Hey everyone, Arizona State football was back Thursday night for their second practice of the preseason. That means there are 20 practices left between now and the season opener, August 29th vs. Kent State, and we’ll have you covered for each one.
LOCATION: Kajikawa Practice Fields- outdoors
ATTIRE: Shorts, helmets, no pads
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Full two hours
Green non-contact jerseys: DL Shannon Forman, DL Stephon Wright, LB Stanley Lambert
Personnel Notes:
-Defensive lineman Tyler Johnson did not participate in scrimmages for a second consecutive day, and was also not seen with either the defensive linemen or linebackers during team drills. However, he was seen in uniform during warm-ups and walking off the field at the end. Danny Gonzales said in a previous interview that he has to work his way back, so we’ll see when that takes place.
-Freshman QB Ethan Long took reps with special teams for a good portion of practice, and even went out as a slot receiver during 11-on-11’s. He did get the chance to run offense earlier in practice against 3rd/scout team defense
-Freshman Amiri Johnson practiced with the linebackers once again, but this time actually played LB for the 3rd team defense in scrimmages instead of his natural spot on the defensive line. If nothing else, the 6’6, 225-lb newcomer is developing his versatility.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Jayden Daniels, Dillion Sterling-Cole
RB: Eno Benjamin
WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Frank Darby, Kyle Williams
TE: Tommy Hudson
OL: LT Cohl Cabral, LG Alex Losoya, C Jarrett Bell, RG Cade Cole, RT Steven Miller
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Joey Yellen
RB: Isiah Floyd
WR: Ryan Newsome, Ricky Pearsall, Angel Ruiz, Tannor Park, Jordan Kerley
TE: Jared Bubak, Nolan Matthews
OL: LT Ralph Frias, LG Cody Shear, C Donovan West, RG Roy Hemsley, RT Spencer Lovell
Quarterback report
-Quarterback Jayden Daniels wasted no time making an impact on the night as he fired a long touchdown to receiver Frank Darby during his first live action in 7 on 7. The true freshman would go on to complete four of his five pass attempts during the drill as he was the first quarterback in the rotation to go.
-Daniels was the first to go in two of the team’s three offensive live action drills that included 7 on 7, 11 on 11, and two-minute drill. The freshman finished the night completing 11 of his 14 pass attempts with two touchdowns on the night.
-Fellow freshman Joey Yellen took the second man of the rotation for all three drills completing mostly short and intermediate routes throughout the night. Yellen completed 7 of 10 on the night with two completions to fellow quarterback Ethan Long who lined up at receiver throughout the night. Long also caught a touchdown pass from Daniels after coming in motion and being left open.
-Yellen was caught in the middle of a rant by offensive coordinator Rob Likens as Likens stood directly by the quarterback in the shotgun yelling at him to snap the ball during the two-minute drill. The moment was a teaching point for all three freshmen, showing the sense of urgency the team showed throughout the night.
-Dillion Sterling-Cole threw the only interception of the night during 11 on 11 as he rolled to his right and attempted to force a ball to Jordan Kerley down field but was ultimately intercepted by Aashari Crosswell. The pass was the first of what was a poor 11 on 11 session for Cole as he completed one of his five attempted passes while completing every pass during 7 on 7 and the two-minute drill.
Storylines to watch
-Cohl Cabral once again played left tackle throughout the night with the absence of Zach Robertson. Cabral was used as a teaching point for offensive line coach Dave Christensen told his linemen to watch Cabral’s steps during a footwork drill.
-John Humphrey and Geordon Porter did not practice due to hamstring injury.
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Jermayne Lole, D.J. Davidson, George Lea
LB: Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, Darien Butler, Merlin Robertson
CB: Chase Lucas, Kobe Williams
TILLMAN: Tyler Whiley
S: Aashari Crosswell, Cam Phillips
SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Michael Matus, Roe Wilkins, Corey Stephens/T.J. Pesefea
LB: Case Hatch, Ely Doyle, Kyle Soelle
CB: Darien Cornay/Terin Adams, Jordan Clark
TILLMAN: Connor Soelle
S: Evan Fields, Willie Harts
THIRD-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Parker Jacobs, Anthonie Cooper, T.J. Pesefea/Corey Stephens
LB: Abe Schwinn/Fritzny Niclasse, Elijah Juarez, Amiri Johnson
DB: K.J. Jarrell, Alijah Gammage, Darien Cornay, Preston Liger, Vincenzo Granatelli
Defensive Highlights
-An early candidate for best defensive play in practice this preseason, Aashari Crosswell intercepted a deep ball thrown by Dillon Sterling-Cole after he had to scramble out of the pocket. The pass was intended for freshman receiver Jordan Kerley before Crosswell undercut the pass.
-In one of the subsequent plays, Tyler Whiley nearly picked off a short DSC cross intended for Kyle Williams, instead colliding with the receiver and forcing an incomplete pass.
-LB’s Merlin Robertson and Darien Butler both made their presence felt, as Robertson pressured the QB multiple times, directly forcing an incompletion one time on DSC, while Butler got through for what would’ve been a sack on DSC, and later getting A.J. Carter for what would’ve been a TFL off a screen pass
-Freshman DB Jordan Clark got through on a corner blitz and would’ve blindsided Jayden Daniels with a full-sprint hit in a full-contact situation
-Defensive lineman D.J. Davidson got through to force Daniels to scramble on a pass play, while LB Khaylan Kearse-Thomas chased him out-of-bounds for a minimal gain
-CB’s Kobe Williams and Chase Lucas each missed an interception opportunity, with the pass sailing incomplete both times. Lucas was called out by his position coach, Tony White, after the missed interception
Other Notes & Quotes-
-Kicker Brandon Ruiz was perfect in his field goal attempts in the special teams portion of 11-on-11’s. His kicks came from 40 yards-plus out each time.
-WR’s Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Kerley were seen most consistently returning punts throughout practice.
-“Hey good route two,” Chase Lucas shouted across the field to Brandon Aiyuk after he burned Lucas on a deep route- although he didn’t get thrown the ball on the play. Nevertheless, Lucas broke out into his famous self-imposed push-ups for getting beat.
-“Don’t let that boy be good,” someone (likely either Chase Lucas or Khaylan Kearse-Thomas) said from the defensive sideline after freshman tight end Nolan Matthews caught his second pass of scrimmages. Matthews has shown he can be that receiving threat from his position.
-DB’s coach Tony White could be seen spending a lot of time with freshman Jordan Clark throughout practice, giving him instruction and pointers multiple times during the night. Clark has played second-team corner both practices thus far, and looks like he could solidify his position in the two-deep.
-Scouts from the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons were spotted in attendance at tonight’s practice
If you have any questions, as always, feel free to ask.
LOCATION: Kajikawa Practice Fields- outdoors
ATTIRE: Shorts, helmets, no pads
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Full two hours
Green non-contact jerseys: DL Shannon Forman, DL Stephon Wright, LB Stanley Lambert
Personnel Notes:
-Defensive lineman Tyler Johnson did not participate in scrimmages for a second consecutive day, and was also not seen with either the defensive linemen or linebackers during team drills. However, he was seen in uniform during warm-ups and walking off the field at the end. Danny Gonzales said in a previous interview that he has to work his way back, so we’ll see when that takes place.
-Freshman QB Ethan Long took reps with special teams for a good portion of practice, and even went out as a slot receiver during 11-on-11’s. He did get the chance to run offense earlier in practice against 3rd/scout team defense
-Freshman Amiri Johnson practiced with the linebackers once again, but this time actually played LB for the 3rd team defense in scrimmages instead of his natural spot on the defensive line. If nothing else, the 6’6, 225-lb newcomer is developing his versatility.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Jayden Daniels, Dillion Sterling-Cole
RB: Eno Benjamin
WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Frank Darby, Kyle Williams
TE: Tommy Hudson
OL: LT Cohl Cabral, LG Alex Losoya, C Jarrett Bell, RG Cade Cole, RT Steven Miller
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB: Joey Yellen
RB: Isiah Floyd
WR: Ryan Newsome, Ricky Pearsall, Angel Ruiz, Tannor Park, Jordan Kerley
TE: Jared Bubak, Nolan Matthews
OL: LT Ralph Frias, LG Cody Shear, C Donovan West, RG Roy Hemsley, RT Spencer Lovell
Quarterback report
-Quarterback Jayden Daniels wasted no time making an impact on the night as he fired a long touchdown to receiver Frank Darby during his first live action in 7 on 7. The true freshman would go on to complete four of his five pass attempts during the drill as he was the first quarterback in the rotation to go.
-Daniels was the first to go in two of the team’s three offensive live action drills that included 7 on 7, 11 on 11, and two-minute drill. The freshman finished the night completing 11 of his 14 pass attempts with two touchdowns on the night.
-Fellow freshman Joey Yellen took the second man of the rotation for all three drills completing mostly short and intermediate routes throughout the night. Yellen completed 7 of 10 on the night with two completions to fellow quarterback Ethan Long who lined up at receiver throughout the night. Long also caught a touchdown pass from Daniels after coming in motion and being left open.
-Yellen was caught in the middle of a rant by offensive coordinator Rob Likens as Likens stood directly by the quarterback in the shotgun yelling at him to snap the ball during the two-minute drill. The moment was a teaching point for all three freshmen, showing the sense of urgency the team showed throughout the night.
-Dillion Sterling-Cole threw the only interception of the night during 11 on 11 as he rolled to his right and attempted to force a ball to Jordan Kerley down field but was ultimately intercepted by Aashari Crosswell. The pass was the first of what was a poor 11 on 11 session for Cole as he completed one of his five attempted passes while completing every pass during 7 on 7 and the two-minute drill.
Storylines to watch
-Cohl Cabral once again played left tackle throughout the night with the absence of Zach Robertson. Cabral was used as a teaching point for offensive line coach Dave Christensen told his linemen to watch Cabral’s steps during a footwork drill.
-John Humphrey and Geordon Porter did not practice due to hamstring injury.
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Jermayne Lole, D.J. Davidson, George Lea
LB: Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, Darien Butler, Merlin Robertson
CB: Chase Lucas, Kobe Williams
TILLMAN: Tyler Whiley
S: Aashari Crosswell, Cam Phillips
SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Michael Matus, Roe Wilkins, Corey Stephens/T.J. Pesefea
LB: Case Hatch, Ely Doyle, Kyle Soelle
CB: Darien Cornay/Terin Adams, Jordan Clark
TILLMAN: Connor Soelle
S: Evan Fields, Willie Harts
THIRD-TEAM DEFENSE
DL: Parker Jacobs, Anthonie Cooper, T.J. Pesefea/Corey Stephens
LB: Abe Schwinn/Fritzny Niclasse, Elijah Juarez, Amiri Johnson
DB: K.J. Jarrell, Alijah Gammage, Darien Cornay, Preston Liger, Vincenzo Granatelli
Defensive Highlights
-An early candidate for best defensive play in practice this preseason, Aashari Crosswell intercepted a deep ball thrown by Dillon Sterling-Cole after he had to scramble out of the pocket. The pass was intended for freshman receiver Jordan Kerley before Crosswell undercut the pass.
-In one of the subsequent plays, Tyler Whiley nearly picked off a short DSC cross intended for Kyle Williams, instead colliding with the receiver and forcing an incomplete pass.
-LB’s Merlin Robertson and Darien Butler both made their presence felt, as Robertson pressured the QB multiple times, directly forcing an incompletion one time on DSC, while Butler got through for what would’ve been a sack on DSC, and later getting A.J. Carter for what would’ve been a TFL off a screen pass
-Freshman DB Jordan Clark got through on a corner blitz and would’ve blindsided Jayden Daniels with a full-sprint hit in a full-contact situation
-Defensive lineman D.J. Davidson got through to force Daniels to scramble on a pass play, while LB Khaylan Kearse-Thomas chased him out-of-bounds for a minimal gain
-CB’s Kobe Williams and Chase Lucas each missed an interception opportunity, with the pass sailing incomplete both times. Lucas was called out by his position coach, Tony White, after the missed interception
Other Notes & Quotes-
-Kicker Brandon Ruiz was perfect in his field goal attempts in the special teams portion of 11-on-11’s. His kicks came from 40 yards-plus out each time.
-WR’s Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Kerley were seen most consistently returning punts throughout practice.
-“Hey good route two,” Chase Lucas shouted across the field to Brandon Aiyuk after he burned Lucas on a deep route- although he didn’t get thrown the ball on the play. Nevertheless, Lucas broke out into his famous self-imposed push-ups for getting beat.
-“Don’t let that boy be good,” someone (likely either Chase Lucas or Khaylan Kearse-Thomas) said from the defensive sideline after freshman tight end Nolan Matthews caught his second pass of scrimmages. Matthews has shown he can be that receiving threat from his position.
-DB’s coach Tony White could be seen spending a lot of time with freshman Jordan Clark throughout practice, giving him instruction and pointers multiple times during the night. Clark has played second-team corner both practices thus far, and looks like he could solidify his position in the two-deep.
-Scouts from the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons were spotted in attendance at tonight’s practice
If you have any questions, as always, feel free to ask.
