Here are some off-season tidbits that I heard from various people on the team.
Let's start talking about the summer arrivals from the portal:
I know quarterback Jeff Sims has come with some scrutiny after struggling quite a bit at Nebraska last year. From what I know, the ASU coaches are optimistic about the new surroundings, helping him turn the page from 2023.
There's no denying that he passes the eye test and then some, standing at 6-4 220. That's a physical presence that the quarterback room certainly needed. He is your classic dual-threat quarterback with a huge arm, as he exhibited in a video of a very recent workout. Obviously, with his athleticism, he can and will be a big part of the RPO game. Suffice it to say that with his frame, he's going to be hard to bring down when he carries the ball.
Someone told me that if you look at some of his games at Nebraska last year, he was put in some bad situations. Specifically, there was a game at Colorado where he had multiple fumbles, and when you look closer at the game film, it was really the center that was mishandling the snaps in a very loud environment. A competent offensive coordinator, knowing that he is entering a hostile road game environment, would have designed plays that would put his quarterback and even the center in much better situations.
There's no denying that his 2023 numbers are not pretty, passing for only 282 yards, one touchdown, and six pics. Yet, the raw talent is there, and needless to say, he has more than enough motivation to show that the numbers that he had playing in just five games last year are not even close to being indicative of his true talent. Furthermore, on his visit, he certainly displayed the quarterback IQ that you would want your signal caller to showcase on the whiteboard.
I'm not suggesting that he is a shoo-in to win the starting job at Arizona State, but in terms of providing a formidable competition for Sam Leavitt and being able to execute designed packages, I wouldn't be shocked if Sims ended up being a pleasant surprise.
In a recent interview, Kenny Dillingham hinted that we could see two running back alignments on more than a couple of occasions in each and every game, and from what I know, Colorado transfer running Alton McCaskill is a huge reason for that. He is another player who brings a more physical presence to his respective position room, standing at 6-1 200. The fact that he was clocked at 22 mph in summer workouts earlier this month shows you the versatility that he brings to the table. If anything else, it proves that he's fully recovered from his ACL injury that took place after an incredibly impressive freshman season at Houston, where he rushed for 961 yards, scoring 16 touchdowns.
So teaming him up with a smaller running back such as Raleek Brown or Cam Skattebo would definitely invoke memories of the potent Marion Grice and DJ Foster backfield that ASU had during some of Todd Graham's best teams in Tempe. As we know, Dillingham was part of that staff. He worked under his mentor and then offensive coordinator Mike Novell, so there are plenty of reasons for him to want to recreate that look and duplicate that success on the ground with this roster, and I fully believe that he has the tools to do it.
With a proven offensive coordinator in Marcus Arroyo, I really think the sky is the limit for this running game and for having a more creative and explosive offense overall. True, the bar cannot get much lower than it did last year, but that does not negate the fact that the staff's expertise level and, again, the overall caliber of talent is really night and day from what we saw in 2023, and the improved numbers will follow.
Tight end Chamon Metayer, another transfer from Colorado, is yet another newcomer who brings a lot of physicality with him at 6-5 245 lbs. He has a more physical presence than Bryce Pierre who left the team, but he is someone who possesses the same degree of athleticism as well as receiving abilities, and I’m told that he would have beaten Pierre for a starting role If I were picking someone to be the most surprising transfer this year, especially the most surprising among post-spring newcomers, I feel that Chamon Metayer is just maybe that guy.
Now, with him being only the fourth scholarship tight end on the team, ASU does need some help here and is going to enact a position change, having incoming freshman James Giggey begin fall camp at tight end rather than defensive end. At 6-3 245 lbs., he definitely has a classic build for a tight end and stands a much better chance of seeing the field at this position rather than a pretty deep defensive end group.
Speaking of position changes, another one that did surprise me a bit is the move of Bram Walden to guard, where he's going to start practicing at when fall camp begins. A little unclear still whether he will be vying more for the left guard role that Ben Coleman is slated to start at or at the right guard role where Sean Na'a may get the nod right now. With the latter player, there's definitely the temptation to redshirt Na’a after he was forced into action as a true freshman, and that can be an extra benefit because he is more than likely going to be the starting center in 2025 and beyond. To get three more years from him in Tempe rather than just two would be phenomenal for this group.
Plus, linemen such as Max Iheanachor, Josh Atkins, Jalen Klemm, and Emmit Bohle are really stuck, so to speak, only playing at tackle, and I might even throw Kyle Scott into that category even though we did see him practicing some at guard. Plus, Walden really does boost the depth that ASU would have at guard and bring more overall experience there. Furthermore, he easily would be one of the more athletic interior linemen on the team, and with the mad scientists in the coaching room, such as Arroyo and Dillingham, that is a very attractive aspect to have.
Overall, when it comes to the position coach there, Saga Tuitele, I think he's more than earned the trust of the coaches with however he wants to mold this offensive line. It was a ridiculous rash of injuries that must have made him crazy last season, but now, with improved depth, which is not only manifested quantity-wise but also quality wise I really feel that we're going to get to witness one of the better offensive line coaches we've seen in Tempe in a while. I always feel that at this role, you either get the offensive line coach who just screams his head off every second of practice where you wonder how much of that is really making those players better, or you get the quiet kinds that really harp on technique and mechanics but don't necessarily light a fire under the front five. Tuitele, from my observations, is a good combination of both.
I feel that cornerback is the position we should all look at very, very closely in terms of fall camp performance. On paper, I think that Ed Woods may end up being the most significant loss to the portal. Granted, that's assuming that Jordyn Tyson can parlay his phenomenal spring practice performance into fall camps and the season.
Nonetheless, the degree that ASU will be able to replace Woods is going to be crucial to the defense. Washington State transfer Javan Robinson has virtually locked in one starting role, and while I certainly think he's one of the best newcomers who arrived in the spring, he still has big shoes to fill trying to replace Woods. But just as important is to see who is going to be the corner starting opposite him? Laterrence Welch has the experience compared to the players he’s battling, although Keith Abney II didn’t redshirt last year and is a very promising young talent. Then you have Rodney Bimage, who was the biggest spring surprise among the true freshmen, and I would not count him out as a potential starter. Ultimately, the cornerback situation isn’t only one that has to be answered quickly and early in fall camp, but one that has to provide an answer that will truly satisfy the coaches.
Let's start talking about the summer arrivals from the portal:
I know quarterback Jeff Sims has come with some scrutiny after struggling quite a bit at Nebraska last year. From what I know, the ASU coaches are optimistic about the new surroundings, helping him turn the page from 2023.
There's no denying that he passes the eye test and then some, standing at 6-4 220. That's a physical presence that the quarterback room certainly needed. He is your classic dual-threat quarterback with a huge arm, as he exhibited in a video of a very recent workout. Obviously, with his athleticism, he can and will be a big part of the RPO game. Suffice it to say that with his frame, he's going to be hard to bring down when he carries the ball.
Someone told me that if you look at some of his games at Nebraska last year, he was put in some bad situations. Specifically, there was a game at Colorado where he had multiple fumbles, and when you look closer at the game film, it was really the center that was mishandling the snaps in a very loud environment. A competent offensive coordinator, knowing that he is entering a hostile road game environment, would have designed plays that would put his quarterback and even the center in much better situations.
There's no denying that his 2023 numbers are not pretty, passing for only 282 yards, one touchdown, and six pics. Yet, the raw talent is there, and needless to say, he has more than enough motivation to show that the numbers that he had playing in just five games last year are not even close to being indicative of his true talent. Furthermore, on his visit, he certainly displayed the quarterback IQ that you would want your signal caller to showcase on the whiteboard.
I'm not suggesting that he is a shoo-in to win the starting job at Arizona State, but in terms of providing a formidable competition for Sam Leavitt and being able to execute designed packages, I wouldn't be shocked if Sims ended up being a pleasant surprise.
In a recent interview, Kenny Dillingham hinted that we could see two running back alignments on more than a couple of occasions in each and every game, and from what I know, Colorado transfer running Alton McCaskill is a huge reason for that. He is another player who brings a more physical presence to his respective position room, standing at 6-1 200. The fact that he was clocked at 22 mph in summer workouts earlier this month shows you the versatility that he brings to the table. If anything else, it proves that he's fully recovered from his ACL injury that took place after an incredibly impressive freshman season at Houston, where he rushed for 961 yards, scoring 16 touchdowns.
So teaming him up with a smaller running back such as Raleek Brown or Cam Skattebo would definitely invoke memories of the potent Marion Grice and DJ Foster backfield that ASU had during some of Todd Graham's best teams in Tempe. As we know, Dillingham was part of that staff. He worked under his mentor and then offensive coordinator Mike Novell, so there are plenty of reasons for him to want to recreate that look and duplicate that success on the ground with this roster, and I fully believe that he has the tools to do it.
With a proven offensive coordinator in Marcus Arroyo, I really think the sky is the limit for this running game and for having a more creative and explosive offense overall. True, the bar cannot get much lower than it did last year, but that does not negate the fact that the staff's expertise level and, again, the overall caliber of talent is really night and day from what we saw in 2023, and the improved numbers will follow.
Tight end Chamon Metayer, another transfer from Colorado, is yet another newcomer who brings a lot of physicality with him at 6-5 245 lbs. He has a more physical presence than Bryce Pierre who left the team, but he is someone who possesses the same degree of athleticism as well as receiving abilities, and I’m told that he would have beaten Pierre for a starting role If I were picking someone to be the most surprising transfer this year, especially the most surprising among post-spring newcomers, I feel that Chamon Metayer is just maybe that guy.
Now, with him being only the fourth scholarship tight end on the team, ASU does need some help here and is going to enact a position change, having incoming freshman James Giggey begin fall camp at tight end rather than defensive end. At 6-3 245 lbs., he definitely has a classic build for a tight end and stands a much better chance of seeing the field at this position rather than a pretty deep defensive end group.
Speaking of position changes, another one that did surprise me a bit is the move of Bram Walden to guard, where he's going to start practicing at when fall camp begins. A little unclear still whether he will be vying more for the left guard role that Ben Coleman is slated to start at or at the right guard role where Sean Na'a may get the nod right now. With the latter player, there's definitely the temptation to redshirt Na’a after he was forced into action as a true freshman, and that can be an extra benefit because he is more than likely going to be the starting center in 2025 and beyond. To get three more years from him in Tempe rather than just two would be phenomenal for this group.
Plus, linemen such as Max Iheanachor, Josh Atkins, Jalen Klemm, and Emmit Bohle are really stuck, so to speak, only playing at tackle, and I might even throw Kyle Scott into that category even though we did see him practicing some at guard. Plus, Walden really does boost the depth that ASU would have at guard and bring more overall experience there. Furthermore, he easily would be one of the more athletic interior linemen on the team, and with the mad scientists in the coaching room, such as Arroyo and Dillingham, that is a very attractive aspect to have.
Overall, when it comes to the position coach there, Saga Tuitele, I think he's more than earned the trust of the coaches with however he wants to mold this offensive line. It was a ridiculous rash of injuries that must have made him crazy last season, but now, with improved depth, which is not only manifested quantity-wise but also quality wise I really feel that we're going to get to witness one of the better offensive line coaches we've seen in Tempe in a while. I always feel that at this role, you either get the offensive line coach who just screams his head off every second of practice where you wonder how much of that is really making those players better, or you get the quiet kinds that really harp on technique and mechanics but don't necessarily light a fire under the front five. Tuitele, from my observations, is a good combination of both.
I feel that cornerback is the position we should all look at very, very closely in terms of fall camp performance. On paper, I think that Ed Woods may end up being the most significant loss to the portal. Granted, that's assuming that Jordyn Tyson can parlay his phenomenal spring practice performance into fall camps and the season.
Nonetheless, the degree that ASU will be able to replace Woods is going to be crucial to the defense. Washington State transfer Javan Robinson has virtually locked in one starting role, and while I certainly think he's one of the best newcomers who arrived in the spring, he still has big shoes to fill trying to replace Woods. But just as important is to see who is going to be the corner starting opposite him? Laterrence Welch has the experience compared to the players he’s battling, although Keith Abney II didn’t redshirt last year and is a very promising young talent. Then you have Rodney Bimage, who was the biggest spring surprise among the true freshmen, and I would not count him out as a potential starter. Ultimately, the cornerback situation isn’t only one that has to be answered quickly and early in fall camp, but one that has to provide an answer that will truly satisfy the coaches.
