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Two down, three to go. ASU wrapped up the second week of spring practices with a scrimmage-heavy Saturday practice. @Joe Healey and I review the action and update you on where the key position battles stand. Plus, we talk with four Sun Devils having strong springs: QB Sam Leavitt (16:44), WR Melquan Stovall (20:52), DT Jeff Clark (36:57), and DB Cole Martin (40:37).

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The last three ASU sessions were certainly ones in which the offense had more highlights on display, yet the defense, especially in the scrimmage, showcased its elevated level of talent. Here's our analysis:

This Twitter account is well connected to the college basketball world. At any event this tweet is hinting that Hurley or perhaps his representative has either talked to DePaul or is planning to in the near future.

Now granted for plausible deniability purposes, it could be the representative rather than Hurley himself that has met or is planning to meet, even though it's wild to think that this is something that could take place in the middle of the season.

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The last day of the dead period is the 11th

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It's hard to measure the viability of this or even how soon it will take effect, but it's an interesting proposition that could perhaps help ASU, for example. This is from John Canzano:

College Sports Tomorrow” went public this week with a plan it thinks should replace the NCAA and College Football Playoff.

Per The Athletic:

The current CST outline would create a system that would have the top 70 programs — all members of the five former major conferences, plus Notre Dame and new ACC member SMU — as permanent members and encompass all 130-plus FBS universities.

The perpetual members would be in seven 10-team divisions, joined by an eighth division of teams that would be promoted from the second tier.

The 50-plus second-division teams would have the opportunity to compete their way into the upper division, creating a promotion system similar to the structure in European football leagues. The 70 permanent teams would never be in danger of moving down, while the second division would have the incentive of promotion and relegation.

Some thoughts…

• I’m intrigued by the concept. It solves some of the glaring problems facing college athletics and offers a measured, rational solution to the unsustainable mess forming in college athletics. Also, the relegation element incentivizes schools to invest in football or quit bellyaching. If you want to matter, you invest. If you don’t, you don’t.

• I’m skeptical that the SEC and Big Ten will embrace any changes to the system unless they’re squeezed into submission by the lawsuits lining up out there.

• The CST outline would bring Oregon State and Washington State back into the fold as top-tier members. It offers a hopeful solution for those schools. It also would separate football from other college sports, harness NIL, and embrace college football players as employees.

• The 20-person group that is driving the CST pitch includes Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud, West Virginia president Gordon Gee, and Brian Rolapp, a top executive in the NFL’s league office. According to The Athletic, the lead organizer is Len Perna, chairman and CEO of the search firm TurnkeyZRG.

• I need to know more about the potential involvement of private equity firms. I’ve spoken with a few firms that are currently on the sideline, salivating, stretching out, hydrating, and waiting for cash-strapped schools and conferences to wave them into action. Does anyone else have questions?

• Bob Thompson, the retired Fox Sports Networks president, offered on social media that he thinks 80 teams is “way too many.” Thompson suggested, “The top 48 moving up and out from the current model would generate as much TV revenue as the top 80 because the matchups would be consistently better.”

• The ACC took a meeting with the CST folks, per the report. The Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 did not, however, out of respect for their TV partners. You need no further proof that television is in charge of college athletics.

• It’s unlikely that anything will happen until the current TV deals expire. The Big Ten (2030) and SEC (2034) are contractually bound. So are the Big 12 (2031) and ACC (2036).

• It’s possible those deals could be unwound somehow, I guess. Or if Florida State and Clemson are successful in litigating their way out of the ACC, it could cause chaos. As one conference commissioner told me: “If the lawsuits prevail it hurts all leagues as it may make our bylaws moot.”

• I reached out to Washington State President Kirk Schulz on Thursday to ask what he made of the “College Sports Tomorrow” proposal. After all, it includes a home for WSU and Oregon State. Schulz told me he was still digesting it.

He told me: “We do need to have some of these conversations — and I am glad to see these ideas out in the open. Presently, if the Big 10 and SEC do not support something — not sure how it happens.”

So, here's how it all went down (and it's not done yet) with RB COACH DOMINOS. Michigan gets Ohio State's...then, Ohio State gets Oregon's...then, Oregon gets ASU's...then...ASU gets ???. How about that....ASU is keeping some top- shelf, blue blood company in that sentence!!

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = ASU Final Four ?

So, are we down to about the final four when it comes to the new AD candidates..??

President Crow said that his re-design of the athletic dept was almost complete which meant that the school could hire a new AD as soon as that was done...

And, that was his intent and that was the reason for the delay in hiring a new AD...

Two of the in-house names bandied about have been interim AD - James Rund - who is Crow's age and has dealt with Sun Devil athletics in the past and current business executive for the athletic dept - Graham Rossini...

Both of those insiders know what Crow wants in his athletic dept and probably wouldn't buck him about Crow's "vision" for the athletic dept in any sort of meaningful way...

Another candidate who apparently has an interest in the job since he has ties to the Valley and ASU is current UConn AD - David Benedict...

Rocky Harris has also been bandied about as a possible candidate since he has former ties to ASU and a good reputation as a CEO of another entity...

Outside of those people, I wonder who else might want the job in an athletic dept that suffers from a damaged reputation these days, IMHO...

From my viewpoint, the AD job at ASU was probably considered a plum job that would attract all sorts of highly qualified candidates in the past but I don't think that is the case any longer...

For, the erosion of the Sun Devil athletic dept under Crow has been significant, IMHO, as his vision for the department has gone from one of seeking championships to now settling for "competitive traction" in sports, especially as it relates to ASU's big three sports...football, basketball and baseball...

It's gotten so bad that our swimming and diving coach who just won a national championship, despite the obstacles at ASU, immediately left ASU for Texas, that is all about winning championships and providing the financial means to do that on a continuous basis...

Meanwhile, at ASU, where the Sun Devil athletic dept will now become just another financial "unit" on campus, some, like me, wonder what that will mean for all of our sports moving forward...

Will sports like swimming and diving be cut to make ends meet financially..??

It's been said down here in Tucson that AU has all sorts of morale problems, with faculty and staff, over the financial crisis brought on under the leadership of president Robbins and I wonder if the same thing is happening in the Sun Devil athletic dept, where I'm sure uncertainty rules the day...

And, more importantly, if a new AD can fix those problems within a re-designed athletic dept...

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to watching Iowa, with star Caitlin Clark, take on South Carolina today and to watching UConn taking on Purdue tomorrow night...

Those games will have resolution to them but will ASU have any resolution regarding a new AD in like fashion..??

Stay tuned and Go Devils!!!

should be fun game to watch......watched Hawks-Connectitcut Frid nite and C Clark is quite the player, even when a great DEF player tries to put her in a straight jacket

Would love to see Hawkeyes win this one

Saturday's sixth practice of the Spring football featured the first true scrimmage for the team. Perfect football weather featured a session where no one side of the ball dominated the other.



Offensive Two Deep:



First Group:



LT Colby Garvin

LG Sean Na’a

C Keona Peat

RG Kyle Scott

RT Emmit Bohle



QB Trenton Bourguet



RB Kyson Brown/Raleek Brown



SLOT: Melquan Stovall

WR Jake Smith

WR Derek Eusebio



TE Marketson Douglas/Bryce Pierre



Second group:



LT: Jalen Klemm

LG: Ben Coleman

C: Leif Fautanu

RG: Makua Pule

RT: Max Iheanachor



QB Sam Leavitt



RB Cam Skattebo/George Hart III



WR Troy Omeire

SLOT: Kaleb Black

WR Jordyn Tyson



TE Bryce Pierre/Coleson Arends



Quarterbacks:



As it stands at the end of the second week of spring practice, there has not been a defining moment or tremendous leap for either Sam Leavitt or Trenton Bourguet in who will be the one to effectively take on Jaden Rashada come fall camp. Either way, both quarterbacks continue to show flashes in their own way, especially in a long session scrimmage like today.



For Bourguet, the day did not get off to the greatest start. As the team bypassed the usual special team and ball security segments, the team segment welcomed Bourguet with an interception made by defensive back Javan Robinson.



It was Bourguet’s later drive in practice that set the standard though, as he found Melquan found Stovall twice, once a nice dart over the middle for a first down, and another on the right sideline on a fourth down conversion.



Bourguet continued in managing the offense effectively finding Jake Smith over the middle similar to finding Max Ware on the same route on another drive. Bourguet’s day was highlighted by on two drives with fade balls in the end zone completed to Derek Eusebio. The only other fault for Bourguet was a fumbled snap that ended up in the hands of the defense.



In Leavitt's case, his arm strength is the main differential as the connection to Jordyn Tyson as on full display today as balls were rifled over the middle for multiple completions. It was similarly the case when Leavitt looked to Troy Omeire on shorter routes.



Much like Bourguet, after not doing much of anything on the opening team-segment drive, Leavitt came back on the second drive and commanded the offense with the help of Cam Skattebo to find Tyson in the endzone. Things slowed down for Leavitt after that, showing his great footwork in a scramble on the last drive of practice.



The fault for Leavitt as well came when a ball was hit at the line after release, eventually getting intercepted by defensive lineman Justin Wodtly and returned for a score. Leavitt nonetheless still had a very productive day on the completion end, but a few drives just stalled, simply put.



Offensive Line:



It seems as if the offensive line is coming to a somewhat solidified group in some spots. As the groups are still very mismatched from seeing a true two-deep, names like Leif Fautanu, Ben Coleman, Sean Na’a, Jalen Klemm, and Makua Pule seem to be holding their own in their respective groups. Since Josh Atkins didn’t take part in the scrimmage, that opened the door for Garvin to get more reps.



Na’a said in an interview with DevilsDigest last week that offensive line coach Saga Tuitele has pushed the players to play and fit in different positions to further the development and jive between the positions. That took place today as on some drives, Na’a himself was spotted playing some center.



As a collective group, Saturday marked another good day for the run game as Cam Skattebo, Kyson Brown, and Raleek Brown all found success on the ground, especially Raleek Brown, who had the longest run out of the three for a 40-yard score. The offensive line had their best week of practices, especially in run blocking, as the elevated depth of the group seems to be already paying dividends. Nonetheless, there were some shaky snaps in pass protection as Leavitt and Bourguet were both sacked today multiple times.





Running Backs:





As mentioned earlier, this week's run game was formidable in its performance. Cam Skattebo was about as consistent as it gets today getting about five yards per carry every time he touched the football if the play was not blown up.



Complementary to Skattebo, though, Raleek Brown continued to show his muscle running consistently today between the tackles and showing some shiftiness out of the backfield on a fourth-down conversion. The highlight of the day came from Raleek Brown busting a 40-yard run for a touchdown that capped off a Leavitt drive at the end of practice stamping today with an offensive step in the right direction.



Kyson Brown, on the other hand, has also been very consistent, like Skattebo, gaining yardage when he can. For Kyson, it is the increase in playtime that shows the testament of his abilities brought to the running back group. Kyson has had his fair share of explosive plays this week, but today, he is just proving his position amongst the group.



Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:



The running game has been the talk of practice this week, but let that not take away from the consistency the receivers have brought this week. The pinnacle of consistency this week and throughout the camp is Melquan Stovall.



Stovall again today had crucial catches on fourth downs. He has been targeted a lot as he consistently gets open in the short passing game. Stovall has in essence become the reliable slot player crucial to a receiving core.



Jordyn Tyson also continues to prove his worth coming back from injury last season into the spring, having a touchdown today, essentially snatching the ball from a defender. The Tyson-Leavitt connection mentioned earlier seems to be one blossoming as Tyson is proving more and more to be the quality addition many thought he would be coming over from Colorado.



As mentioned Thursday, the ones benefiting the most from the temporary absence of Xavier Guillory and Elijhah Badger are the younger receivers. Eusebio’s touchdowns today, even at his 5’ 9” frame, can change things up the depth chart-wise while, again, just sharpening the latter end of the position groups.



As for the tight ends, the group was relatively quiet today with minimal completions, one observed by Cameron Harpole. It will be interesting to see how the group and usage develop, but as of now, the run blocking looks to possibly be the emphasis early, and much like the front five, the unit has been generally formidable in that department.

Caleb on offense and myself on defense

Thursday’s practice report



Warmer than usual temperatures greeted the Sun Devils on Thursday morning as the team took the field for the second practice in a row in full pads. It was a session where the offense’s energy was impossible to miss, especially with their ability to run the ball.





Offense



First Group:



LT Josh Atkins

LG Sean Na’a

C Keona Peat

RG Makua Pule

RT Emmit Bohle



QB Sam Leavitt



RB Kyson Brown/Raleek Brown



SLOT: Melquan Stovall

WR Jake Smith

WR Derek Eusebio



TE Marketson Douglas/Bryce Pierre



Second group:



LT: Jalen Klemm

LG: Ben Coleman

C: Leif Fautanu

RG: Kyle Scott

RT: Max Iheanachor



QB Trenton Bourguet



RB Cam Skattebo/George Hart III



WR Troy Omeire

WR Jordyn Tyson

WR Korbin Hendrix



TE Bryce Pierre/Coleson Arends





Quarterbacks:



As Spring ball moves along into day five, the duel between long-time ASU quarterback Trenton Bourguet and Michigan State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt has been quite competitive. Both quarterbacks battled today and made some mistakes, nonetheless, as it was hard to see a clear victor in the battle today.



Beginning with Bourguet, he started the day strong in the team tempo period, finding tight end Bryce Pierre over the middle for a good gain. Transferring over to the routes on the air portion of practice, Bourguet, much like the other quarterbacks, was delivering fantastic balls to receivers running “Sluggo” routes into the endzone.



In the one one-on-one and seven-on-seven periods, Bourguet was picked off twice by nickel back Macen Williams and linebacker Jordan Crook. Although he was picked, Bourguet bounced back in the later team periods, commanding the offense down the field and finding Korbin Hendrix twice for big gains. That latter throw was a ball only Hendrix could grab on the sideline, setting up the later score. Bourguet also found Jordyn Tyson and Troy Omeire in the red zone team period for touchdowns.



For Leavitt, the beginning of practice got off to a slower start. In spite of that, the consistency of Leavitt’s play today was a thing to take notice of.



In the routes on air and individual portions with skill groups, Leavitt demonstrated arm strength delivering great second-level balls and zipping the balls to tight ends on over the middle routes. Leavitt’s only fault today was an interception during the “Main Event” portion of practice, as an underthrown ball ended up in the hands of cornerback Keontez Bradley.



In the team portion for Leavitt, he also was part of a drive that drove down the field and ended things with a field goal. Like Bourguet, Leavitt also found Tyson for a score in the red zone period that had the back half of the day look a little better.



Offensive Line:



Looking at the offensive line, it is hard to distinguish things without any individual explosive plays, but the offense overall did have a better day running the football, especially later in practice. Cam Skattebo and Kyson Brown were both very productive today behind both groups of the line.



Personnel-wise, Emmit Bohle got significant time today at right tackle, which is his main position. Bohle, coming off a broken leg last season, is gaining ground in becoming a day-to-day player in spring, which looks imminent as of today, which adds to the depth.



At the guard position, in a surprise to some since he’s been playing exclusively right tackle since the beginning of spring, Kyle Scott has been holding his own with the second group today playing in conjunction with Max Iheanachor. On the opposite side on the left, the development with the Josh Atkins/Sean Na’a and Jalen Klemm/Ben Coleman combos will be one to watch, as all players are experienced and have been relied on in spring.



A lot of today's drills saw linemen working in conjunction but as spring moves forward, it is no guarantee these will even be the combinations come fall. Nonetheless, there seemed to be more success with the following players at their position.



Running Backs:



As good of a performance as Raleek Brown had on Tuesday, today had Kyson Brown written all over it. Kyson Brown, in the tempo period, had two decent gains and a last one that arguably went for a touchdown, depending on who you ask.



The sophomore kept the momentum going later in practice, taking the first play from scrimmage about 60 yards before a defender made a touchdown-saving tackle. A big play from a running back that has been on the minds Of Kenny Dillingham and Arroyo. Brown part of the second group on their drive pounded in a touchdown from nine yards out to put an exclamation point on the offensive success today.



As well as Kyson Brown ran today, Skattebo was doing his thing in the team periods. In the first team period following tempo, Skattebo fumbled the ball after a nice 10-yard gain but managed to recover it. Then he quickly followed it up with another double-digit yard gain to move forward. In the later team, Skattebo had a touchdown in the red zone period, pounding his way in.



On the last drive of the day, Skattebo had a run going for about 20 yards. As the running backs did their thing today, they proved the depth of the overall group.



Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:



The collective skilled group that continues to be highlighted by many had a great day. This was much needed as highly touted local recruit Cooper Perry was in the house for practice.



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Nonetheless, Melquan Stovall continues to have a dominant spring. Going into the routes on air period again, Stovall looked very sharp in his route running and made most catches look very routine. On one rep during one-on-ones, Stovall had a defender in a dead stop, making space for a score.



Jordyn Tyson has been about as plug-and-play as it gets this week, compounding on his main event rep from Tuesday. In the one-on-one periods, Tyson had three touchdowns against the secondary, which only adds to the touchdowns mentioned earlier in team periods.



This also goes for Troy Omeire, as Omiere also had a team segment touchdown but won a lot of routes, including one in the endzone for a touchdown. A solid day for some of the big-time ASU receivers.



Although “X” Guillory ran one route and won it, understudies like Hendrix and Derek Eusebio have really gotten an opportunity to gain some playing time in this deeper group. Hendrix had quite the day stemming from those balls from Bourguet.



From a tight ends perspective, Bryce Pierre continues to fortify his position as “TE1,” but as time progresses, it seems as if the staff is trying to get the most out of Marketson Douglas from a receiving standpoint. The bigger-bodied tight end was right behind Pierre today, showing his ability to catch.

For those interested

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"It's an opportunity to learn from it and not get a false sense of security in terms of our ability to stop the run.” Thursday's session was an anomaly in terms of offensive success in the spring, sharpening the focus of the ASU defense