Football is back as Arizona State took the field for their its practice of the spring on Tuesday afternoon. The entire two-hour session was open to media and fans, so there was a lot to get into:
DAY ONE DEPTH CHART (TWO-DEEP)
QB: Manny Wilkins – Blake Barnett
RB: Eno Benjamin – Trelon Smith
WR-X: N’Keal Harry – Jeremy Smith
WR-H: Kyle Williams – Ryan Newsome
WR-Z: John Humphrey – Frank Darby
TE: Ceejhay French-Love – Tommy Hudson
LT: Tyson Rising – Mason Schell
LG: Alex Losoya – Cade Cote
C: Cohl Cabral – Marshal Nathe
RG: Steven Miller – Corey Stephens
RT: Quinn Bailey – Kyle Breed
DE: Darius Slade – Shannon Forman
NT: Renell Wren – Jordan Hoyt
DE: Jalen Bates – Doug Subtyl
OLB: Jay Jay Wilson – Deion Guignard
MLB: Khaylan Thomas – Nick Ralston
OLB: Malik Lawal – Kyle Soelle
Tillman: Evan Fields – Tyler Whiley
CB: Chase Lucas – Terin Adams
CB: Kobe Williams – Jacobi Taylor
S (Ranger): Jalen Harvey – Dominique Harrison
S (Ranger): Langston Frederick – Kordell Caldwell
K: Brandon Ruiz
P: Michael Sleep-Dalton – Matthew Bazarevitsch
LS: Riley John
PR: Ryan Newsome – N’Keal Harry
EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF NEW DEFENSE
Tuesday provided us with a first look at the new 3-3-5. A few notes from how Danny Gonzales’ new system looks.
- The way ASU lined up Tuesday was a lot like a nickel package. Kobe Williams and Chase Lucas were playing mostly man coverage as the cornerbacks on the perimeter. Lucas was the “field” corner, meaning he played on the wide side of the formation. Williams was the “boundary” corner, lining up on the short side.
- The Tillman is exactly what Danny Gonzales promised it would be. Half-linebacker, half-safety. Evan Fields was the first string at that position today and lined behind the linebackers but closer to the line of scrimmage than the other deep safety. The Tillman was responsible for receiver/tight end coverage in the slot but also was in position to make second-level tackles on ball carriers.
- Jalen Harvey was indeed the starting field safety (or ranger as the new coaching staff calls it). He played like a prototypical deep safety and made an interception on a tipped ball (more on that later). Afterward, none of the other receivers said they were too surprised to see Harvey move to defense. They thought his physicality would work well there.
- Langston Frederick was the starting boundary ranger but lined up more as a nickel corner on Tuesday, defending the WR-Y in the slot just inside of the boundary corner. It seemed like the Sun Devils only really worked on one variation of the defensive alignment though so the positioning for the boundary ranger could certainly change moving forward.
- The front six was as you’d expect. The middle (“Mike”) linebacker stayed at home in the box. At times, the outside linebackers would blitz; other times they dropped into coverage. The defensive line was also no surprises, with two 3-technique defensive ends bookending a nose tackle in the middle.
- The biggest front six surprise was seeing redshirt junior Nick Ralston – a running back during his first three years on campus – practicing as a middle linebacker. Ralston saw only limited carries last season and battled injuries. ASU also signed four running backs in this year’s recruiting class.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
- Let’s start with the quarterbacks. Manny Wilkins was, of course, the starter and looked sharp to begin the spring. The best part of the day was his passing on the run, with the redshirt senior firing accurate balls outside the pocket. He did have the occasional underthrow or miscommunication with his receivers, but his chemistry with N’Keal Harry was evident – the duo talked through almost every target the junior receiver had.
- Another quarterback who looked sharp: Blake Barnett. The former Alabama transfer was on the practice field just days after he and his wife gave birth to their first son, but was accurate and placed the ball well. During limited media viewing last year, Barnett was mostly unimpressive. But he showed flashes of why he was a 5-star high school recruit during the two-hour session on Tuesday.
- Without Jalen Harvey, the receiving group will be looking for new players to step up. Kyle Williams stepped into Harvey’s slot position on Tuesday and ran sharp routes, including one out-route near the goal line for a touchdown. Jeremy Smith also made several catches during passing drills, routinely beating his defender to create space on throws down the sideline. The best deep ball of the day belonged to Frank Darby though, who beat his corner and hauled in Wilkins’ long toss down the sideline during one-on-one drills.
- As expected, Cohl Cabral moved to center on the first day of spring. Tyson Rising filled in at left tackle (Cabral’s position last season) but Stanford transfer Casey Tucker is expected to fill that role in the regular season. He won’t arrive until the fall.
NEW COACHES, NEW ENERGY
Herm Edwards began to implement his desired higher-intensity practices on Tuesday. The defense was especially tested. During position drills, players weren’t allowed to walk from one position to another. During 8v8 passing drills, the defenders had to hustle to recover every loose ball, incomplete passes included.
One drill, in particular, forced the defenders to work. All 11 players would have to do an up-down and sprint from the sideline into proper position in the new 3-3-5, react to a snap and imitated pass, then sprint to a coach downfield – doing another up-down on the way – before quick-stepping as they huddled the coach and finally ran off the field.
When his players weren’t at the energy level he wanted, Edwards would let them know. Just two examples:
“Don’t be that guy,” and “It’s easy to be last”.
Edwards – the former NFL defensive back – was also very vocal with his DBs, chatting with Kobe Williams, Ty Thomas and others during 1-on-1 coverage drills.
He wasn’t alone either. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua worked his group with a variety of drills, from simulated-snaps to working on hitting dummies and high-step agility exercises.
Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce used tennis balls in one of his drills, forcing his players to side shuffle and get low to touch the moving rubber balls to simulate good tackling position.
You can expect this to continue as long as this group of coaches is in Tempe.
KEY MOMENTS
Most of Tuesday’s highlights came during 1-on-1 passing drills and 8-vs-8 simulations.
The most notable play of the afternoon was Jalen Harvey’s interception. During 8-vs-8, Manny Wilkins tried to target Kyle Williams on a post route, but the pass was broken up by boundary ranger Langston Frederick. Harvey started the play on the opposite half of the field, but broke toward the throw and was able to get there in time to snag the tipped ball out of the air and make a nice return.
It was the kind of play that Danny Gonzales’ 3-3-5 defense would accomplish at SDSU and also was a bright moment for Harvey at his new position.
Some other key moments:
- Jeremy Smith out-battled Terin Adams for a contested reception across the middle
- Frank Darby turned the corner on Kordell Caldwell and made a long catch
- Chase Lucas kept N’Keal Harry to a few short completions underneath
- Kobe Williams jammed John Humphrey at the line to prevent a throw and force Wilkins to scramble
- Tyler Whiley knocked a pass away from Kyle Williams over the middle
- Jeremy Smith made a long touchdown catch after slipping coverage from Preston Liger
- Kobe Williams was flagged for a pass interference while covering Terrell Chatman
- Chatman made a touchdown catch in a goal line drill after Chase Lucas mistimed his jump trying to knock the ball away
- Kyle Williams ran a sharp out-route near the goal line to get into open space for a touchdown catch.
- N’Keal Harry got behind Terin Adams on a go-route down the sideline and hauled in Wilkins’ bomb for a touchdown
- Adams came back a few snaps later and undercut short throw for an interception.
INJURIES
Koron Crump, Dasmond Tautalatasi, Mason Walter, Joey Bryant and George Lea all missed out on drills with injuries.
DAY ONE DEPTH CHART (TWO-DEEP)
QB: Manny Wilkins – Blake Barnett
RB: Eno Benjamin – Trelon Smith
WR-X: N’Keal Harry – Jeremy Smith
WR-H: Kyle Williams – Ryan Newsome
WR-Z: John Humphrey – Frank Darby
TE: Ceejhay French-Love – Tommy Hudson
LT: Tyson Rising – Mason Schell
LG: Alex Losoya – Cade Cote
C: Cohl Cabral – Marshal Nathe
RG: Steven Miller – Corey Stephens
RT: Quinn Bailey – Kyle Breed
DE: Darius Slade – Shannon Forman
NT: Renell Wren – Jordan Hoyt
DE: Jalen Bates – Doug Subtyl
OLB: Jay Jay Wilson – Deion Guignard
MLB: Khaylan Thomas – Nick Ralston
OLB: Malik Lawal – Kyle Soelle
Tillman: Evan Fields – Tyler Whiley
CB: Chase Lucas – Terin Adams
CB: Kobe Williams – Jacobi Taylor
S (Ranger): Jalen Harvey – Dominique Harrison
S (Ranger): Langston Frederick – Kordell Caldwell
K: Brandon Ruiz
P: Michael Sleep-Dalton – Matthew Bazarevitsch
LS: Riley John
PR: Ryan Newsome – N’Keal Harry
EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF NEW DEFENSE
Tuesday provided us with a first look at the new 3-3-5. A few notes from how Danny Gonzales’ new system looks.
- The way ASU lined up Tuesday was a lot like a nickel package. Kobe Williams and Chase Lucas were playing mostly man coverage as the cornerbacks on the perimeter. Lucas was the “field” corner, meaning he played on the wide side of the formation. Williams was the “boundary” corner, lining up on the short side.
- The Tillman is exactly what Danny Gonzales promised it would be. Half-linebacker, half-safety. Evan Fields was the first string at that position today and lined behind the linebackers but closer to the line of scrimmage than the other deep safety. The Tillman was responsible for receiver/tight end coverage in the slot but also was in position to make second-level tackles on ball carriers.
- Jalen Harvey was indeed the starting field safety (or ranger as the new coaching staff calls it). He played like a prototypical deep safety and made an interception on a tipped ball (more on that later). Afterward, none of the other receivers said they were too surprised to see Harvey move to defense. They thought his physicality would work well there.
- Langston Frederick was the starting boundary ranger but lined up more as a nickel corner on Tuesday, defending the WR-Y in the slot just inside of the boundary corner. It seemed like the Sun Devils only really worked on one variation of the defensive alignment though so the positioning for the boundary ranger could certainly change moving forward.
- The front six was as you’d expect. The middle (“Mike”) linebacker stayed at home in the box. At times, the outside linebackers would blitz; other times they dropped into coverage. The defensive line was also no surprises, with two 3-technique defensive ends bookending a nose tackle in the middle.
- The biggest front six surprise was seeing redshirt junior Nick Ralston – a running back during his first three years on campus – practicing as a middle linebacker. Ralston saw only limited carries last season and battled injuries. ASU also signed four running backs in this year’s recruiting class.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
- Let’s start with the quarterbacks. Manny Wilkins was, of course, the starter and looked sharp to begin the spring. The best part of the day was his passing on the run, with the redshirt senior firing accurate balls outside the pocket. He did have the occasional underthrow or miscommunication with his receivers, but his chemistry with N’Keal Harry was evident – the duo talked through almost every target the junior receiver had.
- Another quarterback who looked sharp: Blake Barnett. The former Alabama transfer was on the practice field just days after he and his wife gave birth to their first son, but was accurate and placed the ball well. During limited media viewing last year, Barnett was mostly unimpressive. But he showed flashes of why he was a 5-star high school recruit during the two-hour session on Tuesday.
- Without Jalen Harvey, the receiving group will be looking for new players to step up. Kyle Williams stepped into Harvey’s slot position on Tuesday and ran sharp routes, including one out-route near the goal line for a touchdown. Jeremy Smith also made several catches during passing drills, routinely beating his defender to create space on throws down the sideline. The best deep ball of the day belonged to Frank Darby though, who beat his corner and hauled in Wilkins’ long toss down the sideline during one-on-one drills.
- As expected, Cohl Cabral moved to center on the first day of spring. Tyson Rising filled in at left tackle (Cabral’s position last season) but Stanford transfer Casey Tucker is expected to fill that role in the regular season. He won’t arrive until the fall.
NEW COACHES, NEW ENERGY
Herm Edwards began to implement his desired higher-intensity practices on Tuesday. The defense was especially tested. During position drills, players weren’t allowed to walk from one position to another. During 8v8 passing drills, the defenders had to hustle to recover every loose ball, incomplete passes included.
One drill, in particular, forced the defenders to work. All 11 players would have to do an up-down and sprint from the sideline into proper position in the new 3-3-5, react to a snap and imitated pass, then sprint to a coach downfield – doing another up-down on the way – before quick-stepping as they huddled the coach and finally ran off the field.
When his players weren’t at the energy level he wanted, Edwards would let them know. Just two examples:
“Don’t be that guy,” and “It’s easy to be last”.
Edwards – the former NFL defensive back – was also very vocal with his DBs, chatting with Kobe Williams, Ty Thomas and others during 1-on-1 coverage drills.
He wasn’t alone either. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua worked his group with a variety of drills, from simulated-snaps to working on hitting dummies and high-step agility exercises.
Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce used tennis balls in one of his drills, forcing his players to side shuffle and get low to touch the moving rubber balls to simulate good tackling position.
You can expect this to continue as long as this group of coaches is in Tempe.
KEY MOMENTS
Most of Tuesday’s highlights came during 1-on-1 passing drills and 8-vs-8 simulations.
The most notable play of the afternoon was Jalen Harvey’s interception. During 8-vs-8, Manny Wilkins tried to target Kyle Williams on a post route, but the pass was broken up by boundary ranger Langston Frederick. Harvey started the play on the opposite half of the field, but broke toward the throw and was able to get there in time to snag the tipped ball out of the air and make a nice return.
It was the kind of play that Danny Gonzales’ 3-3-5 defense would accomplish at SDSU and also was a bright moment for Harvey at his new position.
Some other key moments:
- Jeremy Smith out-battled Terin Adams for a contested reception across the middle
- Frank Darby turned the corner on Kordell Caldwell and made a long catch
- Chase Lucas kept N’Keal Harry to a few short completions underneath
- Kobe Williams jammed John Humphrey at the line to prevent a throw and force Wilkins to scramble
- Tyler Whiley knocked a pass away from Kyle Williams over the middle
- Jeremy Smith made a long touchdown catch after slipping coverage from Preston Liger
- Kobe Williams was flagged for a pass interference while covering Terrell Chatman
- Chatman made a touchdown catch in a goal line drill after Chase Lucas mistimed his jump trying to knock the ball away
- Kyle Williams ran a sharp out-route near the goal line to get into open space for a touchdown catch.
- N’Keal Harry got behind Terin Adams on a go-route down the sideline and hauled in Wilkins’ bomb for a touchdown
- Adams came back a few snaps later and undercut short throw for an interception.
INJURIES
Koron Crump, Dasmond Tautalatasi, Mason Walter, Joey Bryant and George Lea all missed out on drills with injuries.
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