As mentioned no real surprises here based on observations, even the limited ones the last two, three weeks, but let’s examine position by position.
Offense
Quarterback
Jayden Daniels
Trenton Bourguet
Finn Collins
Whatever momentum Collins had to begin spring practice is now a distant memory as Bourguet successfully reclaimed his no. 2 spot in mid-March and never looked back. Even a late preseason foot injury which he has healed from in the meantime didn’t offer the freshman Collins a window of an opportunity to surprise.
Running backs
Rachaad White OR DeaMonte Trayanum
Daniyel Ngata
This depth chart seems to be “stuck” in 2020 if you will, which isn’t a bad thing. Still think that White may be the true starter if you will, but needless to say that barring unforeseen circumstances Trayanum will see action early and often. The biggest question here is can Ngata approach double-digit carries to even the load in what should be a normal season? The distribution of carries will be interesting to follow.
Offensive line
Left tackle Kellen Diesch, backup is Isaia Glass
Left guard LaDarius Henderson, backup is Ben Bray
Center Dohnovan West, backup is Jarrett Bell
Right guard Henry Hattis, backup is Spencer Lovell
Right tackle Ben Scott, backup is Austin Barry
Starting five has been etched in stone all fall camp. Glass has been a mainstay at backup left tackle and the freshman could have a bright future there. Bray at left guard taking advantage of the injury to Ralph Frias who will miss an extended time this year and the slower than expected development of Armon Bethea who didn’t capitalize on his spring momentum. Bell at backup center has been a constant. Lovell is a true swing lineman that right now is seemingly more needed at right guard opening the door for Barry who just arrived two months ago and now will be on the second team.
Tight ends
Curtis Hodges
Case Hatch
Jalin Conyers
John Stivers
Hodges has been penciled in as the starter for a while now. Hatch as we know is more of fullback/H back so not necessarily a classic tight end. Conyers is the best receiver of this bunch and Stivers is the best blocker. The bar may be low, but this is the best depth overall this position group had had in a while
Wide receivers
X Andre Johnson OR Bryan Thompson, backup is Geordon Porter
H Ricky Pearsall OR LV Bunkley-Shelton backup is Giovanni Sanders
Z Johnny Wilson backup is Chad Johnson Jr.
Slight surprise at the X (field side) to not see Utah transfer Thompson have more of a firm hold as a starter and this certainly isn’t a knock on Andre Johnson who did flash both in the spring and fall camp. Perhaps the bigger surprise is to see Porter line up here rather than at the Z and on paper *perhaps* a tougher path for him to earn meaningful reps, especially in the Pac-12 slate.
Said for a while that Pearsall is giving LVBS all he can handle in the battle for the starting slot role, so the “OR” designation here is even more appropriate than at the X receiver. The walk-on Sanders was very impressive in the spring, but seemingly took a back seat to that tandem in the preseason.
Seeing Wilson start at the Z (boundary side) role was a given and we said he could be one of the clear breakout players this season. What’s much more intriguing here is to see the slow but steady ascent of Chad Johnson Jr. who had a strong start to spring, suffered a toe turf injury that sidelined him for most of the spring, presumably affected him in fall camp, but he ends the preseason in a much stronger niche than ever before.
Defense
Defensive line
Left end Michael Matus, backups are Anthonie Cooper and Stanley Lambert
Defensive tackle (3-technique) Shannon Forman, backups are Tautala (TJ) Pesefea and Omarr Norman-Lott
Nose tackle D.J. Davidson, backups are Corey Stephens and Tautala (TJ) Pesefea
Right end Tyler Johnson, backups are Travez Moore and Joe Moore
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Yes, Norman-Lott is counted on being the player who could *potentially* ensure less steep of a drop-off at the 3-technique with Jermayne Lole gone for the year but missed a good portion of the preseason due to injury and it may take time until we can see him get meaningful reps on Saturdays. Curious to see if TJ Pesefea can emerge as a surprise player on the front four.
Linebackers
WILL Darien Butler, backup is Connor Soelle
MIKE Kyle Soelle, backup is Will Shaffer
STR Merlin Robertson, backup is Eric Gentry
Another position where the two-deep has been consistent for a while. Shaffer was rewarded for the formidable improvement he made since the spring. Gentry may be suited more for passing downs to bat down balls with his 6-6 frame and showcase his above average coverage skills.
Safety
Free safety DeAndre Pierce, backup is Cam Phillips
Strong Safety Evan Fields, backup is Kejuan Markham
Lots of experience at this position, enough said.
Cornerbacks
Cornerback Chase Lucas, backups are Jordan Clark, Ed Woods, Isaiah Johnson, and RJ Regan.
Cornerback Jack Jones, backups are Timarcus Davis (injured), Macen Williams, and Tommi Hill.
Davis is normally first-team nickel, more specifically lines up outside as Lucas lines up inside in a three-corner look. Jordan Clark is second-team nickel. Three true freshmen who just arrived in Tempe this year in the two-deep is an eye-opener.
Special teams
Kicker: Logan Tyler OR Eddie Czaplicki
Punter: Eddie Czaplicki
Kick returner: D.J. Taylor and Rachaad White, DeaMonte Trayanum is the backup
Punt returner: Rachaad White OR Chase Lucas, backed up by DJ Taylor and LV Bunkley-Shelton
The early August departure of All-Pac 12 punter Michael Turk and the return of the starting kicker the last two seasons who entered and left the transfer portal, Cristian Zendejas (albeit not listed on the roster quite yet), shows how unsettled this position is.
Tyler is a lock to be the kickoff guy. After that, it remains to be seen if he will handle field goals as well at least until Zendejas suits up, or does the freshman Czaplicki assume those duties along with being the starting punter, which isn’t an ideal situation. Under the radar perhaps, this is the one position that HAS to turn from uncertainty to a drama-free unit. While Taylor is a proven kick returner, punt returner is far from that although both White and Lucas should settle some nerves here.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have here.
Offense
Quarterback
Jayden Daniels
Trenton Bourguet
Finn Collins
Whatever momentum Collins had to begin spring practice is now a distant memory as Bourguet successfully reclaimed his no. 2 spot in mid-March and never looked back. Even a late preseason foot injury which he has healed from in the meantime didn’t offer the freshman Collins a window of an opportunity to surprise.
Running backs
Rachaad White OR DeaMonte Trayanum
Daniyel Ngata
This depth chart seems to be “stuck” in 2020 if you will, which isn’t a bad thing. Still think that White may be the true starter if you will, but needless to say that barring unforeseen circumstances Trayanum will see action early and often. The biggest question here is can Ngata approach double-digit carries to even the load in what should be a normal season? The distribution of carries will be interesting to follow.
Offensive line
Left tackle Kellen Diesch, backup is Isaia Glass
Left guard LaDarius Henderson, backup is Ben Bray
Center Dohnovan West, backup is Jarrett Bell
Right guard Henry Hattis, backup is Spencer Lovell
Right tackle Ben Scott, backup is Austin Barry
Starting five has been etched in stone all fall camp. Glass has been a mainstay at backup left tackle and the freshman could have a bright future there. Bray at left guard taking advantage of the injury to Ralph Frias who will miss an extended time this year and the slower than expected development of Armon Bethea who didn’t capitalize on his spring momentum. Bell at backup center has been a constant. Lovell is a true swing lineman that right now is seemingly more needed at right guard opening the door for Barry who just arrived two months ago and now will be on the second team.
Tight ends
Curtis Hodges
Case Hatch
Jalin Conyers
John Stivers
Hodges has been penciled in as the starter for a while now. Hatch as we know is more of fullback/H back so not necessarily a classic tight end. Conyers is the best receiver of this bunch and Stivers is the best blocker. The bar may be low, but this is the best depth overall this position group had had in a while
Wide receivers
X Andre Johnson OR Bryan Thompson, backup is Geordon Porter
H Ricky Pearsall OR LV Bunkley-Shelton backup is Giovanni Sanders
Z Johnny Wilson backup is Chad Johnson Jr.
Slight surprise at the X (field side) to not see Utah transfer Thompson have more of a firm hold as a starter and this certainly isn’t a knock on Andre Johnson who did flash both in the spring and fall camp. Perhaps the bigger surprise is to see Porter line up here rather than at the Z and on paper *perhaps* a tougher path for him to earn meaningful reps, especially in the Pac-12 slate.
Said for a while that Pearsall is giving LVBS all he can handle in the battle for the starting slot role, so the “OR” designation here is even more appropriate than at the X receiver. The walk-on Sanders was very impressive in the spring, but seemingly took a back seat to that tandem in the preseason.
Seeing Wilson start at the Z (boundary side) role was a given and we said he could be one of the clear breakout players this season. What’s much more intriguing here is to see the slow but steady ascent of Chad Johnson Jr. who had a strong start to spring, suffered a toe turf injury that sidelined him for most of the spring, presumably affected him in fall camp, but he ends the preseason in a much stronger niche than ever before.
Defense
Defensive line
Left end Michael Matus, backups are Anthonie Cooper and Stanley Lambert
Defensive tackle (3-technique) Shannon Forman, backups are Tautala (TJ) Pesefea and Omarr Norman-Lott
Nose tackle D.J. Davidson, backups are Corey Stephens and Tautala (TJ) Pesefea
Right end Tyler Johnson, backups are Travez Moore and Joe Moore
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Yes, Norman-Lott is counted on being the player who could *potentially* ensure less steep of a drop-off at the 3-technique with Jermayne Lole gone for the year but missed a good portion of the preseason due to injury and it may take time until we can see him get meaningful reps on Saturdays. Curious to see if TJ Pesefea can emerge as a surprise player on the front four.
Linebackers
WILL Darien Butler, backup is Connor Soelle
MIKE Kyle Soelle, backup is Will Shaffer
STR Merlin Robertson, backup is Eric Gentry
Another position where the two-deep has been consistent for a while. Shaffer was rewarded for the formidable improvement he made since the spring. Gentry may be suited more for passing downs to bat down balls with his 6-6 frame and showcase his above average coverage skills.
Safety
Free safety DeAndre Pierce, backup is Cam Phillips
Strong Safety Evan Fields, backup is Kejuan Markham
Lots of experience at this position, enough said.
Cornerbacks
Cornerback Chase Lucas, backups are Jordan Clark, Ed Woods, Isaiah Johnson, and RJ Regan.
Cornerback Jack Jones, backups are Timarcus Davis (injured), Macen Williams, and Tommi Hill.
Davis is normally first-team nickel, more specifically lines up outside as Lucas lines up inside in a three-corner look. Jordan Clark is second-team nickel. Three true freshmen who just arrived in Tempe this year in the two-deep is an eye-opener.
Special teams
Kicker: Logan Tyler OR Eddie Czaplicki
Punter: Eddie Czaplicki
Kick returner: D.J. Taylor and Rachaad White, DeaMonte Trayanum is the backup
Punt returner: Rachaad White OR Chase Lucas, backed up by DJ Taylor and LV Bunkley-Shelton
The early August departure of All-Pac 12 punter Michael Turk and the return of the starting kicker the last two seasons who entered and left the transfer portal, Cristian Zendejas (albeit not listed on the roster quite yet), shows how unsettled this position is.
Tyler is a lock to be the kickoff guy. After that, it remains to be seen if he will handle field goals as well at least until Zendejas suits up, or does the freshman Czaplicki assume those duties along with being the starting punter, which isn’t an ideal situation. Under the radar perhaps, this is the one position that HAS to turn from uncertainty to a drama-free unit. While Taylor is a proven kick returner, punt returner is far from that although both White and Lucas should settle some nerves here.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have here.
