Scott with today’s report
In the first full padded spring session that focused much of its time in going through the motions, not too many fireworks came out of the offensive side of things. Yet, there were strong days throughout the field.
OFFENSE
First Group
LG Max Iheanachor
LT Sean Na’a
C Keona Peat
RG Ise Matautia
RT Emmit Bohle
QB Sam Leavitt
RB Cam Skattebo/Raleek Brown
WR Kaleb Black
WR Jake Smith
WR Jordyn Tyson
TE Coleson Arends/Bryce Pierre
Second group
LT: Jalen Klemm
LG: Ben Coleman
C: Griffin Schureman
RG: Cade Briggs
RT: Kaden Haeckel
QB Trenton Bourguet/Navi Bruzon
RB George Hart III/DeCarlos Brooks
WR Troy Omeire
WR Melquan Stovall
WR Korbin Hendrix
TE Markeston Douglas/Coleson Arends
Quarterbacks
Sam Leavitt practiced with the first team and without limitations, looking sharp in his pocket movement to extend plays in 11s. Leavitt displayed good accuracy on passes in both live and positional play on a day where it seemed none of the quarterbacks were throwing at maximum velocity. Trenton Bourguet made crisp, short throws as usual but had some difficulty with accuracy the farther he threw down the field and was intercepted once. Navi Bruzon had trouble with his throws today, missing receivers on short and long balls that could be chalked up to his tendency to throw on the run.
Quarterback positional drills focused on in-pocket footwork and movement, as well as basic throwing.
Running Backs
As great as Cam Skattebo was for the offense last year, Raleek Brown’s effect on the offense has already been noticeable. Using Skattebo as the power back in between the tackles on the first team, Raleek Brown has been able to space the field with his speed and footwork, which could add a brand new dimension to the running back room. Tuesday, in particular, Brown had a handful of breakthroughs to the second level, both on the inside and outside of a run. Brown, alongside George Hart III, was also impressive in catching and running, both on short flats and long wheels. DeCarlos Brooks also came on with powerful runs towards the end of the session, even finishing it with a symbolic touchdown of a strong day of ground game. That last team segment also saw Kyson Brown with two solid runs.
Positional drills today honed in on agility, carrying the ball through obstacles while also catching and running out of the backfield. There was seemingly an emphasis on screen passes in particular, which factored into the offensive line adjusting their protections outside of the trenches. The fact that the running game did have its moments means even more when full pads and live tackling are part of practice, which also indicates good run blocking by the offensive line (which, on the other hand, did struggle with pass blocking).
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Having missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, Jordyn Tyson has come into spring practice like a man on a mission and did not let up on Tuesday. Running with the first team, Tyson easily reeled easy catches all day and stepped it up on the deep balls. Showcasing his quality combination of speed and size, Tyson created separation in live play with ease, even grabbing once over the shoulder in a deep touchdown pass at the pylon in 1v1s.
Troy Omeire has been utilizing his physical tools to his advantage as well, handling defenders off the line of scrimmage this morning well. Melquan Stovall has been one of the most consistent wide receivers since spring practices began. Xavier Guillory has yet to return to live play with one of the groupings but participated in 1v1s for the first time this spring without issue.
Positional drills on Tuesday focused on footwork off the line of scrimmage, basic catching, and ball-tracking.
DEFENSE
First Group
EDGE Clayton Smith
DT CJ Fite
DT Jacob Kongaika
EDGE Anthonie Cooper
LB Caleb McCullough
LB Keyshaun Elliott
Nickel Macen Williams
Safety Montana Warren
Safety Xavion Alford
CB Ed Woods
CB Keith Abney II
Second group
EDGE Prince Dorbah
DT JP Deeter
DT Blazen Lono-Wong
EDGE Justin Wodtly
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
LB K’Vion Thunderbird
Nickel Cole Martin
Safety Myles Rowser
Safety Jack Bal
CB Javan Robinson
CB Latterance Welch
There’s never a lack of intensity in a Brian Ward-coached defense, even in a slower-pace practice.
Defensive Line
Under new position coach Diron Reynolds, ASU still does its usual reps on the line but with his own twist. Reynolds has introduced drills that emphasize active limbs in a way to improve the players’ agility and athletic ability. On release drills, Reynolds emphasized the “hit and get off” motion to create paths to the pocket faster and more disruptive. This yielded success in live play, where multiple defenders were able to rush the passer and force scrambles from all of the quarterbacks. Jacob Kongaika and Prince Dorbah even added deflections off the throw as well, with the entire interior group forcing rollouts often. JP Deeter at defensive tackle continues to be a pleasant surprise since he didn’t play any games at Purdue prior to transferring and has a chance to be in the two-deep.
Positional drills focused on pass-rush technique, such as styling low and ripping aggressively off the blocker.
Secondary
In a slower session, the secondary stood out the most on a would-be stat sheet. With each quarterback still getting into the swing of the offense, the secondary has been active in the spring, and Tuesday was no exception. Among highlights, Rodney Bimage grabbed an impressive interception thrown by Navi Bruzon on a route jump, Laterrance Welch intercepted Trenton Bourguet in the team segment, and Myles Rowser tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage. Keith Abney’s role continues to increase with a heavier workload after being praised as a freshman by Coach Dillingham. Returners Ed Woods and Macen Williams continue to take command as leaders in communication pre-snap as well. Safety Shamari Simmons returned today after missing the last two practices due to personal reasons.
Positional drills here were primarily on footwork, shuttle runs to improve agility, and basic ball-tracking and catching.
Sun Devil great tight end Todd Heap addressed the team after practice. Former ASU QB Danny Sullivan was at practice as well.
In the first full padded spring session that focused much of its time in going through the motions, not too many fireworks came out of the offensive side of things. Yet, there were strong days throughout the field.
OFFENSE
First Group
LG Max Iheanachor
LT Sean Na’a
C Keona Peat
RG Ise Matautia
RT Emmit Bohle
QB Sam Leavitt
RB Cam Skattebo/Raleek Brown
WR Kaleb Black
WR Jake Smith
WR Jordyn Tyson
TE Coleson Arends/Bryce Pierre
Second group
LT: Jalen Klemm
LG: Ben Coleman
C: Griffin Schureman
RG: Cade Briggs
RT: Kaden Haeckel
QB Trenton Bourguet/Navi Bruzon
RB George Hart III/DeCarlos Brooks
WR Troy Omeire
WR Melquan Stovall
WR Korbin Hendrix
TE Markeston Douglas/Coleson Arends
Quarterbacks
Sam Leavitt practiced with the first team and without limitations, looking sharp in his pocket movement to extend plays in 11s. Leavitt displayed good accuracy on passes in both live and positional play on a day where it seemed none of the quarterbacks were throwing at maximum velocity. Trenton Bourguet made crisp, short throws as usual but had some difficulty with accuracy the farther he threw down the field and was intercepted once. Navi Bruzon had trouble with his throws today, missing receivers on short and long balls that could be chalked up to his tendency to throw on the run.
Quarterback positional drills focused on in-pocket footwork and movement, as well as basic throwing.
Running Backs
As great as Cam Skattebo was for the offense last year, Raleek Brown’s effect on the offense has already been noticeable. Using Skattebo as the power back in between the tackles on the first team, Raleek Brown has been able to space the field with his speed and footwork, which could add a brand new dimension to the running back room. Tuesday, in particular, Brown had a handful of breakthroughs to the second level, both on the inside and outside of a run. Brown, alongside George Hart III, was also impressive in catching and running, both on short flats and long wheels. DeCarlos Brooks also came on with powerful runs towards the end of the session, even finishing it with a symbolic touchdown of a strong day of ground game. That last team segment also saw Kyson Brown with two solid runs.
Positional drills today honed in on agility, carrying the ball through obstacles while also catching and running out of the backfield. There was seemingly an emphasis on screen passes in particular, which factored into the offensive line adjusting their protections outside of the trenches. The fact that the running game did have its moments means even more when full pads and live tackling are part of practice, which also indicates good run blocking by the offensive line (which, on the other hand, did struggle with pass blocking).
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Having missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury, Jordyn Tyson has come into spring practice like a man on a mission and did not let up on Tuesday. Running with the first team, Tyson easily reeled easy catches all day and stepped it up on the deep balls. Showcasing his quality combination of speed and size, Tyson created separation in live play with ease, even grabbing once over the shoulder in a deep touchdown pass at the pylon in 1v1s.
Troy Omeire has been utilizing his physical tools to his advantage as well, handling defenders off the line of scrimmage this morning well. Melquan Stovall has been one of the most consistent wide receivers since spring practices began. Xavier Guillory has yet to return to live play with one of the groupings but participated in 1v1s for the first time this spring without issue.
Positional drills on Tuesday focused on footwork off the line of scrimmage, basic catching, and ball-tracking.
DEFENSE
First Group
EDGE Clayton Smith
DT CJ Fite
DT Jacob Kongaika
EDGE Anthonie Cooper
LB Caleb McCullough
LB Keyshaun Elliott
Nickel Macen Williams
Safety Montana Warren
Safety Xavion Alford
CB Ed Woods
CB Keith Abney II
Second group
EDGE Prince Dorbah
DT JP Deeter
DT Blazen Lono-Wong
EDGE Justin Wodtly
LB Zyrus Fiaseu
LB K’Vion Thunderbird
Nickel Cole Martin
Safety Myles Rowser
Safety Jack Bal
CB Javan Robinson
CB Latterance Welch
There’s never a lack of intensity in a Brian Ward-coached defense, even in a slower-pace practice.
Defensive Line
Under new position coach Diron Reynolds, ASU still does its usual reps on the line but with his own twist. Reynolds has introduced drills that emphasize active limbs in a way to improve the players’ agility and athletic ability. On release drills, Reynolds emphasized the “hit and get off” motion to create paths to the pocket faster and more disruptive. This yielded success in live play, where multiple defenders were able to rush the passer and force scrambles from all of the quarterbacks. Jacob Kongaika and Prince Dorbah even added deflections off the throw as well, with the entire interior group forcing rollouts often. JP Deeter at defensive tackle continues to be a pleasant surprise since he didn’t play any games at Purdue prior to transferring and has a chance to be in the two-deep.
Positional drills focused on pass-rush technique, such as styling low and ripping aggressively off the blocker.
Secondary
In a slower session, the secondary stood out the most on a would-be stat sheet. With each quarterback still getting into the swing of the offense, the secondary has been active in the spring, and Tuesday was no exception. Among highlights, Rodney Bimage grabbed an impressive interception thrown by Navi Bruzon on a route jump, Laterrance Welch intercepted Trenton Bourguet in the team segment, and Myles Rowser tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage. Keith Abney’s role continues to increase with a heavier workload after being praised as a freshman by Coach Dillingham. Returners Ed Woods and Macen Williams continue to take command as leaders in communication pre-snap as well. Safety Shamari Simmons returned today after missing the last two practices due to personal reasons.
Positional drills here were primarily on footwork, shuttle runs to improve agility, and basic ball-tracking and catching.
Sun Devil great tight end Todd Heap addressed the team after practice. Former ASU QB Danny Sullivan was at practice as well.
