Wednesday marked the start of fall camp, but practice was held at Rumsey Park instead of Camp Tontozona due to the recent heavy rainfall. The split schedule had the veterans practicing first and the newcomers second. After the veterans finished practice, the newcomers were only able to get about 15 or 20 minutes of work in before practice was delayed and later cancelled due to lightning in the area. About 20 or so minutes after practice was officially cancelled, a monsoon doused Payson. Overall, head coach Todd Graham raved about the team's enthusiasm and passion on the first day of camp, even though the team was just in shells and didn't even get to complete its entire schedule.
There was obviously a fair amount of experimentation and movement between positions as there is in a typical first day — and because the team will feature four new starters on the O-Line — but here is the depth chart we had. We put it together based on who played at which spots consistently at each position, especially on the aforementioned O-Line. We combined a few guys on some positions because they received near an equal amount of looks during the team periods.
First team offense:
Quarterback(s): Manny Wilkins, Brady White
Running back(s): Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage
Wide Receivers: Ellis Jefferson, Tim White, Jalen Harvey
Tight End(s): Kody Kohl, Raymond Epps
Left Tackle: Evan Goodman
Left Guard: Sam Jones
Center: Tyler McClure
Right Guard: Stephon McCray
Right Tackle: Quinn Bailey
First team defense:
Spur: Marcus Ball
Devil backer: JoJo Wicker
Defensive End: Renell Wren
Nose guard: Ami Latu
Defensive End: Tashon Smallwood
SAM: Salamo Fiso, Carlos Mendoza
WILL: DJ Calhoun, Carlos Mendoza
Field Corner: J'Marcus Rhodes
Boundary Corner: Kareem Orr
Field Safety: Armand Perry
Boundary Safety: Laui Moeakiola
After the first team, there was a ton of variation in who received reps and where they played.
Quarterbacks:
Manny Wilkins and Brady White each ran with the first team on Wednesday. Bryce Perkins was with the newcomers. After practice, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said that will change as camp progresses. Wilkins and White each had their moments and threw some good balls to receivers during both team and individual periods.
It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff continues to split up the reps for Bryce Perkins. How equal of a shot will he get with the first team? Dillion Sterling-Cole was obviously practicing with the newcomers. There will be much talk of the quarterback battle as camp continues, but the coaches don't seem to be lying when they say that it's any man's race. Wilkins and White may be a bit ahead of Perkins at this point, but there is no clear favorite in the competition yet.
When asked about when he wants to name a starting quarterback, Graham jokingly said "the day we play the first game." He noted that not naming one too early has a lot to do with the desire to not give another team an advantage by doing that.
Graham recalled that in 2012, he never thought the starting quarterback would be Taylor Kelly, so it really is anyone's job at this point. He did mention that they have four quarterbacks (Dillon
Running backs:
Just as expected, Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage seemed to share the load with the first team. Although not surprising from a football standpoint, I found it intriguing that Ballage lined up at wideout a fair amount during the first day of practice.
De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes was practicing with the running backs. Graham said he will play both sides of the ball (RB/DB), but when he is on offense, ASU will use a specifically designed package to utilize him. The "Gump package" is something that was discussed in spring ball, but no one knew how much it would come to fruition.
I believe Nick Ralston received a good amount of second-team reps behind Richard and Ballage and I'm pretty positive Jason Lewis was practicing with the newcomers.
Wide Receivers:
Throughout the spring, the coaches raved about the playmakers they felt they had on this year's team. In addition to Cam Smith looking like the next Captain America (202 lbs with only 4 percent body fat), Tim White stole the show by hiking up his shorts like it was still track season. On the field, the receivers looked great.
Smith and Frederick Gammage received a heavy amount of the reps with the second team. Additionally, Kalen Ballage lined up at wideout a fair amount, which makes sense as ASU is trying to get one of its premier playmakers the ball as much as possible.
Ellis Jefferson and Jalen Harvey made some plays in the team periods as well as in the individual drills.
The wide receivers seemed to get the best of the defensive backs for the most part in the 1-on-1 individual drills. Harvey caught a couple deep balls, as did John Humphrey.
Offensive line/tight ends:
There was a lot of movement on the offensive line. Prior to the fall, a lot of talk focused on how this new crop of offensive linemen could be more athletic and better fits for the system. Additionally, the coaches boast that a few can truly play multiple positions on the line. Amid the movement and inconsistency in some of the periods, Evan Goodman — the lone starter from 2015 — was still at left tackle.
There were many times when Kody Kohl and Raymond Epps were on the field at the same time. From a football standpoint, it makes sense, but it has also been a focus of Chip Lindsey's to try and use the two-tight end sets to spark the running game too. Kohl looked good running routes and waiting for dump offs as well.
Junior college transfer offensive lineman Tyson Rising and defensive back Maurice Chandler were both in green jerseys. However, freshman offensive lineman Marshal Nathe, who was out during the spring due to a torn ACL, was dressed and active on Wednesday.
Former Sun Devil center Nick Kelly was in attendance on Wednesday and seemed to be doing what looked like a bit of graduate assistant work with the team.
Defensive Line:
The biggest story after day one was JoJo Wicker practicing with and getting some time at Devil backer. Graham explained that the Devil backer is a position that needs to be the matchup problem for the offense, which is why they're giving Wicker a look there.
Depth on the D-Line is something that Graham commented on after practice, saying there were many options to consider while trying to find the best combination. In addition to starters, he mentioned Edmond Boateng, Christian Hill and Jalen Bates as guys the coaching staff is looking at there.
Throughout spring ball, Graham praised Tashon Smallwood's work ethic and how he became known for being the last one off the field after each practice. Ironically, I saw Smallwood hanging out with the newcomers during their practice before it was stopped due to lightning.
Corey Smith, who was with the offensive lineman in the spring, was back with the defensive linemen for the first day of fall camp.
Linebackers:
Salamo Fiso is the key cog in the linebacking corps along with DJ Calhoun, but one surprise on day one was how consistently good Carlos Mendoza was. Mendoza, a redshirt senior, made a lot of great plays and received many compliments from the coaches. He also got reps with the first team.
Graham also talked about the depth at linebacker, even without the injured Khaylan Thomas, who was in green today after undergoing surgery in the spring. However, Graham said Thomas is two or three weeks ahead of schedule.
"We just think that we have a hole lot a linebackers who are really impressive."-Graham
Secondary:
Fans and media alike are focused on ASU's secondary heading into the season. After a rough year last year, TJ Rushing has emphasized the fundamentals and not giving up the big plays. In addition to the four guys who received first-team reps on Wednesday, we also saw Chad Adams and James Johnson.
Of course, much has been made of Laui Moeakiola's move from spur to bandit, which is obviously significant. He said the guys around him have helped him out with the adjustment period, but in the end, it is still a position he has played before (when he started at ASU).
In 1-on-1 WR/DB drills, it seemed like Johnson was a bit slow in coverage as he was beat deep a couple times, one of those times by Jalen Harvey.
On the reverse end, Kareem Orr looked great in that individual drill. He broke on the ball really sharply. During one specific instance, he broke hard toward the ball, but just missed it and Ellis Jefferson took it for a "touchdown." When Jefferson was running back, Orr said, "You got lucky right there." The coaches applauded Orr for that break on the ball, regardless of the outcome.
J'Marcus Rhodes was a guy who looked good in the spring (when he was present, at least). He looked impressive in coverage on the first day of fall camp as well. Most of the deep balls in the individual drill that went to his side were incomplete. He also seems like he uses his physical frame really well in coverage, especially when shading guys and keeping them from the ball.
Also of note is that Maurice Chandler was in green today.
There was obviously a fair amount of experimentation and movement between positions as there is in a typical first day — and because the team will feature four new starters on the O-Line — but here is the depth chart we had. We put it together based on who played at which spots consistently at each position, especially on the aforementioned O-Line. We combined a few guys on some positions because they received near an equal amount of looks during the team periods.
First team offense:
Quarterback(s): Manny Wilkins, Brady White
Running back(s): Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage
Wide Receivers: Ellis Jefferson, Tim White, Jalen Harvey
Tight End(s): Kody Kohl, Raymond Epps
Left Tackle: Evan Goodman
Left Guard: Sam Jones
Center: Tyler McClure
Right Guard: Stephon McCray
Right Tackle: Quinn Bailey
First team defense:
Spur: Marcus Ball
Devil backer: JoJo Wicker
Defensive End: Renell Wren
Nose guard: Ami Latu
Defensive End: Tashon Smallwood
SAM: Salamo Fiso, Carlos Mendoza
WILL: DJ Calhoun, Carlos Mendoza
Field Corner: J'Marcus Rhodes
Boundary Corner: Kareem Orr
Field Safety: Armand Perry
Boundary Safety: Laui Moeakiola
After the first team, there was a ton of variation in who received reps and where they played.
Quarterbacks:
Manny Wilkins and Brady White each ran with the first team on Wednesday. Bryce Perkins was with the newcomers. After practice, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said that will change as camp progresses. Wilkins and White each had their moments and threw some good balls to receivers during both team and individual periods.
It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff continues to split up the reps for Bryce Perkins. How equal of a shot will he get with the first team? Dillion Sterling-Cole was obviously practicing with the newcomers. There will be much talk of the quarterback battle as camp continues, but the coaches don't seem to be lying when they say that it's any man's race. Wilkins and White may be a bit ahead of Perkins at this point, but there is no clear favorite in the competition yet.
When asked about when he wants to name a starting quarterback, Graham jokingly said "the day we play the first game." He noted that not naming one too early has a lot to do with the desire to not give another team an advantage by doing that.
Graham recalled that in 2012, he never thought the starting quarterback would be Taylor Kelly, so it really is anyone's job at this point. He did mention that they have four quarterbacks (Dillon
Running backs:
Just as expected, Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage seemed to share the load with the first team. Although not surprising from a football standpoint, I found it intriguing that Ballage lined up at wideout a fair amount during the first day of practice.
De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes was practicing with the running backs. Graham said he will play both sides of the ball (RB/DB), but when he is on offense, ASU will use a specifically designed package to utilize him. The "Gump package" is something that was discussed in spring ball, but no one knew how much it would come to fruition.
I believe Nick Ralston received a good amount of second-team reps behind Richard and Ballage and I'm pretty positive Jason Lewis was practicing with the newcomers.
Wide Receivers:
Throughout the spring, the coaches raved about the playmakers they felt they had on this year's team. In addition to Cam Smith looking like the next Captain America (202 lbs with only 4 percent body fat), Tim White stole the show by hiking up his shorts like it was still track season. On the field, the receivers looked great.
Smith and Frederick Gammage received a heavy amount of the reps with the second team. Additionally, Kalen Ballage lined up at wideout a fair amount, which makes sense as ASU is trying to get one of its premier playmakers the ball as much as possible.
Ellis Jefferson and Jalen Harvey made some plays in the team periods as well as in the individual drills.
The wide receivers seemed to get the best of the defensive backs for the most part in the 1-on-1 individual drills. Harvey caught a couple deep balls, as did John Humphrey.
Offensive line/tight ends:
There was a lot of movement on the offensive line. Prior to the fall, a lot of talk focused on how this new crop of offensive linemen could be more athletic and better fits for the system. Additionally, the coaches boast that a few can truly play multiple positions on the line. Amid the movement and inconsistency in some of the periods, Evan Goodman — the lone starter from 2015 — was still at left tackle.
There were many times when Kody Kohl and Raymond Epps were on the field at the same time. From a football standpoint, it makes sense, but it has also been a focus of Chip Lindsey's to try and use the two-tight end sets to spark the running game too. Kohl looked good running routes and waiting for dump offs as well.
Junior college transfer offensive lineman Tyson Rising and defensive back Maurice Chandler were both in green jerseys. However, freshman offensive lineman Marshal Nathe, who was out during the spring due to a torn ACL, was dressed and active on Wednesday.
Former Sun Devil center Nick Kelly was in attendance on Wednesday and seemed to be doing what looked like a bit of graduate assistant work with the team.
Defensive Line:
The biggest story after day one was JoJo Wicker practicing with and getting some time at Devil backer. Graham explained that the Devil backer is a position that needs to be the matchup problem for the offense, which is why they're giving Wicker a look there.
Depth on the D-Line is something that Graham commented on after practice, saying there were many options to consider while trying to find the best combination. In addition to starters, he mentioned Edmond Boateng, Christian Hill and Jalen Bates as guys the coaching staff is looking at there.
Throughout spring ball, Graham praised Tashon Smallwood's work ethic and how he became known for being the last one off the field after each practice. Ironically, I saw Smallwood hanging out with the newcomers during their practice before it was stopped due to lightning.
Corey Smith, who was with the offensive lineman in the spring, was back with the defensive linemen for the first day of fall camp.
Linebackers:
Salamo Fiso is the key cog in the linebacking corps along with DJ Calhoun, but one surprise on day one was how consistently good Carlos Mendoza was. Mendoza, a redshirt senior, made a lot of great plays and received many compliments from the coaches. He also got reps with the first team.
Graham also talked about the depth at linebacker, even without the injured Khaylan Thomas, who was in green today after undergoing surgery in the spring. However, Graham said Thomas is two or three weeks ahead of schedule.
"We just think that we have a hole lot a linebackers who are really impressive."-Graham
Secondary:
Fans and media alike are focused on ASU's secondary heading into the season. After a rough year last year, TJ Rushing has emphasized the fundamentals and not giving up the big plays. In addition to the four guys who received first-team reps on Wednesday, we also saw Chad Adams and James Johnson.
Of course, much has been made of Laui Moeakiola's move from spur to bandit, which is obviously significant. He said the guys around him have helped him out with the adjustment period, but in the end, it is still a position he has played before (when he started at ASU).
In 1-on-1 WR/DB drills, it seemed like Johnson was a bit slow in coverage as he was beat deep a couple times, one of those times by Jalen Harvey.
On the reverse end, Kareem Orr looked great in that individual drill. He broke on the ball really sharply. During one specific instance, he broke hard toward the ball, but just missed it and Ellis Jefferson took it for a "touchdown." When Jefferson was running back, Orr said, "You got lucky right there." The coaches applauded Orr for that break on the ball, regardless of the outcome.
J'Marcus Rhodes was a guy who looked good in the spring (when he was present, at least). He looked impressive in coverage on the first day of fall camp as well. Most of the deep balls in the individual drill that went to his side were incomplete. He also seems like he uses his physical frame really well in coverage, especially when shading guys and keeping them from the ball.
Also of note is that Maurice Chandler was in green today.
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