A question was asked the other day on how many players are now on scholarship and thus if there is room to award any walk-ons with a scholarship. So here are the numbers:

Not counting Doug Subtyl who's eligibility is still in question, ASU has 84 players on scholarship. This includes recent walk-ons that earned scholarships on a year to year basis, such as Brandon Mathews, Jacom Brimhall, and Mitchell Fraboni.

Thus, they earned their scholarship with the understanding that it may not be renewed each year if scholarships are needed for other players. Currently, this doesn't appear to be an issue so all of those players could remain on scholarship in 2016.

Since the maximum number of scholarships per team (mandated by the NCAA) is 85, ASU has room to add just one more scholarship player. So if Subtyl qualifies ASU would be at the scholarship limit and could not award a scholarship to a new walk-on, so to speak, like Tyler McCLure.

If McCLure were to be awarded a scholarship at all this is assuming that by the end of camp he will be projected in the two-deep which in essence could mean that A.J. McCollum will redshirt. Again, if Subtyl qualifies the scholarship to McClure is all but a moot point unless one of the year-by-year scholarship players we mentioned returns to being a walk-on.

Before the fall semester starts ASU can have 105 total players on the team which means a total of 20 walk-on players. However, the number of players practicing once the semester starts will be closer to 115-120, i.e. 30 total walk-ons or more and that is following walk-on tryouts which will be held later this month.

I hope this helps clarifies this topic, but if not please feel free to ask questions.

Eric's story on the ASU RB

Please keep in mind that this is a tentative schedule.

2016 Preseason Practice Schedule
Practices at Camp Tontozona

Wednesday, August 3 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (helmets; vets depart early, newcomers practice 14 periods until 11:45 a.m.)

Thursday, August 4 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (helmets; vets depart early, newcomers practice 14 periods until 11:45 a.m.)

Friday, August 5 -- Practice 8:20 a.m.- 10:40 a.m. (shells)

Saturday, August 6 -- Practice 9:20 a.m.- 12:00 noon (shells), autograph session with fans afterward


Practices In Tempe

Sunday, August 7 — Day off

Monday, August 8 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Tuesday, August 9 – Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Wednesday, August 10 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Thursday, August 11 – Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Friday, August 12 – Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Saturday, August 13 – Practice 9:30 a.m.- 12 noon (full)

ASU Football Media Day (1-3:30 p.m., Carson Center, third floor)

Sunday, August 14 — Day off

Monday, August 15 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Tuesday, August 16 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (full)

Wednesday, August 17 -- Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (shells)

Thursday, August 18 – Practice 8:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. (ASU classes begin)


Todd Graham will have a preseason press conference on Thursday, July 28, and on Friday, July 29th the team will have the Annual Breaking Of The Rock and their final summer team workout. We will cover those two events as well.

Justin's interview with the ASU defensive lineman

Mornin Mates...

Today's Topic = Confidence Growing

I'm sorry as I just don't see too much to worry about entering the season...the talent is there and we just lack experience at several key positions but just about everyone else in the PAC has the same sort of issues...

There is nothing I don't feel good about at this point unless you are talking about some depth issues here and there...however, we are pretty darn deep most places, which will up the competition at those positions and help us to overcome any injuries if they occur, which they always do...

Let's start with the all important D-backer position where Jo Jo Wicker has been placed and if you don't believe he is a very special player and very capable of excelling there, then that is on you, and Koron Crump ain't no slouch, either...plus Malik Lawal is so good that they are going to have to play him somewhere...

Now let's go to the secondary where I really like what I see with Hayes, Orr, Perry, Moeakiola and Echols, plus Adams has been back there playing for two years and both Chandler and Rhodes have the ability to give quality depth...I'll also be interested to see how both Chase Lucas and Robbie Robinson develop as true freshmen...

I really don't have to go into our defensive front or linebacking corps as there is both good quality and quality depth there...I'm kind of wondering about Marcus Ball but he is a JR and Crump can play there as well...

Offensively, I think it is apparent that Wilkins will be the starting QB when the season begins in a month and we all know about Perkins and White as well, but I'm wondering how long it will take Dillon Sterling-Cole to make his presence felt as he is big and the real deal by all accounts...

In the backfield, we know that both D Richard and K Ballage can be 1,000 yard type rushers and I have a feeling that N Ralston will be a factor this season too, and the receiving corps led by T White seems pretty deep and talented to me and we all want to see what N'Keal Harry brings to the table as a true freshman...

I'm not worried about the OL as the raw talent is there and we have an excellent coach who knows how to develop that talent, and our TE position will be better so not too concerned there, especially if Jay Jay Wilson clears his academic hurdle in the coming days...he's special and will only add to that position...

We are also going to excel on special teams...

Now for the only negative that I see so far and that would be our highly rated JUCO guys as the only one, so far, that seems like he will contribute in a big way this year is K Crump...I think C Hill and D Guignard will eventually get there and that both Chandler and Rhodes will contribute some but not sure about the rest and we don't know what the ultimate status of D Subtyl will be...

I hope I turn out to wrong about these guys but right now I don't think they measure up with some of the stud JC guys we've had in the past...

Too bad about Camp T but you cannot lose valuable practice time messing around with bad weather...

I'll be interested to see who the head turners are as we now get going with real practice, in pads this week...

G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!

Jude La Cava has a one on one with the ASU head coach

we made the cut and he will OV
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Back to civilization and higher quality videos

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This is no different than his top-4 from 5 weeks ago, it just includes Arizona State now.

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Hey guys! It's Fabian Ardaya again. Good to be back covering ASU football again. Without further ado, here's today's defensive practice report. Justin will respond to this post with his notes on the offense:

ATTIRE: Helmets and shorts
LOCATION: Verde Dickey Dome
AVAILABILITY: ~20 minutes (no team tempo)

EN VERDE (No contact): LB Christian Sam, OL Marshal Nathe, OL Tyson Rising, OL A.J. McCollum, DB Maurice Chandler, LS Mitchell Fraboni (wore white jersey though)

TILLMAN JERSEY (Excellence on the field, in the classroom and the community): WR Tim White

ST Note: OL Cohl Cahbral has been working this fall at long snapper, a role that was occupied by LS Mitchell Fraboni last season.

Defensive notes:
- Very big emphasis on ball security today, as DBs, LBs and the D-line worked heavily on stripping the football during the opening drills. The first portion consisted of punching out the football on ball carriers, with a trailing man there to recover the ball. Laiu Moeakiola and Armand Perry were forced to do up-downs.

- The three position groups then transitioned to "Scoop and Score" drills, with the players beginning on the ground on their stomachs and the ball being rolled about 5-10 yards away from them. As soon as the ball popped loose, players got up and sprinted to the balls before they rolled out of bounds and attempted to score against a couple of defenders trying to also punch the ball out.

- They then moved on to tackling drills. Defensive lineman were forced to start from the ground and work their way though dummy offensive linemen before they could earn a "sack" against a tackling sled. Linebackers focused on tackling angles, with Shawn Slocum focusing players on driving with their shoulder through the core of the ball carrier. Defensive backs worked on solo and group tackling while in open space.

- De'Chavon Hayes worked with the defense today, wearing Maurice Chandler's typical No. 8 jersey.

- There weren't any real walkthroughs or installs, so there's no defensive depth chart today.

Again, Justin will be updating with the offense shortly. Looking forward to hearing from you guys this season!

I have four tickets with a parking pass I need to sell for the Texas Tech game. Section 10 row 15. PM if interested thx

For those interested in seeing current and former ASU athletes compete in the Olympics, here's a handy link

The ASU's LB interview with Fabian

ASU's head coach talks about returning from Camp T a day earlier and more

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Thanks to Bruce and Paul

Saturday's Practice Photo Gallery

Due to rain Camp Tontozona's practice scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. Team returning to Tempe today.

Friday’s practice at Camp Tontozona was the first where the team donned shoulder pads (no leg pads until next week), adding a higher degree of physicality compared to the two first days at camp. Additionally, both newcomers and veterans practiced together and not in separate sessions like the last two days.


Whereas when the team is only in helmets is a decent time to evaluate the skill positions, as more padding goes on, it’s a better time to evaluate both the offensive and defensive lines.


The defensive line, being the more experienced unit than the offensive line, controlled their portion of the 1-on-1 matchups during the individual portion of practice as well as doing a good job controlling the line of scrimmage during the team portions.


There was also some experimentation with alignments and personnel packages. The defensive front took a slightly different look with sophomore JoJo Wicker lining up on the field side as opposed to the position’s normal Devilbacker alignment on the boundary side.


There was continued evolution of blitz packages featuring pre-snap movement combined with a use of a nickel package, which will be delved into a little deeper in the report.


Here is how the depth chart looked after Friday’s session


First team offense:


Quarterback(s): Manny Wilkins, Brady White, Bryce Perkins

Running Back(s): Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage

Wide receivers: Ellis Jefferson, Tim White, Jalen Harvey

Tight end: Kody Kohl, Raymond Epps

Left tackle: Evan Goodman

Left guard: Sam Jones

Center: Tyler McClure

Right guard: Stephon McCray

Right tackle: Quinn Bailey


Second team offense:

Quarterback(s): Same as above, all ran with both 1s and 2s

Running Back: Nick Ralston

Wide receivers: Ryan Jenkins, Cam Smith, Fred Gammage

Tight end: Grant Martinez, Raymond Epps

Left tackle: Mason Walter

Left guard: Connor Humphreys,

Center: Stephon McCray

Right guard: Steve Miller

Right tackle: Zach Robertson


First team defense:


Devilbacker: JoJo Wicker

Defensive end: Renell Wren

Nose guard: Ami Latu

Tiger: Tashon Smallwood

Spur: Marcus Ball

SAM: Salamo Fiso

WILL: DJ Calhoun

Field corner: Bryson Echols

Boundary corner: Kareem Orr

Field safety: Laiu Moeakiola

Boundary Safety: Armand Perry


Second team defense:


Devilbacker: AJ Latu

Defensive end: Edmond Boateng

Nose guard: George Lea

Tiger: Renell Wren

Spur: Koron Crump

SAM: Brandon Matthews

WILL: Carlos Mendoza

Field corner: Gump Hayes, J’Marcus Rhodes

Boundary corner: Robbie Robinson

Field safety: James Johnson

Boundary safety: Chad Adams


Quarterbacks:


In the first day of combining the veterans and new arrivals, the top three quarterbacks, redshirt sophomore Manny Wilkins and redshirt freshmen Brady White and Bryce Perkins were inconsistent.


Even in drills where there was no oncoming rush the quarterbacks were mostly relegated to short and intermediate throws. Most of the deeper throws were a touch overthrown, again better than being underthrown, but still would like to see those completed.


Freshman Dillon Sterling-Cole saw some individual work but didn’t get into the team rotation, which was dominated by the other three quarterbacks.


White, Perkins and Wilkins all saw action with both the first and second teams with reps being distributed pretty evenly, with Wilkins perhaps getting a few more reps than the other two. We still see the competition as Wilkins leading followed by White and Perkins.



Running backs:


On day three of camp there was finally an element of physicality to the running game. As has become normal, junior Demario Richard ran like a bowling ball and he and junior Kalen Ballage appear well ahead as the two bell-cow backs.


Behind them redshirt freshman Nick Ralston got the majority of the second team reps including breaking a long run off the right side for a long gain.


The effectiveness of the running game will continue to become more evident as more pads come on – and as the offensive line develops.


Wide receivers:


The starting three remained the same for the third day in a row as redshirt junior Ellis Jefferson, redshirt senior Tim White and redshirt sophomore Jalen Harvey continued to be the starting three receivers.


Harvey has been solid and consistent throughout camp along with improving his routes.


White, for as fast as he is, his route running has become very crisp. Especially in 1-on-1 work it’s been virtually unseen that a defensive back has been able to stop him.


Freshman N’Keal Harry mostly worked with the second and third teams alongside redshirt junior Cam Smith and redshirt senior Fred Gammage as he continues to adjust to the college game. It will still take some time for him to break through what looks to be a deep receiver corps.


Harry did however have a couple of reps against the first-team defensive backs but nothing came his way. It will be interesting to watch his continued development. Terrell Chatman and Ryan Jenkins got second-team reps.


Tight ends:


So far, the tight ends haven’t been a big part of the passing game but that could change as camp continues on.


So far it’s redshirt senior Kody Kohl redshirt junior Raymond Epps holding down the starting spots and then Grant Martinez backing them up. Martinez could push for playing time but he’ll have to unseat Epps to do it. Then you have Jay Jay Wilson who has yet to practice in camp but should be back in action sometime next week and if he can knock off the rust quickly that he should make an impact on the depth chart.


Offensive Line:


It appears the offensive line is beginning to build some continuity starting with redshirt senior left tackle Evan Goodman. Of all the offensive linemen, Goodman has been the most consistent and more or less the leader of the group.


After him, though, things aren’t as settled. While Thursday and Friday’s lines remained the same, the 1-on-1 drills seemed to reveal a lot. Goodman had some good reps with solid technique but the rest of the offensive linemen struggled to keep the defenders away from the quarterback.


Things looked a little better for the offensive line in 2-on-2 drills but that was about it. In team portions the quarterbacks were under constant duress on passing plays.


One bright spot in 1-on-1 drills was redshirt freshman Steve Miller who, although he was beaten a couple of times, displayed good upper body strength while leaning a minimal amount. His one drawback was a tendency to go pigeon-toed with his feet.


If there is one glaring hole at the moment, aside from quarterback, it appears to be at the offensive line.

Due to lightning session ended 20 minutes early. No word on yet on Saturday's practice.

Met a few of you Friday night- thanks for being part of the community that Hod's built here.

Because there were about as many football players as there were attendees, I was able to talk to several of them on Friday night.

First- Todd Graham reiterated that ASU has a commitment to Payson and Camp T. There's going to be pressure now from ASU, the fans, and the town of Payson to come up with a resolution to keep this going. Restaurants ordered extra food and staffed up anticipating today's influx that increases the population by 25%- so they'll unfortunately take a big hit. There's no doubt that the benefit to Payson is huge and they'll do whatever they can to help ASU come up with a resolution as they already have with updated turf at Rumsey park. The rest is going to need to fall to donors. I'm with Hod- I don't think this tradition is under threat.

Talked to some boosters, former players, etc about the QB battle. No one is on the same page here. Lots of trust in Graham to make the right decision, and if no one sets themselves apart, the expectation is that it goes to Wilkins.

Talked to freshman Jack Smith because there's been some back and forth as to hiw he'll be used. He said he's for sure a slot receiver. While he looks to have a more slight build than many of the players out here, and he's fairly confident he'll redshirt, he said his advantage as a former QB is that he's almost got 100% of the offense down. He said that part of his responsibilities on the team are going to be holding N'Keal Harry accountable (I guess they're roomates) and making sure he isn't late to meetings. He says the coaches know N'Keal isn't used to a tight ship, and they know Smith won't struggle with disciplinary issues, so they think it could be a good fit. Smith also echoed what you've heard every other QB say about Chip Lindsey- he said the man has a brilliant football mind, and the thing that sets him apart is his ability to convey and teach the info in a way the players can understand. He said that's necessary with how fast paced the offense will be. He said to expect lots of running to the ball and running plays one after the other.

I talked to Chase Lucas- he said it's even more of an eye opening experience than Bryce Perkins told him it would be. On the subject of Bryce Perkins- he said he barely recognizes him as a player from their time at Chandler together. He said if Griswold can make Bryce that big than he wonders what will happen with N'Keal Harry. That's when Harry chimed in and said he's already too heavy because of the way they get fed. He said he'd like to drop a couple pounds.

I talked to Cade Cote, who looks much bigger than he did as an incoming freshman. He said he feels way better about things after having a year under his belt, and that he feels as big as he looks. Another OL that seems to have taken full adavntage of his Summer is Marshal Nathe. He's obviously not 100% healthy- only 9 months off ACL surgery- and will probably obably redshirt, but as ine of the more unheralded players of the 2016 recruiting class, it's encouraging to see him with a D1 size body and build when compared against his teammates.

Some of the other young guys that players praised include Dillon Sterling-Cole (NFL body) and Frank Darby (huge steal from the east coast). This on top of Todd Graham praising Cohl Cabral after Friday's practice.

Eric's interview with the senior who is wearing many different hats these days

ASU completed the third day of Camp T on Friday. Here are some quick-hitting observations:

The receivers worked on blocking towards the beginning of practice. Receivers coach Jay Norvell criticized many of the WRs having too narrow of a base, which allows DBs to shed their blocks much easier. In the team period before practice was cut short, Ellis Jefferson sealed a great block on the left side, allowing Nick Ralston to run for a touchdown. There were other good blocks from receivers in the team period.

It didn't look like any quarterback stood out particularly. Each of them seemed to be a bit off at times, which is expected throughout camp. However, we saw a healthy amount of Manny Wilkins throwing deep balls to the right side. Cam Smith made a really nice play on one of them — he did a great job of turning around, finding the ball and trying to catch it at its highest point. It seemed like the only deep balls in the team sessions were thrown by Wilkins. Brady White and Bryce Perkins threw a lot of short and intermediate routes.

WR/DB 1-on-1s were really interesting once again. For as quick and fast as Tim White is, it seems that his route-running may be a bit overlooked at times. He ran crisp routes all day, especially in the 1-on-1 drill. I can't remember him not winning the battle and catching the ball against his opponent (unless it wasn't a great throw, which happened a fair amount on Friday).

Also of note was that Kareem Orr and Ellis Jefferson matched up, and jawed a bit. One time, Orr started to talk and Jefferson jokingly said, "Don't start with me." A couple periods later, Jefferson told Orr "don't be a child." Orr responded right back, saying "you aint a man!" The extent of the jawing was the expected verbal stuff, nothing physical. And nothing that would take away from their relationship as teammates. Just some competitive juices flowing at camp.

Gump Hayes and Robbie Robinson looked good in coverage. Hayes made a great play on a ball during a goal line play. I saw multiple balls thrown Robinson's way near the sideline during team periods, and many of them fell incomplete. He did a great job of staying with the receivers all the way through the play.