Spring practice impressions: Defense

Returning one starter, the Sun Devils heavy reliance on transfers and younger players was prominent in spring practice. And as it turns out, even a group full of new faces has planted a good dose of optimism ahead of fall camp.

Defensive line

At defensive end, and it seems like I’ve said this a million times since the transfer portal closed, the Sun Devils absolutely hit a home run with landing Emar’rion Winston and Jalen Thompson. I don’t see a major drop-off between them and outgoing seniors Justin Wodtly and Prince Dorbah, who started most of the games last year in that role.

I know that Arizona State enjoyed great depth at this position last year, and I don’t think this year is going to be anything different. First, you have Clayton Smith, who had his fun as a wide receiver but, as expected, returned to his original position mid-spring. I don’t think he’ll be in a position to start at defensive end, but he is a formidable veteran at the very least who can provide quality snaps in a reserve role. I like what I saw from Roman Pitre in the spring, and even though I thought he’d have a stronger start to his ASU career, I think he’s finally over the hump, proving that he can be an integral part of the rotation.

Needless to say, one of the most pleasant surprises among all newcomers, and the top true freshman on defense in spring, has been Julian Hugo. At 6-foot-4, 250 lbs., he obviously arrived on campus with a college-ready body, but he also has the proper techniques and mechanics, well advanced beyond his years (turned 18 during spring practice), to complement that impressive frame and the athleticism to go with it. Yes, this is another true freshman, like Cardae Mack, whom I gave you guys a heads-up months ago, who could impress in the spring, and that’s another prediction that fully came true. Hard for me to imagine him redshirting if he keeps on this trajectory. 

Junior College transfer Kirt Vakalahi is getting lost in the shuffle, and probably the fact that Hugo and Pitre have been doing so well isn’t helping his cause to get meaningful snaps. But you never know if a slow spring for a certain player will also lead to an uneventful Fall Camp, so I’m still curious to see what he can contribute. Joshua Shanklin and Albert Smith are some of the better pass rushers in this group, but they will be fighting for snaps on game day. Salesi Manu is a player who requires a lot of patience to see him develop into a contributor, but the potential is there.

There’s no doubt that the front four has a lot of talent, but certainly needs to also realize that talent, especially in the run defense. The stout ground attack we saw for large stretches of spring, naturally, doesn’t bode well in this department for this side of the ball.

It would be unfair to be too harsh on a group that was missing its two presumed starters in CJ Fite and Zac Swanson. But in Mykeil Gardner showed a faster than expected recovery from his Achilles tear, took some 11-on-11 snaps in the later stages of spring, and provided some optimism for this defensive tackle unit. So you have him with a healthy Fite and Swanson in Fall Camp, and the narrative of the line’s interior can and probably will change on a dime.

Junior College transfers Jeffrey Manns and Hyrum Vaeono probably looked better in the first couple of weeks of spring than in the last several sessions; nonetheless, I think there is a lot of optimism about their potential contributions. Redshirt freshman Daeshon Morgan has shown a lot of strides from last year. And now, when you throw in returning players like Rashad McKenzie, who, if you recall, did well in bowl prep practices, and veteran Blazen Lono-Wong, I believe that depth-wise, you certainly have one of the better interior groups we’ve seen in Tempe in a while. It’s disappointing that Ramar Williams, especially for being such a young player who made strides last year, was out for spring due to injury, because I believe he was very close to turning the corner. But he should be fully healthy in Fall Camp, and I think he can certainly make his mark then.

Linebacker

There weren’t too many transfers who came to ASU with the same level of expectations, or even higher, as Colorado State linebacker Owen Long, and, in my opinion, he has fulfilled them. Was told by individuals on the team that he will be fully able to fill the large shoes that Keyshaun Elliott left behind and that he is actually a more instinctual player than the outgoing senior. Everything I’ve seen so far this spring fully validates that. Just like ASU got some of the best wide receivers in the nation out of the portal, having last year’s leader in tackles (151) among FBS schools join the ranks is a feather in the Sun Devils’ cap.

The starter alongside him, Martell Hughes, already has an impressive body of work, even in somewhat limited snaps during his first two years with ASU. But now, as a full-time starter, I think he can certainly take his play to the next level. Didn’t always provide the explosive plays we expected from him, but if he can implement some good teaching moments, I would expect him to unquestionably shine in the fall because his ceiling is still very high.

Then, as backups, you have Zyrus Fiaseu, a veteran player who knows the system so well that he is beyond invaluable for this room. Really curious to see who would round out the two-deep aside from Fiaseu. On the one hand, NAU transfer Ramere Davis, who was one of the standouts for the Lumberjacks in 2025, is proving to be an under-the-radar good addition. But then you have returning player Prayer Young-Blackgoat, who showed he deserved his scholarship not only because the roster expanded to 105 players, but also because he should be a legitimate rotation player. I like what I see from true freshmen Oscar Aguilar and Mason Marden, and I think they can be a strong foundation for this group in the future, along with Isaiah Isoefa.

Safety and Nickelback

Two transfers here have been generally dominant for much of spring practice. Kansas transfer Lyrik Rawls was a must-get for ASU to address the free safety position after Xavion Alford decided not to stay for a sixth year, and Boogie Wilson was still being held out of contact due to his shoulder surgery. Rawls has not disappointed at all and is well-rounded, defending both the pass and the run. Just another newcomer who is justifying all the high accolades he arrived with.

The other transfer is one I called out before spring, a potentially high-impact newcomer: FIU safety Jessiah McGrew. Maybe somewhat quieter in the latter sessions, but overall a significant surprise for this role. The irony here is that McGrew, with his skill set, could be better suited to be a free safety, but if you want to keep both him and Rawls on the field at the same time, then one of them could assume the strong safety position. And if that were to happen now, it would create a domino effect, because Montana Warren seemed to have a lock on the starting strong safety position, but his versatility at nickel could solve a problem for the coaches.

Now, we can’t forget that once Wilson is fully healthy in Fall Camp, he is pegged to be the starting nickel, and I would also classify him as a player you want to find a place on the field, no matter what. Bottom line, you can look at all these scenarios as the so-called good headaches, but you can also look at it in terms of uncertainty at the nickel position, which I know is always a hot topic among fans, and we don’t know if Wilson, fully healthy, is the answer to the Nickelback question.

If I’m looking deeper into this position, Ben Alefaio-Lili is a promising young player who I expected to be in contention for a two-deep niche at nickel, and I still feel that is a realistic expectation for him, even with all these moving parts. Maurice Williams may not have all that much competition as a backup strong safety, but at the same time, he’s a player who I expected would flash more than he has so far. I am intrigued by local true freshman Zeth Theus, who, despite a lot of talent around him, still stands out at times. Kyan McDonald is another versatile player, so he gives you another option for depth at either position. Another injured player who we’re waiting to see fully healthy in Fall Camp is Penn State transfer Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, although Dillingham didn’t provide a timetable for his return.

Cornerback

The number of high-caliber transfers on this side of the ball seems to be never-ending, and Ashton Stamps from LSU is just one more name in this regard. After the first week of spring practice, you could already tell he was going to be penciled in as a starter, and nothing we’ve seen since then is going to change our minds. When you lose two proven starters such as Keith Abney II and Javan Robinson, you have to bring somebody that’s going to be very close to their level, if not at their level, and with Stamps, you can truthfully say: mission accomplished.

Rodney Bimage was held out of contact for large stretches of spring, but is the shoo-in to be the starter alongside Stamps. His development, especially for such a young player, has been nothing short of impressive, and against a behemoth of a wide receiver group, he definitely held his own.

Behind this first-team tandem, I really do like the depth. DaQuwan Dunn is another true freshman I was “warned” about making noise in his first-ever ASU spring practice, and so far, that has come to fruition, which is another testament to the staff’s great talent evaluation. A true ball hawk that utilizes his agility to the max, but is never shy to mix it up and flash his brawn. Can’t see him redshirting, as he should be the first one off the bench.

Then you have Caleb Chester, who played only one game last year at Texas. So you land an absolute unknown, yet he’s also a newcomer who has impressed quite a bit and is right there in the thick of things to be a backup corner. In comparison, transfers Nick Pringle and Chance Rucker have been more on the unassuming side, if you will, but returning player Joseph Smith seems to have the potential to be that Rodney Bimage-type player, who is only going to get better and better each year. Jury is still out on true freshman Jalen Williams, who hasn’t been fully healthy.

Special Teams

I like what I’ve seen from Austin Peay transfer Carson Smith. Time will tell if he can display as strong a leg as outgoing senior Jesus Gomez (and needs to prove himself on kickoffs, too), but consistency-wise, if I’m comparing him to Gomez’s performance last spring, it is generally neck and neck, and that is important. In fairness, returning player Carston Kieffer hasn’t looked bad at all, but does have some ground to make up to truly challenge Smith.

Ohio State transfer punter Nick McLarty has been a pleasant surprise and maybe even borderline a head scratcher, given how he wasn’t able to play much more, even on one of the best teams in the country. I thought he was going to provide (stiff) competition to returning starter Kanyon Floyd, but the way things look right now, McLarty does have the upper leg, pun intended, winning this battle. Can’t talk enough about how detailed the practices are with specialist coach and NFL vet Michael Scifres, who’s one of many examples of how a higher assistant coach salary pool and the ability to add more bodies to the staff are paying dividends. I know it’s way too early when talking about the upcoming season, but I feel that this group as a whole should be performing at a higher level, especially when it comes to punting.