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To give a quick rundown of each positional group before Arizona State’s season kicks off, House of Sparky divides the players into sections. We’ll cover the player we believe will have the most impact on the team’s performance, the other probable starter(s) and rotational players, and one player who might emerge as a key contributor this season.
The Star: Chase Lucas
For the last four seasons, Lucas has been a mainstay in the Sun Devils’ secondary, and he will be taking advantage of an extra year of NCAA eligibility to extend his impressive streak of 42 consecutive starts. The Chandler native will anchor a defensive backfield that returns two other seasoned starters, and should once again be a thorn in the side of opposing number one receivers.
Incredible play by Chase Lucas. This defense continues to have nose for the football. pic.twitter.com/88HvxPieuD
— Shaun Salehi (@ShaunSalehi) November 7, 2020
The Starter: Jack Jones
Manning the opposite side of the field from Lucas will be fellow super senior Jack Jones, who makes his return from a lengthy suspension that kept him off the field for half of the 2020 season. While his college career has been punctuated by off-field drama at times, Jones is an excellent player when available, and could match his impressive performance from two years ago once he gets back up to game speed.
Arizona State CB Jack Jones isn’t getting enough talk. He’s a natural mirroring WRs. Love his feet, click and close, and oily hips. pic.twitter.com/OjtC2F2a4T
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) July 19, 2020
The Key Rotational Piece: Timarcus Davis
While Davis is not exactly a rotational player, his ability to play the slot corner role and defend the outside makes him the best fit for this category. Another of ASU’s fifth-year corners, Davis stepped in for Jack Jones during the latter’s suspension last season, and arguably had the best performance of any Sun Devil defensive back. He broke up more passes than anyone else on the team, and made a strong argument for expanded responsibilities in 2021.
Timarcus Davis (@DatreDavis) continues a stellar fall camp with a goal-line pass breakup on Chad Johnson Jr. pic.twitter.com/AuY0jwD82B
— Cole Topham (@HamAnalysis) August 11, 2021
The Breakout Candidate: Tommi Hill
Mostly comprised of players in their final year of NCAA eligibility, ASU’s cornerback group needed a promising young player to enter the fold this season. Hill is that man. The freshman four-star recruit will likely be prevented from getting substantial playing time due to the abundance of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, but he is an early frontrunner to start next season and could show glimpses of his potential in whatever action he does get in 2021.
Tommi Hill’s 99-yard punt return from Friday. It was called back for a hold somewhere around the 50. He still scored 3 times. Arizona State getting a good one out of Orlando Edgewater. pic.twitter.com/Kko1s3u1YW
— Andrew Ivins (@Andrew_Ivins) November 28, 2020
Read more positional groups previews: