ASU Football: Spring Practice Report (2/23)

As Sun Devil spring football begins to wind down, not too much is known about the team that will take the field in late August.

Due to a smaller roster, head coach Herm Edwards has admitted the team has been forced to get creative with employing players to unique positions. All four QB’s have been receiving reps lately, and they all have had positive and negative moments

Last practice: Friday, February 22

Next practice: Tuesday, February 26

Injury update:

Worked on the side: LB Tyler Johnson, CB Dominique Harrison, LB Stanley Lambert, WR Ryan Newsome, DL Shannon Forman, DL D.J. Davidson, WR Angel Ruiz

Cornerback Kobe Williams was once again not in attendance for practice.

What went on:

The QB’s did their thing throughout practice, with Joey Yellan standing out during 7-on-7 drills as he found Brandon Aiyuk for a couple of touchdowns during red zone drills.

It was another big night for special teams work as both punters Michael Turk and Kevin Macias received work. Kicker Brandon Ruiz also looked good as he was nailing kicks from long distance.

Edwards mentioned that he believed the defense outperformed the offense on Saturday night, he said that the offense had too many drops in order to be successful.

Jayden Daniels did a good job of showing his ability to maneuver in and out of the pocket. He didn’t take too many shots with his arm, but did a nice job of finding receivers and backs on underneath wheel routes. Which was a big part of the offense under previous quarterback Manny Wilkins.

The incumbent QB Dillon Sterling-Cole struggled with ball security during practice, including fumbling a couple of snaps. He did make a nice throw to Curtis Hodges while scrambling, but the pass was dropped by the tall receiver.

Walk-on linebacker Case Hatch continues to turn heads around the program. He was used in both a linebacker role as well as interior defensive lineman while disrupting the Sun Devil offense.

During 11-on-11s the ASU offense stayed true to their identity by running the ball with a variety of backs to strong success. Eno Benjamin looked like he was in midseason form as he was carrying the ball through many open running lanes provide by the Sun Devil offensive line.

First-team offense:

QB: Dillon Sterling-Cole/Jayden Daniels

RB: Eno Benjamin/Isaiah Floyd

WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Frank Darby, Geordon Porter

TE: Tommy Hudson

OL: Zach Robertson (LT), Alex Losoya (LG), Cohl Cabral (C), Cade Cote (RG), Steven Miller (RT)

First-team defense:

DL: Jermayne Lole, Michael Matus, George Lea

LB: Merlin Robertson, Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, Darien Butler

CB: Timarcus Davis, Chase Lucas

Tillman: Aashari Crosswell

S: Evan Fields, Cam Phillips

Second-team offense:

QB: Joey Yellen/Ethan Long

RB: A.J. Carter/Tavian Gould

WR: C.J. Jarmon, Tannor Park, Keith Davis

TE: Jared Bubak

OL: Ralph Frias (LT), Dohnovan West (LG), Jarrett Bell (C), Marcos Salas (RG), Spencer Lovell (RT)

Second-team defense:

DL: Case Hatch, Corey Stephens, George Lea

LB: Khaylan Kearse-Thomas, Merlin Robertson, Eli Doyle

CB: Darian Cornay, Terin Adams

Tillman: Aashari Crosswell

S: K.J. Jarrell, Langston Crosswell