Anyone know?

Scott, Caleb, and myself collaborated on this report

In a partly cloudy return to the gridiron, the Sun Devils showcased their blend of fresh faces and returning contributors in a focused, determined, and up-tempo first spring practice.



As always, not a whole lot to read into the two-deep at the first practice. Rotations are bound to take place at many spots throughout the next weeks.



OFFENSE



1ST TEAM



QB Trenton Bourguet



RB Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown



WR Troy Omeire

WR Kaleb Black

Slot Melquan Stovall



TE Bryce Pierre



LT Josh Atkins, Jalen Klemm

LG Sean Na’a

C Leif Fautanu

RG Ise Matautia

RT Kyle Scott, Colby Garvin



2ND TEAM



QB Sam Leavitt



RB Cam Skattebo, George Hart III, DeCarlos Brooks



WR Jake Smith

WR Korbin Hendrix

Slot WR Patrick Williams II



TE Markeston Douglas, Coleson Arends



LT Max Iheanachor

LG Ben Coleman

C Griffin Schureman, Sirri Kandiyeli

RG Cade Briggs

RT Kaden Haeckel



After going through initial stretching and light running of players, coaches zoomed in on a heavy communication period, relaying play calls as the defense themselves were adjusting to the offensive looks. Communication personnel-wise when rotating was a major emphasis. Compared to his predecessor as offensive coordinator, Marcus Arroyo was far more vocal and intense when working with the offense. Arroyo took command of both groups, getting everyone set and reminding them that in the walk-through.



Quarterbacks: Trenton Bourguet and Sam Leavitt had crisp throws throughout the morning, with both showing off notable accuracy and velocity on second-level passes. Leavitt, at 6-2 205, has a physical frame for a quarterback, yet was very fluid with his mobility, too. Left-hander Navi Bruzon worked in live reps as well and was impressive in his rollouts and short throws. All QBs were relatively on target in 1v1 throws, and in live play with a focus more towards shorter completions. The position group worked exclusively on pocket presence and maneuvers with Arroyo. Jaden Rashada was at practice but, as expected, wasn’t throwing.



Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Troy Omeire, Melquan Stovall, and Jake Smith are the leaders of the drill groups, with Smith now active following being ruled ineligible last season. Position coach Rashaad Samples was his usual vocal and standardized self, instructing loud and clear in repeated reps in an attempt to raise the minimum standard, as Coach Dillingham said. Some slipping issues on live routes throughout the group, which can be attributed to Monday’s rain. Troy Omeire at 6-4 230 should be a matchup nightmare. I thought Kaleb Black made the most out of his first-team duties, let alone taking advantage of the Elijaha Badger and Xavier Guillory absences and the (temporary) Jordan Tyson absence.



Personnel often switched out in up-tempo, live play. Positional drills included 1v1s against defensive backs (advantage DBs on Tuesday), basic catching, and route running. I could have sworn someone called 6-5 280 Markeston Douglas “slim,” but as imposing as his frame is, he displayed very soft hands too.



Running Backs: Both groups worked on handoffs and running through correct creases. George Hart III, trying to establish his position leading the group, drilled with a noticeably slimmer Cam Skattebo, down to 210 lbs. and DeCarlos Brooks followed quickly behind with newcomer Raleek Brown. No true standouts on Tuesday here, but it is evident this is one of the deeper groups on the team. All backs showed the ability to maneuver in front of the line and go out for routes when needed.



Individual drills featured a ball security segment, as offensive skill players worked around cones with a defender chasing them and attacking the ball. The groups would switch sides with the opposite end skill-position players running in a straight line with a defender in pursuit.



Offensive Line: Both Emmit Bohle and Ben Coleman practiced with no restrictions after missing much of last season with injuries. Time and hand placement were a special focus, with the unit shuffling constantly in live play. Bram Walden and Terrell Kim were at practice but didn’t participate. As we know, there is no shortage of bodies there, which is vital for depth.




DEFENSE



1ST TEAM



EDGE Prince Dorbah

DT CJ Fite

DT Jacob Kongaika

EDGE Anthonie Cooper



LB Caleb McCullough

LB Keyshaun Elliott



Nickel Macen Williams

Safety Shamari Simmons

Safety Xavion Alford

CB Ed Woods

CB Keith Abney II



2ND TEAM



EDGE Elijah O’Neal

DT Tristan Monday

DT Sam Benjamin/Kyran Bourda

EDGE Gharin Stansbury



LB Krew Jackson

LB K’Vion Thunderbird



Nickel Cole Martin

Safety Kamari Wilson

Safety Jack Bal

CB Rodney Bimage Jr.

CB Tommy Romano



Defensive Line:



Unit drills were extensive on Tuesday. Field goal block was one of these, as players lined up in the formation while sticking a hand up in a mock-block scenario. Outside of special teams, the usual sled pushes and pursuits were undertaken, but a competitive nature came in with races between guys on the outside edge, with the slower one hitting push-ups after the matchup. Roman Pitre mostly avoided these, as he was quick off his block with good footwork. Redshirt freshman Kyran Bourda, who did have a season-ending injury last year, looks to trimmer at 6-3 285. Clayton Smith, now at 245 lbs., added some much-needed bulk. With 21 scholarship players, it’s uber deep and, which was obviously missing from last season.



Secondary:



With two stalwarts in Jordan Clark and Ro Torrence no longer present, it didn’t take long for someone else to step into a “lead-by-example” role defensively. Xavion Alford jumped at the chance to return to the field, separating himself from the group with severe speed and footwork that positioned him well defensively in drills and live play all morning. Kamari Wilson wasn’t far behind him either on his sharp footwork. Martell Hughes, LT Welch, Javan Robinson, Kamari Wilson, and Tony Luis-Nkuba all grabbed interceptions on Tuesday.



Some confusion came in defending passes over the middle of the field as the secondary lapsed to allow easy, chunk completions. Double-cut routes and runs also gave them a bit of trouble.



Position drills focused on run pursuit, fumble scoops, ball tracking, and block sheds.



The entire defense collectively worked on their pre-snap alignments and adjustments to audibles while shifting to ballcarrier pursuit and forcing turnovers in drills. Cheerful lights came in outside run pursuit, while defensive backs were on point in 1v1s mostly as well. Defense also forced extended plays from time to time, as quarterbacks had to look for second and third reads often.



SPECIAL TEAMS



PK Ian Hershey

H Race Mahlum

LS Cole Marszalek.

ASU, UCLA, Washington among his favorites:

“Last year. I was getting to know you. This year, I know you and my job is to make you uncomfortable.” Dillingham and staff look to continue to push their players to exhibit marked improvement now that the expectation level is established

Join me in my annual birthday tribute to the man, the myth, the legend himself. @BigESunDevil I’m sure joins me on this as he always does.

The Arizona State Sun Devils at Utah Utes football game, previously announced as Nov. 11 or 12, will be contested on Friday, Oct. 11 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

"Because of the competition and the depth we have at every position, the cream is gonna rise to the top." Defensive coordinator Brian Ward previews his group and looks forward to the spring battles between the returning players and transfers

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Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = To Be Or Not To Be (that is the question ?)

We are not talking about a Shakespearean tragedy here but a Sun Devil fan and booster tragedy related to our athletic dept overseen at the highest level by "King" Crow (using a Shakespearean metaphor)...

"King" Crow, who has no problem with the concept of "competitive traction" within our athletic dept, even when we are not competitive in our athletic traction, is now busy re-designing our athletic dept to take it to new levels of what exactly..??

More ineptitude or what exactly..??

And, Sun Devil fans have to face that question squarely in the face given that college athletics, at least where football and basketball are concerned, are now semi-pro in nature, which really upsets the amateur apple cart to the dismay of many in the college sports world...

So, as fans and boosters do we move forward as fans and pay-up to see more of the same at ASU under "King" Crow (again, using a Shakespearean metaphor)...

Supposedly, we have some basketball players making six figures to play the game at ASU only to deliver a losing season, so is it any wonder why some fans are questioning their "return on investment" when it comes to pay-for-play basketball..??

And, the same applies to football where we have had back to back 3-9 seasons...

Never mind supporting something like ASU women's basketball that loses (according to Crow) about $5M annually...

Apparently, Crow doesn't like that and not just because that Sun Devil sport lacks any sort of decent "competitive traction" under our current coach...

Five million dollars is nothing to sneeze at which puts Crow in-sync, it appears, with most Sun Devil fans that would rather see that sort of money go to someplace within the athletic dept that would help with elevating both of our money making sports in football and basketball...

Granted, Sun Devil basketball doesn't make money because it's a winner but, rather, because college basketball is a billion dollar mega-business that is shared by many within the scope of the NCAA...

So, given these college free agency arrangements through the transfer portal and pay-for-play arrangements through the NIL deal these days, where does ASU need to go with all that, keeping in mind that Crow does not want his ASU athletic dept to be a big deal or a bigger deal than his academic aspirations will allow, IMHO...

Where AU president Robbins would rather cut of his right hand than see his elite BB program suffer the same fate of what has happened at ASU, president Crow would rather be okay with "competitive traction" or athletic mediocrity, so that no one thinks about ASU sports first and foremost in Tempe, like they do in Tucson, rather than academic importance as defined by Crow, IMHO...

He would rather our Sun Devils be like that at Northwestern that has a very good academic reputation than at someplace like Ohio St where football rules the day...

So, if this is true, where does that leave you as a Sun Devil fan and/or booster..??

Personally, I still care about my Sun Devils but I don't lose any sleep any more worrying about this or that since it isn't all that fun and entertaining rooting for "competitive traction"...

I would rather be a James Madison fan or a Grand Canyon fan since they are not taking siestas these days during March Madness...

And, I'm wondering if academics and athletics are mutually exclusive at a school like ASU...

Hopefully, we'll know what Crow is up to with his athletic dept re-design in the coming weeks and months and, who knows, maybe, we'll also find out about the NCAA Notice of Allegations in the same time span...

To be or not to be, that is the question..??

My heart is still there but my wallet has a lot of reservations about opening up to support more Sun Devil mediocrity...

How about all of you..??

This is just my two cents worth of opinion and speculation, as always...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

We identified five players who we feel may get a much closer look than most of their teammates in the process of determining how much of a mark they will leave during spring practices, which could become a predictor of success for the 2024 season.