Hey guys, ASU was back on the practice field for the first time (that the media was able to see) following Saturday’s scrimmage, and the difference in play was staggering. After a sloppy, penalty-heavy showing, the Devils' offense had what I think was their best showing this fall.
LOCATION: Verde Dickey Dome
ATTIRE: Full pads
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: About 45 minutes but we were again allowed to stay for the practice’s entirety under the condition that we would not record configurations, trick plays, injuries, etc.
Since there was lightning in the area, the practice was moved into the Verde Dickey Dome for the first time this fall.
STRETCH MUSIC: 2 Vaults (Tee Grizzley Feat. Lil Yachty)
SCOUTS IN ATTENDANCE: I saw scouts from the Jaguars and Raiders tonight. Strength and conditioning coach Joe Connolly was talking with the for a few minutes on the sideline
IN GREEN: None
PERSONNEL: Redshirt junior receiver Terrell Chatman, redshirt senior receiver Ryan Jenkins, redshirt sophomore receiver Frank Darby, sophomore defensive back Evan Fields and redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Kelley, redshirt junior defensive end Darius Slade and sophomore defensive lineman Nami Tuitu’i were non-participants Tuesday.
Since we were in the bubble, we were able to see some of the stuff these guys were doing. I saw Kelley doing a lot of work with bands to strengthen his shoulder and Fields was doing pull ups for over 30 minutes.
Freshman running back Brock Sturges, sophomore wide receiver Curtis Hodges and redshirt junior George Lea were not in attendance. Sturges has been absent for almost a week now but no coach has commented on it.
Redshirt senior linebacker Koron Crump participated during the individual drills Tuesday but did not take any reps during 11-on-11. Redshirt freshman DB K.J. Jarrell, who has not been at a single fall practice, was present Tuesday in shells, but did not take any snaps.
Manny shines: Redshirt senior quarterback Manny Wilkins started to make those watching him do a double-take. I sat there witnessing No. 5 pick apart a defense that has gotten the better of him this fall and thought to myself, ‘Is that really Manny Wilkins?’ Yes, yes it was. You know when someone is just so good at something that they just start toying with their opponents? That’s what Wilkins was like Tuesday. On multiple occasions, he just beat the DBs with his eyes -- staring down one of his receivers before quickly turning his body and hitting another for an easy touchdown. That was the best I’ve ever seen Wilkins play, and he really showed what his ceiling is as a quarterback -- hint, it’s much higher than we thought.
On the first play of 11-on-11, he hit Kyle Williams for a 60-yard touchdown. Later, he connected with N’Keal Harry and Brandon Aiyuk down the sideline with beautiful deep passes that only they could have touched -- even as Chase Lucas and Kobe Williams, respectively, were tight on them. During the second 11-on-11 period, the redshirt senior looked right as pressure came at him, stepped up in the pocket and fired the ball to his left into the hands of a WIDE OPEN N’Keal Harry for a 30-40-yard touchdown. No defender was within 10 yards of Harry as Wilkins eyes took them left. A few plays later, he looked for a short pass to Harry and safety Demonte King bit on it just in time for Wilkins to connect with Williams for a touchdown. And finally, Wilkins last gem of the night came as he fired a 30-yard laser to Aiyuk in the endzone, splitting about three defenders with his pass. Hopefully, that list gives a little clarity to why I’m praising Wilkins so much tonight.
Backup QB competition?: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kurt Walding took more snaps tonight than any other fall camp practice. During the final 11-on-11 period, Walding was the first quarterback to run out with the second-team offense and was then followed by Dillion Sterling-Cole. After practice, offensive coordinator Rob Likens said that the team is “not prepared to say which one is second- or third-team right now,” but called it a “great battle.” I did not see that coming three weeks ago. Herm Edwards had talked about creating packages for DSC but I feel that Walding, a walk-on, has looked better. His accuracy has been superior, he’s connected on more deep passes, he just hasn’t shown as much athleticism.
OL vs. DL update: The two groups faced off against each other one-on-one again Tuesday and in the 20 reps I watched, the defensive line took 14 of them, a much slimmer margin than its been the last few practices. Sophomore DE Shannon Foreman and grad transfer Casey Tucker really stood out. Foreman showcased his speed off the ball on his reps and Tucker looked great, pushing a hard-charging Doug Subtyl around the quarterback on his second rep.
Interesting position switches: Freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson got a number of snaps at middle linebacker Tuesday, as opposed to the outside where he’s been for most of camp. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said they’d had him there before but this was the first time I’d seen it. Gonzales also said that Robertson has already learned all three linebacker positions -- something that is nearly unheard of.
“He’s good enough to play in there and he makes it a lot harder for a quarterback to throw a ball down the middle,” Gonzales said. “I mean, he’s 6-foot-4 and the other guys we’re playing with are just under 6-feet.”
Redshirt senior safety Jalen Harvey fully participated in 11-on-11 for the first time this fall and debuted at a new position: TILLMAN. It makes complete sense after the news that Tyler Whiley, who was taking first-team reps, is out for the season and with the way sophomore Langston Frederick has played at field ranger. As Hod said in a tweet, Harvey was mentioned as someone who could play at the TILLMAN spot, just as linebacker Jay Jay Wilson has. Overall, Harvey looked very solid in his first night back, he was quick to the ball and active in coverage. He also took part in returning punts at the beginning of practice.
On a couple drives, redshirt junior offensive lineman Zach Robertson lined up at first-team right tackle and then when first-team RT Quinn Bailey hopped back in, Robertson moved to left tackle in place of Casey Tucker. I imagine this is just a move to try and let Robertson get more reps at different positions in case he needs to jump in during the season, but we’ll see if it continues.
11-on-11: ASU ran 11-on-11 and 8-on-8 tonight. Here is who I had out there:
First-team offense:
QB Manny Wilkins
RB Eno Benjamin/Isaiah Floyd
WRs: N'Keal Harry, Kyle WIlliams, Brandon Aiyuk
TE: Ceejhay French-Love/Tommy Hudson
OL: LT Casey Tucker, LG Alex Losoya, C Cohl Cabral, RG Steven Miller, RT Quinn Bailey
Second-team offense:
QB: Dillion Sterling-Cole/Kurt Walding
RB: Trelon Smith/A.J. Carter
WRs: Ryan Newsome, Keith Davis, Geordon Porter
TE: Jared Bubak/Mark Walton
OL: LT Tyson Rising, LG Roy Hemsley, C Corey Stephens, RG Jarrett Bell, RT Zach Robertson
NOTE: As mentioned earlier, Robertson was at a few different spots.
First-team defense:
D-Line: Jalen Bates, Renell Wren, Shannon Foreman
LB: Merlin Robertson, Nick Ralston, Malik Lawal
CBs: Chase Lucas, Kobe Williams
TILLMAN: Das Tautalatasi
Safeties: Langston Frederick (field ranger), Demonte King (boundary ranger)
Second-team defense:
D-Line: Doug Subtyl, D.J. Davidson, Jordan Hoyt/Jermayne Lole
LBs: Kyle Soelle/Stanley Lambert , Khaylan Thomas/Darien Butler, Jay Jay Wilson/Tyler Johnson
TILLMAN: Jalen Harvey
CBs: Terin Adams, Darien Cornay
Safeties: Joey Bryant (field ranger), Aashari Crosswell (boundary ranger)
NOTE: Nearly every linebacker I listed took both first- and second-team reps. The group was rotating nearly its entire personnel every couple plays and showcased a flurry of different combinations in different spots. My depth chart signifies the guys that I feel were taking the most reps at each spot.
Notes from 11-on-11 and red zone drills: ASU again faced-off in an 11-on-11 and 8-on-8 setting. Here’s some of the more interesting things I saw:
LOCATION: Verde Dickey Dome
ATTIRE: Full pads
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: About 45 minutes but we were again allowed to stay for the practice’s entirety under the condition that we would not record configurations, trick plays, injuries, etc.
Since there was lightning in the area, the practice was moved into the Verde Dickey Dome for the first time this fall.
STRETCH MUSIC: 2 Vaults (Tee Grizzley Feat. Lil Yachty)
SCOUTS IN ATTENDANCE: I saw scouts from the Jaguars and Raiders tonight. Strength and conditioning coach Joe Connolly was talking with the for a few minutes on the sideline
IN GREEN: None
PERSONNEL: Redshirt junior receiver Terrell Chatman, redshirt senior receiver Ryan Jenkins, redshirt sophomore receiver Frank Darby, sophomore defensive back Evan Fields and redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Kelley, redshirt junior defensive end Darius Slade and sophomore defensive lineman Nami Tuitu’i were non-participants Tuesday.
Since we were in the bubble, we were able to see some of the stuff these guys were doing. I saw Kelley doing a lot of work with bands to strengthen his shoulder and Fields was doing pull ups for over 30 minutes.
Freshman running back Brock Sturges, sophomore wide receiver Curtis Hodges and redshirt junior George Lea were not in attendance. Sturges has been absent for almost a week now but no coach has commented on it.
Redshirt senior linebacker Koron Crump participated during the individual drills Tuesday but did not take any reps during 11-on-11. Redshirt freshman DB K.J. Jarrell, who has not been at a single fall practice, was present Tuesday in shells, but did not take any snaps.
Manny shines: Redshirt senior quarterback Manny Wilkins started to make those watching him do a double-take. I sat there witnessing No. 5 pick apart a defense that has gotten the better of him this fall and thought to myself, ‘Is that really Manny Wilkins?’ Yes, yes it was. You know when someone is just so good at something that they just start toying with their opponents? That’s what Wilkins was like Tuesday. On multiple occasions, he just beat the DBs with his eyes -- staring down one of his receivers before quickly turning his body and hitting another for an easy touchdown. That was the best I’ve ever seen Wilkins play, and he really showed what his ceiling is as a quarterback -- hint, it’s much higher than we thought.
On the first play of 11-on-11, he hit Kyle Williams for a 60-yard touchdown. Later, he connected with N’Keal Harry and Brandon Aiyuk down the sideline with beautiful deep passes that only they could have touched -- even as Chase Lucas and Kobe Williams, respectively, were tight on them. During the second 11-on-11 period, the redshirt senior looked right as pressure came at him, stepped up in the pocket and fired the ball to his left into the hands of a WIDE OPEN N’Keal Harry for a 30-40-yard touchdown. No defender was within 10 yards of Harry as Wilkins eyes took them left. A few plays later, he looked for a short pass to Harry and safety Demonte King bit on it just in time for Wilkins to connect with Williams for a touchdown. And finally, Wilkins last gem of the night came as he fired a 30-yard laser to Aiyuk in the endzone, splitting about three defenders with his pass. Hopefully, that list gives a little clarity to why I’m praising Wilkins so much tonight.
Backup QB competition?: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kurt Walding took more snaps tonight than any other fall camp practice. During the final 11-on-11 period, Walding was the first quarterback to run out with the second-team offense and was then followed by Dillion Sterling-Cole. After practice, offensive coordinator Rob Likens said that the team is “not prepared to say which one is second- or third-team right now,” but called it a “great battle.” I did not see that coming three weeks ago. Herm Edwards had talked about creating packages for DSC but I feel that Walding, a walk-on, has looked better. His accuracy has been superior, he’s connected on more deep passes, he just hasn’t shown as much athleticism.
OL vs. DL update: The two groups faced off against each other one-on-one again Tuesday and in the 20 reps I watched, the defensive line took 14 of them, a much slimmer margin than its been the last few practices. Sophomore DE Shannon Foreman and grad transfer Casey Tucker really stood out. Foreman showcased his speed off the ball on his reps and Tucker looked great, pushing a hard-charging Doug Subtyl around the quarterback on his second rep.
Interesting position switches: Freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson got a number of snaps at middle linebacker Tuesday, as opposed to the outside where he’s been for most of camp. Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said they’d had him there before but this was the first time I’d seen it. Gonzales also said that Robertson has already learned all three linebacker positions -- something that is nearly unheard of.
“He’s good enough to play in there and he makes it a lot harder for a quarterback to throw a ball down the middle,” Gonzales said. “I mean, he’s 6-foot-4 and the other guys we’re playing with are just under 6-feet.”
Redshirt senior safety Jalen Harvey fully participated in 11-on-11 for the first time this fall and debuted at a new position: TILLMAN. It makes complete sense after the news that Tyler Whiley, who was taking first-team reps, is out for the season and with the way sophomore Langston Frederick has played at field ranger. As Hod said in a tweet, Harvey was mentioned as someone who could play at the TILLMAN spot, just as linebacker Jay Jay Wilson has. Overall, Harvey looked very solid in his first night back, he was quick to the ball and active in coverage. He also took part in returning punts at the beginning of practice.
On a couple drives, redshirt junior offensive lineman Zach Robertson lined up at first-team right tackle and then when first-team RT Quinn Bailey hopped back in, Robertson moved to left tackle in place of Casey Tucker. I imagine this is just a move to try and let Robertson get more reps at different positions in case he needs to jump in during the season, but we’ll see if it continues.
11-on-11: ASU ran 11-on-11 and 8-on-8 tonight. Here is who I had out there:
First-team offense:
QB Manny Wilkins
RB Eno Benjamin/Isaiah Floyd
WRs: N'Keal Harry, Kyle WIlliams, Brandon Aiyuk
TE: Ceejhay French-Love/Tommy Hudson
OL: LT Casey Tucker, LG Alex Losoya, C Cohl Cabral, RG Steven Miller, RT Quinn Bailey
Second-team offense:
QB: Dillion Sterling-Cole/Kurt Walding
RB: Trelon Smith/A.J. Carter
WRs: Ryan Newsome, Keith Davis, Geordon Porter
TE: Jared Bubak/Mark Walton
OL: LT Tyson Rising, LG Roy Hemsley, C Corey Stephens, RG Jarrett Bell, RT Zach Robertson
NOTE: As mentioned earlier, Robertson was at a few different spots.
First-team defense:
D-Line: Jalen Bates, Renell Wren, Shannon Foreman
LB: Merlin Robertson, Nick Ralston, Malik Lawal
CBs: Chase Lucas, Kobe Williams
TILLMAN: Das Tautalatasi
Safeties: Langston Frederick (field ranger), Demonte King (boundary ranger)
Second-team defense:
D-Line: Doug Subtyl, D.J. Davidson, Jordan Hoyt/Jermayne Lole
LBs: Kyle Soelle/Stanley Lambert , Khaylan Thomas/Darien Butler, Jay Jay Wilson/Tyler Johnson
TILLMAN: Jalen Harvey
CBs: Terin Adams, Darien Cornay
Safeties: Joey Bryant (field ranger), Aashari Crosswell (boundary ranger)
NOTE: Nearly every linebacker I listed took both first- and second-team reps. The group was rotating nearly its entire personnel every couple plays and showcased a flurry of different combinations in different spots. My depth chart signifies the guys that I feel were taking the most reps at each spot.
Notes from 11-on-11 and red zone drills: ASU again faced-off in an 11-on-11 and 8-on-8 setting. Here’s some of the more interesting things I saw:
- After ASU’s first scrimmage, N’Keal Harry said that he’s seen the offense show “flashes of excellence,” but hasn’t watched them bring it all together. That happened Tuesday. The offense had its best showing of fall camp as they tore apart the defense. But the thing that impressed me was the balance they showed. It seemed like almost a 50-50 split between runs and passes as Wilkins and Co. gashed the defense.
- Eno Benjamin had his best showing of the spring. After practice, offensive coordinator Rob Likens said that he felt Benjamin could have bursted a little bit more and said they got on him after last night practice (which was closed to the media). Tuesday, Benjamin ran with a purpose, busting through small holes as he turned on the jets for a sizable gain. He hadn’t really impressed in camp before Tuesday but some of that was because he wasn’t garnering as many snaps with such a deep backfield. Nonetheless, ASU fans should be very excited for the sophomore in 2018.
- Freshman wide receiver Geordon Porter may have had his breakthrough practice. Porter has been solid in the fall but hadn’t done too much to impress. Tuesday, he was far more involved in the offense, even grabbing a majority of the second-team reps with Curtis Hodges' absence. Most of his damage was done with short passes, including one where cornerback Dom Harrison tried to intercept a pass and missed, allowing Porter to snatch the ball for a 15-to-20-yard gain. He also had an impressive catch over the middle with a defender draped all over him.
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