ASU’s special teams unit has several questions to address

For starters, Slocum had holes to address this spring in the field goal department. Placekickers Cristian Zendejas and Logan Tyler both graduated, along with long snapper Erik Dickerson. Holder Ethan Long departed to play quarterback at Abilene Christian. Slocum had to get their replacements up to speed.

A new order of progression has solidified itself. Redshirt sophomore Gage King will take over primary snapping duties, sophomore punter Eddie Czaplicki will receive and set the ball, and redshirt freshman Jace Feely now becomes the man to send the ball through the uprights.

“The continuity between those three guys on field goals is highly important because that’s a direct scoring play,” Slocum said. “That’s number one. And then the coordination of our punt protection with the snaps. Again, all of that is a growth period right now during the spring. It’s improving, and I’m pleased with our work.”

Feely, the son of 14-year NFL kicker Jay Feely, said he is hitting 55-yard kicks consistently this spring. He attributes his success to a tried-and-true method from the elder Feely. Before each attempt, Feely runs through a quick three-point mental checklist which locks in his focus.

“Mine right now are chest high, shoulder back, and explode through the ball,” Feely said.

“Jace has made major improvements from the fall until now,” Slocum said. “Last season, he got here in the middle of spring training and was kind of thrust into a new environment, a higher level of football, and things were tough for him as we went through the fall. But this spring, I think he’s made some really good improvement.

“I see a lot more consistency with him, and I think it will show up as we go through training camp.”

While the quarterback competition has been the talk of Tempe this spring, a challenger to Feely will arrive in the fall. Carter Brown, a Max Preps All-American from Texas, will join the Sun Devils in June. The four-star prospect was ASU’s first pledge of the 2022 class. A 70-yard field goal is pinned to the top of his Twitter profile.

“He reminds me a lot of Zane Gonzalez in terms of his leg strength and his size,” Slocum said. “He’s a 6-1 guy about 190, 195 pounds. Good size, he’s athletic, was a soccer player. So he’ll be joining the mix as well.”

So what will the kicking battle look like on the field?

“I think our training camp will be competitive, and we’ll let it unfold during that,” Slocum said. “We’ll create some competitive situations during practices to try to check out where they are from a mentality standpoint to be able to handle the pressures that go along with that position.”

In addition to his holding duties, Czaplicki will resume his role as the team’s starting punter. Czaplicki was thrust into the job in fall camp after Michael Turk announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. He showed promise and composure as he took on the unforeseen responsibility, averaging 43.4 yards per boot.

Slocum has observed improvement across the board for Czaplicki this spring. However, the newfound smoothness in which reporters address him has been the most notable development.

“I think there’s big growth in the way you pronounce his name,” Slocum laughed. “We’re starting to get that right. That was a challenge, first of all.

“Eddie, boy, is he a worker. He is cerebral about his position. He’s a technician. He’s really improved. He’s improved in the weight room. He’s improved with his strength development. I think we’re starting to see some 5.2 (second) and 5.3 balls in practice, which is good.”

In his first season, Czaplicki’s leg strength and accuracy were invaluable in providing the Pac-12’s top-ranked ASU defense favorable field position to work with. Part of that reason was Czaplicki’s nit-picking nature and steady attention to detail. The rigid procedure of special teams and Czaplicki’s measured approach are a good match.

While those qualities produced encouraging results, Slocum wants to see the young protege become more comfortable in his second year.

“One of his liabilities is trying to be too perfect, and I think he’s grown out of that,” Slocum said. “Sometimes you gotta bang it. He was very consistent last year, particularly for a freshman punter. The game’s not too big for him, so I see him being a very positive part of our whole situation going forward.”

While special teams aren’t always flashy, all eyes were on D.J. Taylor on kickoffs last season. Taylor drew the attention of Pac-12 kickers in 2020 with a punctual 109-yard opening kick return against Arizona. With that highlight on his resume, Taylor set lofty goals for himself and set his sights on breaking the single-season college football return record.

However, Taylor’s confidence in his open-field playmaking to provide a spark for his team often got the best of him at times.

“He’s an explosive runner,” Slocum said. “I think his biggest challenge coming off last season was improving his decision-making skills and picking your times when you take chances. I think he’s improved this spring. He’s been way more consistent just in catching the football and making some decisions back by the goal line, which is where he needs to improve.”

Taylor said field position, game context, and securing the catch have been focus elements this spring. Taylor has also seen significant time at backup safety, which he attests to a better understanding of the playbook and desire to be versatile. Although his weight has fluctuated, Taylor’s jets have remained at a game-changing level.

“I’ve been between the 190s and 200 (pounds), but I still feel the same,” Taylor said. “I still look at the Catapult numbers, and it’s still around the 20s (mph) all the time. So I just see if I can get faster and faster.”

An emphasis this spring has been finding other comfortable returners when the ball is set to return to the offense. Taylor handled the brunt of the work fielded last season, averaging 21.0 yards across 25 kickoff returns and fielding 14 punts (13.6 yards per return). Giving other players experience in that area is critical; Slocum has been pleased by a couple of potentially explosive options that will be able to contribute in his department.

“LV (Bunkley-Shelton) is one of them,” Slocum said. “He’s a really good catcher of the ball, and I think he’ll be one of the guys that will help us. He, unfortunately, hasn’t been through many of the practices because of his health, so hopefully, in training camp, he will be out there consistently.”

“I’ve also been impressed with Elijhah Badger. He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, and so we look forward to him doing some of it as well.”

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