Last week, after Tuesday's practice, sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt remarked that the squad "definitely has some identity issues" and that they are ".5%" of where they want to be. An early sign that despite the amount of skill currently on the team, that the Sun Devils early in the spring were quite far from being an effective unit.
Given the losses suffered by the offense and the additions made, there was no expectation of a smooth transition out of the gates. Yet, some questions were raised as to what improvements this unit needs to make to find its identity and whether they can do so quickly.
According to Leavitt, who talked to reporters after yesterday’s practice, in just a week's time, there has been some noticeable progress as he has seen this group find its rhythm.
“If you look back a week from now, I came over here, and I said we had some identity growth issues,” Leavitt stated. “Which, it was just some identity growth that we needed to have. We had some adversity, and we came out, and we bounced back. We really put the foot on the gas this practice… We’re really finding who we are, and I was really proud of the guys and how we bounced back.”
This increase in practice effort has occurred despite the absence of junior wide receiver Jordan Tyson, who has missed the last several practices due to a foot injury. Tyson was Leavitt's primary target, accounting for 993 of his 2,885 passing yards and serving as his clear-cut leader in the aerial attack, a role he will continue to assume this season.
Early in spring practice, Leavitt remarked that he and Tyson had picked up where they left off last season. Yet he was still learning the numerous additions to the wide receiver room and trying to establish chemistry with returning players who had seldom seen the field in 2024. Tyson's absence may have been a blessing in disguise, requiring Leavitt to step outside of his comfort zone and form relationships with some of the newer offensive weapons.
“It’s great for me to be able to play with a bunch of new guys,” Leavitt explained. “To have a guy (Tyson) I’m super comfortable throwing to, off the field now you have to find who else you have that connection with. Super good for me and the receivers to see; the timing has to be all the much better, and people have to be where I need them to be, and I have to get them the ball when the play opens up.”
New pass catchers, like Alabama transfer freshman wide receiver Jaren Hamilton, have benefited the most from his absence. Leavitt remarked that Hamilton "has a lot of juice" when discussing how impressive he’s been and how happy he is with the growth he has observed in his relationship with the unit. Giving the impression that wide receivers coach Hines Ward has started to influence more than just the returners with his receiving core.
While that group's talent is one to marvel at, a significant amount of the chunk plays in scrimmages, and what appears to be Leavitt's bread and butter have come from the tight end room. The tight end position wasn't very deep last season, with senior Chamon Metayer the only player to see substantial playing time. Head coach Kenny Dillingham remedied that in the offseason by adding players such as Kentucky transfer junior Khamari Anderson and freshman AJ Ia.
Anderson is a player that can immediately slide into a starting role and has showcased himself as a definite contributor come season time, as his combination of speed and size makes him a dangerous weapon Leavitt has seemed to fancy. Four-star Ia, a true freshman, has his work cut out for him, but at 6'6" and 255 pounds, he adds a freaky talent for how well he moves at his size.
Ia seems to be a fan himself of the scheme and what Dillingham has in store for this tight end group.
“I love it,” Ia said. “They definitely try to get tight ends more involved, just trying to put all the tight ends in a good position, like Chamon, Chamon’s putting on for us, Khamari has really established himself as a receiver, and I feel like I can help out the receiving game too, but like coach (Jason Mohns) says, ‘No block, no rock,’ so we have to block first.”
Blocking is the game, though ASU’s defensive line makes that nearly impossible. Dillingham said after practice that the defensive line group is the one he’s been most impressed with, leaving both the tight ends and offensive line with their work cut out for them.
However, after constant drills pitting both against one another, whether it's collective efforts to support the run or one-on-one drills between tackles and linemen, the offensive line has been able to hold its own against its uber-athletic and enormous opponents. Ben Coleman, a graduate student, sees the strong competition as more like iron sharpening iron than anything else.
“This is the hardest (group) we’re going to face, and we face it each and every day,” Coleman said. “It’s kind of fun, because when we play certain teams that maybe might play stagnant, whether it be a three-man or four-man down front, we look at it like they’re not going to move, the linebackers aren’t going to blitz, they’re not going to bring a safety out of the sky… So, all of these different things, I think, have helped us as an offensive line to stay on our Ps and Qs, but I think another aspect is that you want practice to be the hardest so that the game becomes easier.”
Coleman is another player who is adjusting to his own "new." He isn't technically a new player to ASU; he was the team's starting left guard the previous season and wasn't given credit for surrendering a single sack, but this season, he’s moving to center. Any quarterback combination may have a transition when they switch centers, but Coleman's development has been a major factor in the week-to-week change Leavitt described today, as Coleman said he's beginning to understand what Leavitt likes.
“I remember when we first started going under center, (Leavitt) mentioned snapping the ball a little to the left, and he liked that a little bit to the left,” Coleman said. “So just those small adjustments we were able to make early on, so now it’s been pretty easy, but having that chemistry from last year I think has helped the transition a lot.”
It's clear that this offense is starting to click; they're not quite where they need to be for the regular season, but there's reason to celebrate the team's development week after week. Individual talent, transfers, and recruits have gradually begun to emerge as potential contributors to this formidable offense.
Dillingham stated after today's practice that the offense "kicked the ever-living crap out of the defense." Expect a lot more of that as the team gels and the spring season progresses.
“(We have) a lot of new players, so being able to understand how do I run the right plays and how do I do it efficiently and effectively,” Coleman said. “I’m really excited. I think the wide receivers—that's one of the biggest aspects, too. There are so many different plays, understanding timing as a receiver… I think it’s really important as far as for the quarterback to get on pace, because I feel like as an offensive line, we kind of handle us, so it’s been really neat, especially in the scrimmage, to see those guys (quarterbacks) connect, Sam, Jeff (Sims), Navi (Bruzon), everyone learning the plays; this week feels like we’ve settled in more.”
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