
On Tuesday, a period of live play was implemented for much of the defensive practice plan, so drills were the name of the game. All positions went through a rotation of blocking stations that included face-ups off the line of scrimmage and during simulated plays.
On the defensive line, Diron Reynolds kept his active limbs approach in positional work. Defensive linemen worked on their footwork off the snap and mobility through blockers to get into the backfield. Prince Dorbah had strong reps in this drill, as well as some success in 2v2 rushes. Tristan Monday was also impressive against an opposing blocker, shedding him often in an excellent overall session for him. Active hands and feet continue to be a development key this spring on the defensive line.
As usual, linebacker drills weren’t vast but intricate. Play recognition remained an emphasis, as did pre-snap adjustments and 1v1 tackling. Tate Romney returned to practice after missing the last couple and looked like himself in live play, commanding the unit and moving around the field just fine.
Building off this in the secondary, defensive backs worked on their open-field tackling but made Tuesday all about the ball. Ball tracking in all directions was done throughout the morning, while coaches also honed in on zone coverage, using two defensive backs against one receiver and figuring out the switch points. In live play, no one play or player truly stood out, but Keontez Bradley took a 1v1 rep from Troy Omeire, with Cole Martin making strong tackles to end plays. Montana Warren displayed increased physicality as well.
Ian Hershey and Carston Kieffer both took live field goal attempts from 40 yards out, with Hershey’s going through and Kieffer’s blocked at the line of scrimmage by a contingent of defenders.
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