With DJ Calhoun and Christian Sam having moved on, redshirt junior LB Malik Lawal has big shoes to fill. Luckily for Lawal, Calhoun and Sam spent years getting him ready to fill those shoes. I spoke with him after a series of fall practices to talk about his journey, the new-look defense, and what goals he hopes to accomplish on the field.

DevilsDigest: Let's get the question you probably get most out of the way. How are things different for the defense this year?

Malik Lawal: We attack every aspect of the field. We're less of a gap-scheme, and we're free to make the type of plays that we see fit. With Coach Herm having been in the NFL, a lot of our coverages are sort of old-school, but it's solid. You can see that in practice, even with the offense having N'Keal Harry and Manny Wilkins, we've been able to contain them to some extent.

DD: What do you mean by 'make the type of plays we see fit?'

ML: Antonio Pierce calls it a business decision. If your intuition tells you to go make a play, you've got to go make it when you have the opportunity.

DD: That sounds like a lot of responsibility. How do you know when the right moment arises?

ML: A business decision tends to be the moments on the field where you'd hesitate the most. It's the moment when you're asking yourself, do I risk it all? And as a football player, when you act in those moments, more often than not, you're going to make a play. And as players, we have to show the coaches that we're playmakers. For me, sometimes I think to myself it's best to let loose and if I mess up, take the criticism from the coaches afterward. At the same time, if you're going to have that much freedom, you also have to have discipline. You can't just play outside the box the whole time and mess up the defensive scheme. You can't see the C gap open when the B gap is your assignment, shoot through the C gap, and allow a big play up the middle and not expect to get in trouble for it. You still have to play within the system, especially when there are players making decisions based off the decision you make. One wrong move, and you could throw everyone off.

DD: Give me an example of how making the wrong business decision could negatively affect the defense.

ML: When we watch film, coaches constantly remind us that the safeties feed off of what we do. Linebackers are supposed to be the dogs of the team, and make all the tackles. But if we're missing assignments, and the safeties have to make those tackles, that means the ball is getting further down the field. It means we won't be as successful.

DD: Does this freedom extent to actually calling the defensive plays yourselves, pre-snap?

ML: It used to be we'd get a call from the sideline, and we'd know our assignments. Now, we get that call from Gonzales, and it's up to us to make decisions based on what the offense is showing us. You have to analyze what's going on yourself. You look at what the offense is doing, and turn it into the best play call to combat what it is they're showing you from their end.

DD: Everyone talks about how ASU is going to replace the RB combo of Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard, but you could make an argument that the more valuable departing duo was on the other side of the ball in DJ Calhoun and Christian Sam. What were you able to learn from those two?

ML: I think that when I look at my play style, I'm a combination of both. I got my tenacity from being around DJ Calhoun, he taught me to be selfless with my body and play hard. And from Christian Sam, being around him made my IQ grow. We'd watch film together and he'd explain to me to play smarter, not harder, and not put myself in tough situations on the field. Football became a lot slower from being around Christian, and because of DJ, I was able to take on blocks better, and tackle better because I'd see the speed and tenacity someone has to play with to be successful at this level and be a dominant tackler on the defense.

DD: You came in as a pretty highly regarded prospect, and then immediately had to redshirt. What did that year teach you?

ML: Back then I was kind of lost. The expectations I had for myself weren't set in a way that were going to help me face the challenges that were ahead. Everyone being recruited with me had the same mindset. We all wanted to be first-year starters, and without thinking about the fact that there are already dudes who are years ahead of you who are ready for that spot, or who have been ready for that spot. It doesn't always matter how hard you've worked work when you first come in.

DD: Tyler Johnson told me that you and DJ Calhoun helped him understand that redshirting wasn't a punishment, but more of an opportunity and a blessing.

ML: You'd be surprised how many true freshman around college football wish they redshirted. Yeah, it's dope to be playing as a true freshman, but unless you have the consistency of a guy like N'Keal Harry you're going to be wishing you had that one extra year to put everything you've learned together. There are a lot of guys that don't settle in until their fourth year, and if they haven't redshirted, there's all that pressure on you to do whatever it takes to get to the next level, and then worry that it might not be enough.

DD: You said you were 'lost' during your redshirt year. How so?

ML: It's best if you take your redshirt year seriously. There's guys who redshirt and just pout the whole year. Me, I went through what's called the redshirt slump, where's you're feeling your way through your woes because you're not getting to do what you love, and the only action you see is on scout team. But the truth is, you have a whole year of abundant opportunities to sit back and see how the schemes are run day in and day out. You won't be as sore as the other guys from games and practices, so you'll be able to work on your body throughout the season and be extra prepared for when spring ball comes around the following year. But it's up to you to keep that focus, and find the hidden value in redshirting. It you let distractions and a bad mentality soak into your head, it's going to stop you from being successful.

Now I know what goes into the preparation it takes in order to beat out other people, and to play at a high level day in and day out. I've got my confidence back, and a more focused sense of direction when it comes to things like winter training, spring ball and summer camp. I understand how to get my body and mind right.

DD: How did you eventually work your way out of that slump?

ML: Having a competition with Koron Crump helped me when he got here. Living with two All-Americans also put me in a situation where I had to step my game up. DJ Calhoun has always been a great mentor to me, and told me all the time that I have the ability to be great if I put my mind to it.

DD: So do you feel like you're ready to take this opportunity to play and run with it?

I'm 100% ready. I think the coaches understand how bad I want and need this. I think that they understand that my mindset going into this season is, with all regards to any other player, that I really want it, and I'm ready to make plays.

DD: What's motivating you to take the next step as a football player?

My mom. When my mom told me how much of a blessing it was for me to get a scholarship in the first place, and how much of a load it took off of someone who has three sons and who has had to take care of us all by herself, that put a smile on myself and kept me going, and motivates me to get the most out of it.

I also just want to see how high I can go. I'm such a competitive spirit, that the grind and want to be better every day and collect achievements and accolades is driving me to keep working and keep doing good. That's why, heading into this summer, I started writing all my goals on my mirror. During the summer, I had so many that when I looked in the mirror I couldn't even see myself. Right in the middle, it says "NFL Draft." That's my main focus- having a mindset that will help me get there.