The Arizona State offense has heavily revolved around the run game during the Herm Edwards era.

The approach is old-school and conservative but effective. It relies on consistent fortitude in the trenches, which works to erode the front line of the defense and grapple for control of the clock. With their appetite to feed the ball to Rachaad White endlessly ravenous, the Sun Devils ranked fifth among Pac-12 teams last season with 193.3 rushing yards per game.

Before White became a household name for the program, Eno Benjamin was the workhorse of choice under Edwards. Benjamin shouldered 553 handoffs over his final two years at ASU. It translated to production in bulk: back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, 26 rushing touchdowns, and bowl game appearances.

So don’t expect the identity to shift in 2022, either.

The Sun Devils boast a pair of dynamic running backs in physical Wyoming transfer Xazavian Valladay and redshirt junior Daniyel Ngata. The group has talented depth waiting in the wings in Tevin White and George Hart as well. The backfield is multi-pronged, competitive, and ready to field the brunt of the team’s workload.

But the opportunities for the run game are only as good as those created by the offensive line ahead of them. ASU needs to replace three starters from last season. Two of those departures, center Dohnovan West and left tackle Kellen Deisch, are on NFL training camp rosters.

Position coach Mike Cavanaugh outlined how the battles are shaping up in preseason camp and the available options he will mull over throughout the coming weeks.

“We’re pretty close. We’re not ready to name any starters yet,” Cavanaugh said in a press conference Tuesday. “I think we’ve got guys that can play. On the right side, you got Des Holmes, Chris Martinez, and Joey Ramos. Obviously, our center is pretty locked down with Ben Scott and our left guard (returning starter LaDarius Henderson). Then you got what’s going on on the left side with [Emmit] Bohle and Isaia [Glass]. Those are guys that are all going to play.”

As Cavanaugh’s fleeting gloss-over of his name suggests, Henderson is the capstone of the offensive line. An Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list recipient, Cavanaugh anticipates hardly any controversy out of the established left guard. The senior is mature, consistent, and a team leader.

Scott, who started at right tackle in 2021, has assimilated well to playing center. He took the majority of his snaps there during the spring. He has handled the quarterback rodeo behind him well and developed good chemistry with every signal-caller. That includes projected starter Emory Jones, who arrived in May after transferring from Florida.

But that rounds out the returning starters. The Sun Devils dipped into the transfer portal and found a treasure trove of athletic boulders to slot into the lineup. After appearing in 32 games at Penn State, Holmes wrapped up the right tackle spot quickly. Martinez, who anchored all 14 games at right guard for San Diego State last season, was another seamless fit. Ramos, an Iowa State transfer, is a flexible switch-hitter in the depth that is seeing time at multiple positions.

The left end of the offensive line is more contentious. Cavanaugh admitted he might not have a firm handle on who his preferred choice is between Bohle and Glass until he evaluates how each player performs in ASU’s season opener against Northern Arizona. Until then, Cavanaugh will be generous with how he splits reps at practice. That includes experimenting at every position, not just at left tackle.

“Right now, the left side’s been going like every three plays,” Cavanaugh said. “Now, obviously, we’re not doing that in-game. And then Joey, Des, and Chris are rotating as well (on the right side). Once in a while, Joey gets shots at center. He’s a pretty multiple, versed guy.”

“I think it could go, and then you hope that somebody separates. Same thing goes on the right side. Eventually, you hope two of those guys would pull away. I’ve never done that, but I’m kinda excited about it, to have the ability to keep some fresh bodies in there. They’re smart guys, they’re tough, they’re athletic. So there are those seven guys that I think they can all play.”

Glass holds his previous Power Five experience as an advantage over Bohle, who played Divison II football at Northern State. However, Bohle started every game for the Wolves over the last two seasons. His athleticism is impressive at 6-6 and 290 pounds, which likely stems from playing tight end in high school. The lower body fluidity makes him an intriguing choice for run plays that require some extra juice after the snap.

“He’s got really good feet, balance, and then body control for a big guy,” Cavanaugh said. “I always like to see that one windmill dunk that he had on Twitter. Well, I looked at that and was like, I don’t think anybody can do that on our team O-line, D-line wise. But really good athlete and a smart kid, too.

“He has a toughness about him. He can pass set; he can run block. We’re probably going to have some pin-pull plays. We like gap schemes where guys are pulling, and then we run a little toss play where there’s a pin and a pull deal. They’re all athletic guys with the first group.”

Technique is everything for Cavanaugh. The word rings out frequently from the 36-year coaching veteran as he watches intently under the shade of his bucket hat, correcting hand placement and tweaking footwork at a fever pace. The fundamentals are a staple of Cavanaugh’s regimen, essentials to his expertise that share primary concern alongside oxygen and water.

“To me, it’s daily vitamins,” Cavanaugh said. “You’re working your drive blocks, down blocks, reach blocks, your combos – I call it top of the pad lift. So we do that every day. My job is to develop guys.”

What encourages Cavanaugh is the group’s cohesion despite the moving parts and variety of backgrounds. There are shared roots, all feeding off an underlying hunger to prove themselves. It drew each newcomer to Tempe, and it has been a healthy unifying factor that cemented the overall mindset of the offensive line.

“There was a reason why they wanted to come here,” Cavanaugh said. “I always say they had a vision, a mission, and obviously passion. They all want to get coached, developed, and they want a chance to play in the NFL. So they came to the right spot. And I’m excited, really excited about this group."

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