The Sun Devils made their way back outside for practice on Wednesday, the last practice before Arizona State’s fall semester begins. As has been the case, ASU was once again in shells – helmets and shoulder pads.
Offense
Here are Wednesday’s personnel notes:
Wide receiver Chad Johnson Jr. and tight end Jake Ray both stretched with the team before entering the bubble to workout on their own.
Johnson Jr. has spent much of this week working off on his own as he battles the turf toe injury we’ve reported on prior.
After being a non-participant for Tuesday’s practice, offensive linemen Henry Hattis and Ezra Dotson-Oyetade returned Wednesday.
For the third consecutive day, wide receiver Johnny Wilson did not participate in practice.
Wide receiver Elijhah Badger stood on the sideline with his jersey on – but no shoulder pads – and watched practice once again. After Tuesday’s practice, offensive coordinator Zak Hill said that Badger was “out right now” and that the Sun Devils were “working on it.”
Full list of members of the ASU offense who either did not participate or were not seen during our viewing portion of practice: WR Johnny Wilson, WR Chad Johnson Jr., TE Jake Ray, RB Deonce Elliott, RB Noah Vella, RB Jackson He, OL Austin Barry, OL Ralph Frias.
The media was not able to see the Sun Devils line up during any team periods, so these lineups are not definitive.
First Team Offense
QB: Jayden Daniels
RB: Rachaad White
OL left to right: Kellen Diesch, LaDarius Henderson, Dohnovan West, Henry Hattis, Ben Scott
WR: Geordon Porter
WR: Ricky Pearsall (slot)
WR: Bryan Thompson
TE: John Stivers
Running back Deamonte Trayanum has split reps with White.
Tight ends Jalin Conyers and Curtis Hodges have split reps with Stivers.
Wide receivers LV Bunkley-Shelton and Andre Johnson have each seen reps with the first team, working in the spots held by Pearsall and Thompson, respectively.
Second Team Offense
QB: Trenton Bourguet
RB: Daniyel Ngata
OL left to right: Isaia Glass, Armon Bethea, Jarrett Bell, Spencer Lovell, Sione Veikoso
WR: Andre Johnson
WR: LV Bunkley-Shelton (slot)
WR: Lonyatta Alexander Jr.
TE: Jalin Conyers
TE/H Case Hatch has worked with both the 1s and 2s during recent practices.
Wednesday’s viewing session saw plenty of drills involving multiple position groups. Early on running backs coach Shaun Aguano had his small group – only White, Trayanum, Ngata and George Hart III practiced – work with the Sun Devil quarterbacks on pitches, hand-offs and quarterback keepers.
Redshirt senior running back Rachaad White’s elite hand-eye coordination was on display as he motioned out of the backfield to catch underhand tosses from junior quarterback Jayden Daniels.
While the quarterbacks and running backs worked together, interim tight ends coach Juston Wood worked for a short period with the tight ends on tracking the football in the air before moving to blocking techniques.
Oklahoma transfer Jalin Conyers impressed during the pass-catching section, making over-the-shoulder catches look simple. “That’s too slow,” Wood remarked as one of the tight ends came out of their break.
Arizona State’s wide receivers opened practice operating a drill in which they cut sharply and improved on getting out of their breaks. The precise footwork of LV Bunkley-Shelton was on display during this period.
As the tight ends worked on a drill designed to teach how to set the edge, Wood told Conyers to drive through his block and hit harder. “You want to make him feel that,” Wood instructed after a rep from the talented pass-catcher.
What started out as a quiet day relative to Mike Cavanaugh’s standards quickly picked up in intensity as the first few periods of drills wore on. The Sun Devil offensive line coach opened instruction by calmly telling his group that “we’ve got to burst,” while working with the interior offensive line on run blocking. Minutes later, as the Sun Devils third-string offensive line simulated a blitzing defense, Cavanaugh’s usual intensity returned. “Do it again!” he yelled after an acting defender failed to send a blitz toward the offensive line, which worked alongside the tight ends and running backs for that drill.
With the other three position groups working together, the quarterbacks and wide receivers went through routes-on-air. At the end of the period, Zak Hill simulated a pass rush, giving Daniels reps that forced him to evade a rusher, stepping around and up in the pocket in order to complete a deep pass. After Daniels connected with wide receiver Andre Johnson for a long gain, Hill clapped in approval.
NFL scouts have been out in full force throughout fall camp and Wednesday was no different. Devils Digest spotted scouts from the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals in attendance.
Defense
These lineups are not official, as the media viewing window did not include the 11-on-11 session of practice.
First-team defense
DE Tyler Johnson
Nose D.J. Davidson
3-technique Shannon Forman
DE Michael Matus
SAM Merlin Robertson
MIKE Kyle Soelle
WILL Darien Butler
S Kejuan Markham
CB Jack Jones
CB Chase Lucas
Second-team defense
DE Travez Moore
Nose T.J. Pesefea
3-technique BJ Green
DE Anthonie Cooper
SAM Eric Gentry
MIKE Conner Soelle
WILL Will Shaffer
S Cam Phillips
CB Ed Woods
CB Tommi Hill
Cornerback Timarcus Davis was observed heading into the Verde Dickey Dome using a crutch to assist him. The sleeve on his left lower leg was gone, but he obviously is still dealing with the injury he sustained during last Friday’s practice.
Cornerback Jordan Clark was spotted on the sideline dressed in a jersey but in street shoes. He seemed to be in good spirits as he traversed the field before heading into the bubble.
Safety DeAndre Pierce was not observed among those in lines for stretching.
Defensive back Jean Boyd III and 3-technique Omarr Norman-Lott were not seen throughout the entirety of the media viewing window.
Positional Drills
To begin, the defense split into various groups for a quick exercise on rotating to blow up screen passes from the jump. The defense would advance forward once the ball was snapped before hightailing it toward one of the sidelines shortly after.
The defensive backs started the day working with defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez on refining the proper technique to shed blockers. Using Jack Jones to demonstrate how to win leverage, Rodriguez instructed the group to “take that euro step, get your chest down, and snatch.” Rodriguez then slid to his left, keeping his center of gravity low, and then stepped past Jones while simultaneously pulling the super senior the opposite direction.
Later, the group went down to the north end of the field to work on ball skills. Interim defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson focused primarily on building up their quick twitch reaction skills. The defensive backs covered various in-breaking routes as assistant coaches fired passes into their vicinity.
Linebackers coach Chris Claiborne brought out the rolling doughnut again on Wednesday as his group began the positional drill portion of practice tackling with accuracy and speed. Once Claiborne set the doughnut in motion, the linebackers went into pursuit mode, launching into an outstretched tackle while their inside arm punched through the center of the hole.
The group then transitioned into sled work where defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce remained close by and offered encouragement of his own. “Change gears and come downhill with purpose,” Pierce said. After working both sides, Claiborne threw medicine balls at his players as they worked across the formation to simulate diving blockers. During this exercise, Claiborne coached freshman Eric Gentry to extend his long arms out from his body and use his length to advantage when batting down the medicine ball.
After Rodriguez was finished working with the defensive backs, he focused on teaching discipline at the snap and watching the ball to avoid incurring false start penalties on gameday. Rodriguez used a football transfixed on a stick to help him with this exercise. When the stick moved backward, that signaled the players to move from their three-point stance and hit the tackling dummy.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez shouted different cadences to confuse the players and tempt them to jump offsides. Throughout the drill, Rodriguez emphasized the importance of keeping eyes up. “We gotta see the world through our...what?” Rodriguez implored the group. “Eyebrows,” the defensive line responded in unison.
Next, Rodrigue set up orange cones around the goalpost in a half moon shape and the defensive line took close inside angles around. The purpose of this drill was for the players to eliminate any wasted movement, get low, and stay as close to the post as possible without hindering their movement. The drill required a precise three-step bend to execute properly. “You have to step aggressively and get your foot in the ground so you don’t lose power,” Rodriguez said.
With just over two minutes before 11-on-11 began, Rodriguez had the defensive line huddle around him as he emphasized the necessity for proper technique in the trenches. “No matter what happens, I want your hands to be tight, inside, and extended,” Rodriguez stressed.
Offense
Here are Wednesday’s personnel notes:
Wide receiver Chad Johnson Jr. and tight end Jake Ray both stretched with the team before entering the bubble to workout on their own.
Johnson Jr. has spent much of this week working off on his own as he battles the turf toe injury we’ve reported on prior.
After being a non-participant for Tuesday’s practice, offensive linemen Henry Hattis and Ezra Dotson-Oyetade returned Wednesday.
For the third consecutive day, wide receiver Johnny Wilson did not participate in practice.
Wide receiver Elijhah Badger stood on the sideline with his jersey on – but no shoulder pads – and watched practice once again. After Tuesday’s practice, offensive coordinator Zak Hill said that Badger was “out right now” and that the Sun Devils were “working on it.”
Full list of members of the ASU offense who either did not participate or were not seen during our viewing portion of practice: WR Johnny Wilson, WR Chad Johnson Jr., TE Jake Ray, RB Deonce Elliott, RB Noah Vella, RB Jackson He, OL Austin Barry, OL Ralph Frias.
The media was not able to see the Sun Devils line up during any team periods, so these lineups are not definitive.
First Team Offense
QB: Jayden Daniels
RB: Rachaad White
OL left to right: Kellen Diesch, LaDarius Henderson, Dohnovan West, Henry Hattis, Ben Scott
WR: Geordon Porter
WR: Ricky Pearsall (slot)
WR: Bryan Thompson
TE: John Stivers
Running back Deamonte Trayanum has split reps with White.
Tight ends Jalin Conyers and Curtis Hodges have split reps with Stivers.
Wide receivers LV Bunkley-Shelton and Andre Johnson have each seen reps with the first team, working in the spots held by Pearsall and Thompson, respectively.
Second Team Offense
QB: Trenton Bourguet
RB: Daniyel Ngata
OL left to right: Isaia Glass, Armon Bethea, Jarrett Bell, Spencer Lovell, Sione Veikoso
WR: Andre Johnson
WR: LV Bunkley-Shelton (slot)
WR: Lonyatta Alexander Jr.
TE: Jalin Conyers
TE/H Case Hatch has worked with both the 1s and 2s during recent practices.
Wednesday’s viewing session saw plenty of drills involving multiple position groups. Early on running backs coach Shaun Aguano had his small group – only White, Trayanum, Ngata and George Hart III practiced – work with the Sun Devil quarterbacks on pitches, hand-offs and quarterback keepers.
Redshirt senior running back Rachaad White’s elite hand-eye coordination was on display as he motioned out of the backfield to catch underhand tosses from junior quarterback Jayden Daniels.
While the quarterbacks and running backs worked together, interim tight ends coach Juston Wood worked for a short period with the tight ends on tracking the football in the air before moving to blocking techniques.
Oklahoma transfer Jalin Conyers impressed during the pass-catching section, making over-the-shoulder catches look simple. “That’s too slow,” Wood remarked as one of the tight ends came out of their break.
Arizona State’s wide receivers opened practice operating a drill in which they cut sharply and improved on getting out of their breaks. The precise footwork of LV Bunkley-Shelton was on display during this period.
As the tight ends worked on a drill designed to teach how to set the edge, Wood told Conyers to drive through his block and hit harder. “You want to make him feel that,” Wood instructed after a rep from the talented pass-catcher.
What started out as a quiet day relative to Mike Cavanaugh’s standards quickly picked up in intensity as the first few periods of drills wore on. The Sun Devil offensive line coach opened instruction by calmly telling his group that “we’ve got to burst,” while working with the interior offensive line on run blocking. Minutes later, as the Sun Devils third-string offensive line simulated a blitzing defense, Cavanaugh’s usual intensity returned. “Do it again!” he yelled after an acting defender failed to send a blitz toward the offensive line, which worked alongside the tight ends and running backs for that drill.
With the other three position groups working together, the quarterbacks and wide receivers went through routes-on-air. At the end of the period, Zak Hill simulated a pass rush, giving Daniels reps that forced him to evade a rusher, stepping around and up in the pocket in order to complete a deep pass. After Daniels connected with wide receiver Andre Johnson for a long gain, Hill clapped in approval.
NFL scouts have been out in full force throughout fall camp and Wednesday was no different. Devils Digest spotted scouts from the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals in attendance.
Defense
These lineups are not official, as the media viewing window did not include the 11-on-11 session of practice.
First-team defense
DE Tyler Johnson
Nose D.J. Davidson
3-technique Shannon Forman
DE Michael Matus
SAM Merlin Robertson
MIKE Kyle Soelle
WILL Darien Butler
S Kejuan Markham
CB Jack Jones
CB Chase Lucas
Second-team defense
DE Travez Moore
Nose T.J. Pesefea
3-technique BJ Green
DE Anthonie Cooper
SAM Eric Gentry
MIKE Conner Soelle
WILL Will Shaffer
S Cam Phillips
CB Ed Woods
CB Tommi Hill
Cornerback Timarcus Davis was observed heading into the Verde Dickey Dome using a crutch to assist him. The sleeve on his left lower leg was gone, but he obviously is still dealing with the injury he sustained during last Friday’s practice.
Cornerback Jordan Clark was spotted on the sideline dressed in a jersey but in street shoes. He seemed to be in good spirits as he traversed the field before heading into the bubble.
Safety DeAndre Pierce was not observed among those in lines for stretching.
Defensive back Jean Boyd III and 3-technique Omarr Norman-Lott were not seen throughout the entirety of the media viewing window.
Positional Drills
To begin, the defense split into various groups for a quick exercise on rotating to blow up screen passes from the jump. The defense would advance forward once the ball was snapped before hightailing it toward one of the sidelines shortly after.
The defensive backs started the day working with defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez on refining the proper technique to shed blockers. Using Jack Jones to demonstrate how to win leverage, Rodriguez instructed the group to “take that euro step, get your chest down, and snatch.” Rodriguez then slid to his left, keeping his center of gravity low, and then stepped past Jones while simultaneously pulling the super senior the opposite direction.
Later, the group went down to the north end of the field to work on ball skills. Interim defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson focused primarily on building up their quick twitch reaction skills. The defensive backs covered various in-breaking routes as assistant coaches fired passes into their vicinity.
Linebackers coach Chris Claiborne brought out the rolling doughnut again on Wednesday as his group began the positional drill portion of practice tackling with accuracy and speed. Once Claiborne set the doughnut in motion, the linebackers went into pursuit mode, launching into an outstretched tackle while their inside arm punched through the center of the hole.
The group then transitioned into sled work where defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce remained close by and offered encouragement of his own. “Change gears and come downhill with purpose,” Pierce said. After working both sides, Claiborne threw medicine balls at his players as they worked across the formation to simulate diving blockers. During this exercise, Claiborne coached freshman Eric Gentry to extend his long arms out from his body and use his length to advantage when batting down the medicine ball.
After Rodriguez was finished working with the defensive backs, he focused on teaching discipline at the snap and watching the ball to avoid incurring false start penalties on gameday. Rodriguez used a football transfixed on a stick to help him with this exercise. When the stick moved backward, that signaled the players to move from their three-point stance and hit the tackling dummy.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez shouted different cadences to confuse the players and tempt them to jump offsides. Throughout the drill, Rodriguez emphasized the importance of keeping eyes up. “We gotta see the world through our...what?” Rodriguez implored the group. “Eyebrows,” the defensive line responded in unison.
Next, Rodrigue set up orange cones around the goalpost in a half moon shape and the defensive line took close inside angles around. The purpose of this drill was for the players to eliminate any wasted movement, get low, and stay as close to the post as possible without hindering their movement. The drill required a precise three-step bend to execute properly. “You have to step aggressively and get your foot in the ground so you don’t lose power,” Rodriguez said.
With just over two minutes before 11-on-11 began, Rodriguez had the defensive line huddle around him as he emphasized the necessity for proper technique in the trenches. “No matter what happens, I want your hands to be tight, inside, and extended,” Rodriguez stressed.
