Warren Washington following suit may now be a matter of when, not if

Login to view embedded media

“I think we’re more explosive, and I think that’s the biggest takeaway from the spring so far.” And leading the charge in that aspect through the first week of spring has been USC transfer RB Raleek Brown, who is showing both agility and physicality in the offensive backfield

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 6-7 offensive lineman Alema Iousa.

Login to view embedded media

Scott with today’s report


In the first full padded spring session that focused much of its time in going through the motions, not too many fireworks came out of the offensive side of things. Yet, there were strong days throughout the field.


OFFENSE



First Group



LG Max Iheanachor

LT Sean Na’a

C Keona Peat

RG Ise Matautia

RT Emmit Bohle



QB Sam Leavitt



RB Cam Skattebo/Raleek Brown



WR Kaleb Black

WR Jake Smith

WR Jordyn Tyson



TE Coleson Arends/Bryce Pierre



Second group



LT: Jalen Klemm

LG: Ben Coleman

C: Griffin Schureman

RG: Cade Briggs

RT: Kaden Haeckel



QB Trenton Bourguet/Navi Bruzon



RB George Hart III/DeCarlos Brooks



WR Troy Omeire

WR Melquan Stovall

WR Korbin Hendrix



TE Markeston Douglas/Coleson Arends





Quarterbacks



Sam Leavitt practiced with the first team and without limitations, looking sharp in his pocket movement to extend plays in 11s. Leavitt displayed good accuracy on passes in both live and positional play on a day where it seemed none of the quarterbacks were throwing at maximum velocity. Trenton Bourguet made crisp, short throws as usual but had some difficulty with accuracy the farther he threw down the field and was intercepted once. Navi Bruzon had trouble with his throws today, missing receivers on short and long balls that could be chalked up to his tendency to throw on the run.



Quarterback positional drills focused on in-pocket footwork and movement, as well as basic throwing.



Running Backs



As great as Cam Skattebo was for the offense last year, Raleek Brown’s effect on the offense has already been noticeable. Using Skattebo as the power back in between the tackles on the first team, Raleek Brown has been able to space the field with his speed and footwork, which could add a brand new dimension to the running back room. Tuesday, in particular, Brown had a handful of breakthroughs to the second level, both on the inside and outside of a run. Brown, alongside George Hart III, was also impressive in catching and running, both on short flats and long wheels. DeCarlos Brooks also came on with powerful runs towards the end of the session, even finishing it with a symbolic touchdown of a strong day of ground game. That last team segment also saw Kyson Brown with two solid runs.



Positional drills today honed in on agility, carrying the ball through obstacles while also catching and running out of the backfield. There was seemingly an emphasis on screen passes in particular, which factored into the offensive line adjusting their protections outside of the trenches. The fact that the running game did have its moments means even more when full pads and live tackling are part of practice, which also indicates good run blocking by the offensive line (which, on the other hand, did struggle with pass blocking).



Wide Receivers/Tight Ends



Having missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, Jordyn Tyson has come into spring practice like a man on a mission and did not let up on Tuesday. Running with the first team, Tyson easily reeled easy catches all day and stepped it up on the deep balls. Showcasing his quality combination of speed and size, Tyson created separation in live play with ease, even grabbing once over the shoulder in a deep touchdown pass at the pylon in 1v1s.



Login to view embedded media


Troy Omeire has been utilizing his physical tools to his advantage as well, handling defenders off the line of scrimmage this morning well. Melquan Stovall has been one of the most consistent wide receivers since spring practices began. Xavier Guillory has yet to return to live play with one of the groupings but participated in 1v1s for the first time this spring without issue.



Positional drills on Tuesday focused on footwork off the line of scrimmage, basic catching, and ball-tracking.



DEFENSE



First Group



EDGE Clayton Smith

DT CJ Fite

DT Jacob Kongaika

EDGE Anthonie Cooper



LB Caleb McCullough

LB Keyshaun Elliott



Nickel Macen Williams

Safety Montana Warren

Safety Xavion Alford

CB Ed Woods

CB Keith Abney II



Second group



EDGE Prince Dorbah

DT JP Deeter

DT Blazen Lono-Wong

EDGE Justin Wodtly



LB Zyrus Fiaseu

LB K’Vion Thunderbird



Nickel Cole Martin

Safety Myles Rowser

Safety Jack Bal

CB Javan Robinson

CB Latterance Welch



There’s never a lack of intensity in a Brian Ward-coached defense, even in a slower-pace practice.



Defensive Line



Under new position coach Diron Reynolds, ASU still does its usual reps on the line but with his own twist. Reynolds has introduced drills that emphasize active limbs in a way to improve the players’ agility and athletic ability. On release drills, Reynolds emphasized the “hit and get off” motion to create paths to the pocket faster and more disruptive. This yielded success in live play, where multiple defenders were able to rush the passer and force scrambles from all of the quarterbacks. Jacob Kongaika and Prince Dorbah even added deflections off the throw as well, with the entire interior group forcing rollouts often. JP Deeter at defensive tackle continues to be a pleasant surprise since he didn’t play any games at Purdue prior to transferring and has a chance to be in the two-deep.



Positional drills focused on pass-rush technique, such as styling low and ripping aggressively off the blocker.



Secondary



In a slower session, the secondary stood out the most on a would-be stat sheet. With each quarterback still getting into the swing of the offense, the secondary has been active in the spring, and Tuesday was no exception. Among highlights, Rodney Bimage grabbed an impressive interception thrown by Navi Bruzon on a route jump, Laterrance Welch intercepted Trenton Bourguet in the team segment, and Myles Rowser tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage. Keith Abney’s role continues to increase with a heavier workload after being praised as a freshman by Coach Dillingham. Returners Ed Woods and Macen Williams continue to take command as leaders in communication pre-snap as well. Safety Shamari Simmons returned today after missing the last two practices due to personal reasons.



Positional drills here were primarily on footwork, shuttle runs to improve agility, and basic ball-tracking and catching.



Sun Devil great tight end Todd Heap addressed the team after practice. Former ASU QB Danny Sullivan was at practice as well.

Watched the final smoldering ember of PAC 12 basketball "flame out" tonite, as Indiana State defeated Utah. Conference of Champions Basketball = RIP

Man, the ABoR seems to always move very quickly to protect that school. Hope they start digging into ASU's financials to protect us as well.

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Looking for Answers

Our Sun Devil swimming and diving team isn't looking for any answers as they just won a national championship for ASU...

The UConn basketball team sure doesn't look like it is looking for any answers as it's continuing to dominate in the NCAA tournament...

However, the AU basketball team is looking for answers after losing in the Sweet 16 to Clemson, that lost last night to Alabama...

Greg Hansen's theory is this in his newspaper column this morning...

He puts the blame for the Cats tournament failures onto a lousy PAC 12 conference, that doesn't prepare the Cats for what's ahead in March Madness...

Since the PAC added both Colorado and Utah, here are some stats he puts out there (he doesn't count Covid season)...

No. 1 Seeds...the PAC has had three of 44 available during that time period

Sweet 16 Berths...the PAC has had 17 of 176 available

Elite Eight Berths...the PAC has four of 88 available

Final Four Berths...the PAC has one of 40 available

Additionally, this season, the average NET ranking for the PAC was #89 compared to #47 for the Big 12...

He concludes by saying that the Cats will become more "battle tested" in the Big 12 than they have been in the PAC this past decade...

It will also be interesting to see if McKale continues to be as friendly to the Cats in the Big 12 as it has been in the PAC...

That aside, what does this all have to say about Bobby's Sun Devil efforts in, perhaps, the worst P-5 basketball conference in the country during the past decade..??

Is there anything positive in there for us to consider, especially since we are moving to the much more difficult Big 12 starting next season..??

Speaking of positives, our Sun Devils have had a good week by winning a national championship in swimming and diving, got a much needed baseball sweep against Cal in baseball, and watched as the Cats found a way to lose to Clemson on Thursday night in LA...

It would be more fun if we actually had a basketball program that could compete on a equal basis with the Cats but, we haven't for decades, so we take pleasure in their demise in the tournament, whenever it occurs, which it did again this March Madness...

It's pretty funny when their fans are grumpy because they only made it to the Sweet 16 while we get excited if we make it occasionally to a bubble berth in the tournament...

When it comes to coaching it isn't easy to find the "right stuff" when it comes to a head coach in any sport, especially in the Big 3 sports, but I'm hopeful that our next AD may have that ability when it comes to coaching hires in the future...

I'm also hoping that Dilly and Willie will turn out to have the "right stuff" moving forward but time will tell, as always...

Well, I hope the Easter bunny is good to all of you this cold and cloudy day in the desert...

Have a good one and stay safe out there...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Congrats to the Men’s team for winning back to back Pac-12 championships.

Some newcomers came as advertised and made their mark immediately starting in ASU's first session, and some position groups still present an incomplete picture. Here's what we learned from week one of the Sun Devils' spring practice

Andy Enfield hired at SMU as Head Basketball Coach, as the Mustangs prepare to join the ACC.