Antonio Pierce knows what to expect out of the ASU secondary

Adding Deandre Pierce to Arizona State’s roster as a graduate transfer has given the Sun Devils a multitude of things. Another option for playing time in the secondary, the former Boise State Bronco – and Long Beach Poly Jackrabbit – provides extra experience and depth for a Sun Devil secondary largely expected to be one of the better units on the defensive side of the ball this fall.

Along with all of the positives associated with his on-field play, the younger Pierce provides an added mental relief for his father, Arizona State co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce. For the last two years of the elder Pierce’s time as the head coach at Long Beach Poly, he’d fly out following his Friday night game in order to see Deandre play. During the past two seasons in Tempe, Pierce would do his best to get his eyes on Boise State’s games before or after, the Sun Devils’ own game.

“Now it’s easy, I get to just watch him at practice,” said Pierce, whose defense will look to improve upon their fifth-best mark in the Pac-12 last year with added help from Deandre. “There’s nothing like having your son around. Obviously, like any other athlete, I treat him just like the players, and when we get home; it’s a father and son relationship.

“He knows I’m going to be harder on him than any other athlete on our team. It’s always been that way for him, and that’s the expectation of being a Pierce. But I love it. It’s fun watching him compete with his teammates and guys that he played with in high school.”

Deandre saw limited playing time in 2018 and 2019 due to injuries. In 2017, he was named an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention while starting in 11 of Boise State’s 14 games.

“Just like all the other players, he’s creating a great opportunity for himself,” Pierce said. “A great opportunity for us as a defense to play with multiple different packages and different groups of guys playing together.

“He’ll be in the mix, and those guys rotate. Does he start or not? That depends on the game and practice week like it does every week for everybody.”

Deandre’s addition as a graduate transfer adds to an Arizona State secondary which is expected to be one of the most reliable units in the Pac-12. In large part, the unit’s success can be attributed to its ability to push each other, with starting cornerbacks Jack Jones and Chase Lucas leading the way, according to Pierce.

“There’s really a lot of competitive battles,” Pierce commented Tuesday during his weekly meeting with the media of the cornerback’s matchups with Arizona State’s young talent at receiver. “Especially for our older guys. Chase and Jack and Jordan Clark, to get those reps against a Frank Darby, a Geordon Porter, now Johnny [Wilson] and add LV [Bunkley-Shelton] in that mix.

“Every rep is very competitive. We can go back either way. You flip a coin on who’s going to win each and every rep… It’s good to have competition within the team. It makes practice more competitive, that makes us a better team and prepares us for the games on Saturdays.”

Pierce, who was promoted to co-defensive coordinator ahead of this season, spoke highly of the Sun Devils’ starting cornerbacks and their potential to stand out at the conference and national level.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for Jack [Jones] to showcase who he is,” Pierce said of the senior cornerback, who was convinced by Pierce and head coach Herm Edwards to return to ASU in order to improve his draft stock. “We saw the shell of Jackie Jones last year, 158 pounds wet when he walked in the building. Pretty much injured the first six weeks of the season.”

Jones got a late start during his first season in Tempe, arriving later in preseason practices. Still, the former five-star prospect was able to showcase his skills, making an impact with an interception in ASU’s 31-28 upset win over No. 6 Oregon and two interceptions a week later in the Sun Devils’ 24-14 Territorial Cup win.

“Nobody really saw who he is. I think now as we watch practice and you see him compete. As you see him thirty minutes prior to practice warming up, catching punts, and working on his footwork, just perfecting his craft and really taking that step to the next stage of his career.

“We want to see him be that All-Conference, All-American type player. And that’s rubbed off on Chase Lucas.”

Much like Jones has room for improvement, Lucas is looking to improve his NFL draft stock as well. This fall signals the fourth year as a starter for Lucas, who Pierce believes could elevate his play because of the added push from his peers.

“Chase is now a four-year starter here at ASU. Hometown hero, and they kind of feed off of one another. When one guy makes a play, the other is yelling, ‘hey, it’s your turn. What you gonna do?’ And it makes it really good not just for them two, but for our whole unit and our defense as a whole.”

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Last week, defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez made known his beliefs on his position group. Pierce sounded similar to Rodriguez, with those thoughts, expressing a desire to see someone emerge as the go-to guy as a pass rusher for a defense that accumulated 26 sacks last year.

During previous statements, Edwards made known his hopes to establish a solid two-deep by the end of the week on offense and defense, something Pierce said the defense was close to solidifying just over two weeks before the Sun Devils will take on No. 24 USC Nov. 7.

“We’ve got guys that are obviously penciled in today,” Pierce explained, “and went in to practice today as starters, and they are still battling and proving themselves each and every practice. I think it’s very similar [to the secondary]. With Shannon Forman, Michael Matus, Stanley Lambert, Tyler Johnson, and Amiri Johnson, those five guys are pretty much going to be our nucleus.

“Somebody has to stand out among the pack. Somebody has to just say ‘it’s me. Hey coach, I’ve got you.’ We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close.”

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