Saturday's practice at Sun Devil Stadium was Arizona State's first in full pads, and it also coincided with Junior day, where aome of the top 2018 prospects from around the region get check out the facilities.
The visiting juniors checked in on the west side of the Carson Center, and were prompty measured by members of the ASU staff. Players often have coached fib about their size on Maxpreps rosters, so it's helpful to get an accurate measurement. Many of the players invites were essentially to allow ASU to be good ambassadors to the high school local high school community, and to give kids they'd like to see in person a chance to fund their own unofficial visit to the campus. Several players from out of state were among the attendees on Saturday, but only one up until this point, WR Geordon Porter, has an ASU offer. Some local targets who may ultimately end up with an ASU offer are Hamilton ATH Jahwar Jordan, Safford OT Ralph Frias, and Mountain Pointe DB Kenny Churchwell. All three were in attendance. I saw recruiting coordinator Donnie Yantis spending a bit of extra time with Jordan during the drills.
The steel beams are in place, or more accurately, are in the process of being put into place, to hold the video board that's being installed in the north end zone at Sun Devil Stadium. I learned that ASU was given two options- a small crane inside the stadium to put the board together, or a large crane outside the stadium to do the job. ASU went with the large crane because the first option would have precluded them from having the spring game in Sun Devil Stadium.
After the team stretch, which took a little bit more time than the media was anticipating (I won't blame Manny Wilkins for forgetting his helmet in the locker room- that only added 30 seconds to our wait time, tops), the team broke out into position specific drills. Defensive line coach Michael Slater and Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett continue to be an interesting contrast from their predecessors. Slater especially, doesn't let a rep go by without without attending to every fundamental issue of a player's stance, approach and attack. Hod Rabino managed to capture some video of him giving instruction, I recommend checking it out in The Huddle. Defensive linemen are typically a level-headed bunch, and if they've been around more than a couple of years, they're used to getting yelled at, so it's hard to tell if any of the players are either motivated or put off by Slater's style. From observation, it's clear that Slater is an equal-opportunity critic, as walk-on transfer Jordan Hoyt to prized JuCo addition Doug Subtyl all received the same level of instruction.
The line of the day had to belong to Phil Bennett, who said to his group of safeties and cornerbacks "We are going to tackle." The simple drill of having his players wrap up a ballcarrier at an angle revealed plenty worth coaching, and Bennett wasn't shy about offering his advice. The newcomers to the position, Frank Darby and Jeremy Smith (both Redshirt WRs last year) both earned scorn from Bennett during the drill. Darby for not using the sideline to his advantage, and Smith for being a little too "soft." Bennett never waits to address issues, if a drill is run unsatisfactorily, the player runs it again immediately. Bennett made sure than any DB acting as a ballcarrier never gave the tackler an easy rep, and he forced freshman Ty Thomas to repeat reps on both sides of the ball. "You're not a senior yet," Bennett would bark at Thomas when he felt he took rep off- ironic given the fact that Ty Thomas is indeed a senior... in high school. Thomas graduated early so he could join the Devils in the spring.
In attendance were 2015 Sun Devil graduates Jordan Simone and Mike Bercovici. Simone got to have a close up look at the player that Todd Graham has been comparing Ty Thomas him to (which Graham did again, in the media session following Saturday's practice). Another player that Todd Graham mentioned was redshirt freshman Chase Lucas, and it's become increasingly clear that the staff sees something in Lucas that could lead to a starting spot at corner on opening day. During the angle-tackling drill (something we've seen run in all three practices now), Lucas ran first team ahead of Maurice Chandler. Lucas had two interceptions in practice on Thursday, and told Fabian Ardaya that he has set his sights on a total of 10 interceptions during the spring period.
Shawn Slocum continued to coach his small group of devilbackers, who each get an excessive amount of reps due to low numbers. On Tuesday it was Koron Krump and AJ Latu, On Thursday it was Latu and Malik Lawal, and on Saturday, all three players took turns knocking pads out of the way and practicing speed rush moves. Slocum would come up with moves off the top of his head to mix things up, and the players would oblige. Physically, Crump looks as promising as of a player as ASU had ever hoped to make Bo Wallace, Ismael Murphy-Richardson or Davon Durant- three players who all left the team before they had a chance to meet their potential. Their loss has become Krump's gain.
The absence of Todd Graham's voice echoing all over the field is the continued storyline of spring as far as 'sounds' go. In three practices, I've heard him talk as much to those in charge of practice procedure as I have giving commands to actual players during media availability. The only thing he said today involved prompting Mitch Fraboni to have more of a sense of urgency in practicing long snaps- something I might not have even recalled had Graham not called him FRAM-boni.
Incoming freshman OT Corey Stephens made an appearance at practice, as did a few fans that garnered attention from ASU's players.
After practice I talked with Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard. I tried to get them to reveal who might be looking good in practice that the media hasn't caught onto yet. They both politely told me that was my job to figure out. I also noticed Ryan Newsome and John Humphrey hanging bakc, waiting to be interviewed SB Nation and the Republic. I asked them if their time at ASU was really as good as they've made it out to be on social media, or if they're just posturing for the fans. They made it pretty clear that while a different pace than they'd been used to, Tempe is the place where they feel they're meant to be, and are enjoying every minute of it.
Speaking of posturing, right about now is when you'll see the high school kids who made the trip out to Sun Devil Stadium start to post pictures in Sun Devils gear on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. 99% of these kids will never suit up in Tempe, either because ASU didn't pursue it as a possibility, or because the player found a better fit elsewhere- but there's always that chance that you'll be getting a sneak preview of a Sun Devil legend of the future. Just go to the Instagram/Twitter search bar, type in #ForksUp, and take a look at what could be the future.
The visiting juniors checked in on the west side of the Carson Center, and were prompty measured by members of the ASU staff. Players often have coached fib about their size on Maxpreps rosters, so it's helpful to get an accurate measurement. Many of the players invites were essentially to allow ASU to be good ambassadors to the high school local high school community, and to give kids they'd like to see in person a chance to fund their own unofficial visit to the campus. Several players from out of state were among the attendees on Saturday, but only one up until this point, WR Geordon Porter, has an ASU offer. Some local targets who may ultimately end up with an ASU offer are Hamilton ATH Jahwar Jordan, Safford OT Ralph Frias, and Mountain Pointe DB Kenny Churchwell. All three were in attendance. I saw recruiting coordinator Donnie Yantis spending a bit of extra time with Jordan during the drills.
The steel beams are in place, or more accurately, are in the process of being put into place, to hold the video board that's being installed in the north end zone at Sun Devil Stadium. I learned that ASU was given two options- a small crane inside the stadium to put the board together, or a large crane outside the stadium to do the job. ASU went with the large crane because the first option would have precluded them from having the spring game in Sun Devil Stadium.
After the team stretch, which took a little bit more time than the media was anticipating (I won't blame Manny Wilkins for forgetting his helmet in the locker room- that only added 30 seconds to our wait time, tops), the team broke out into position specific drills. Defensive line coach Michael Slater and Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett continue to be an interesting contrast from their predecessors. Slater especially, doesn't let a rep go by without without attending to every fundamental issue of a player's stance, approach and attack. Hod Rabino managed to capture some video of him giving instruction, I recommend checking it out in The Huddle. Defensive linemen are typically a level-headed bunch, and if they've been around more than a couple of years, they're used to getting yelled at, so it's hard to tell if any of the players are either motivated or put off by Slater's style. From observation, it's clear that Slater is an equal-opportunity critic, as walk-on transfer Jordan Hoyt to prized JuCo addition Doug Subtyl all received the same level of instruction.
The line of the day had to belong to Phil Bennett, who said to his group of safeties and cornerbacks "We are going to tackle." The simple drill of having his players wrap up a ballcarrier at an angle revealed plenty worth coaching, and Bennett wasn't shy about offering his advice. The newcomers to the position, Frank Darby and Jeremy Smith (both Redshirt WRs last year) both earned scorn from Bennett during the drill. Darby for not using the sideline to his advantage, and Smith for being a little too "soft." Bennett never waits to address issues, if a drill is run unsatisfactorily, the player runs it again immediately. Bennett made sure than any DB acting as a ballcarrier never gave the tackler an easy rep, and he forced freshman Ty Thomas to repeat reps on both sides of the ball. "You're not a senior yet," Bennett would bark at Thomas when he felt he took rep off- ironic given the fact that Ty Thomas is indeed a senior... in high school. Thomas graduated early so he could join the Devils in the spring.
In attendance were 2015 Sun Devil graduates Jordan Simone and Mike Bercovici. Simone got to have a close up look at the player that Todd Graham has been comparing Ty Thomas him to (which Graham did again, in the media session following Saturday's practice). Another player that Todd Graham mentioned was redshirt freshman Chase Lucas, and it's become increasingly clear that the staff sees something in Lucas that could lead to a starting spot at corner on opening day. During the angle-tackling drill (something we've seen run in all three practices now), Lucas ran first team ahead of Maurice Chandler. Lucas had two interceptions in practice on Thursday, and told Fabian Ardaya that he has set his sights on a total of 10 interceptions during the spring period.
Shawn Slocum continued to coach his small group of devilbackers, who each get an excessive amount of reps due to low numbers. On Tuesday it was Koron Krump and AJ Latu, On Thursday it was Latu and Malik Lawal, and on Saturday, all three players took turns knocking pads out of the way and practicing speed rush moves. Slocum would come up with moves off the top of his head to mix things up, and the players would oblige. Physically, Crump looks as promising as of a player as ASU had ever hoped to make Bo Wallace, Ismael Murphy-Richardson or Davon Durant- three players who all left the team before they had a chance to meet their potential. Their loss has become Krump's gain.
The absence of Todd Graham's voice echoing all over the field is the continued storyline of spring as far as 'sounds' go. In three practices, I've heard him talk as much to those in charge of practice procedure as I have giving commands to actual players during media availability. The only thing he said today involved prompting Mitch Fraboni to have more of a sense of urgency in practicing long snaps- something I might not have even recalled had Graham not called him FRAM-boni.
Incoming freshman OT Corey Stephens made an appearance at practice, as did a few fans that garnered attention from ASU's players.
After practice I talked with Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard. I tried to get them to reveal who might be looking good in practice that the media hasn't caught onto yet. They both politely told me that was my job to figure out. I also noticed Ryan Newsome and John Humphrey hanging bakc, waiting to be interviewed SB Nation and the Republic. I asked them if their time at ASU was really as good as they've made it out to be on social media, or if they're just posturing for the fans. They made it pretty clear that while a different pace than they'd been used to, Tempe is the place where they feel they're meant to be, and are enjoying every minute of it.
Speaking of posturing, right about now is when you'll see the high school kids who made the trip out to Sun Devil Stadium start to post pictures in Sun Devils gear on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. 99% of these kids will never suit up in Tempe, either because ASU didn't pursue it as a possibility, or because the player found a better fit elsewhere- but there's always that chance that you'll be getting a sneak preview of a Sun Devil legend of the future. Just go to the Instagram/Twitter search bar, type in #ForksUp, and take a look at what could be the future.
