Jayden Daniels’ shoulders are bigger this year. Literally. The sophomore quarterback and face of the Arizona State program has added muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame heading into the 2020 season, and he’ll need it in order to shoulder the load of expectations and responsibility, the program is placing on him. A year after entering a quarterback battle with two other freshmen, Daniels remains one of the only constants in the ASU quarterback room this fall.
“Me, Trenton [Bourguet], [offensive analyst Trey] Anderson, we joke about it all the time,” Daniels said of the turnover in the quarterback room. “We’re the only ones that are left from when we first came in.”
Daniels was tabbed by head coach Herm Edwards’ coaching staff as the foundation of the program and was a large factor in Edwards’ decision to make a change at offensive coordinator, bringing in Zak Hill from Boise State based on a belief he would maximize the signal caller's skillset. In 2019, the Sun Devil offense ranked 96th out of 130 FBS programs in scoring, posting just 24.8 points per game.
Early returns in preseason practices though are promising, as a myriad of ASU defenders have already complimented Hill and Daniels for what the offense has done in preseason sessions. Cornerback Chase Lucas spent time earlier in the week raving about what he’d seen on the other side of the ball, citing motions and shifts as the biggest challenges Hill's unit has presented. Part of the progression from freshman phenom to now the face of the program for the Sun Devils’ quarterback is physical, but there’s also a mental aspect.
“I wouldn’t say I feel older,” Daniels, who was named a captain for the 2020 season, told reporters Saturday. “But I do feel like I’m a sophomore, and I feel like I’m more mature. Having the playing experience last year on the offensive side just skill-position wise, it’s just like OK, we’ve got all these young guys in skill-position wise and the only people who have playing experience who have played a college football season fully are me and Frank [Darby].
“We have to teach the guys that haven’t played the ropes of how to handle the ins and outs of everything that’s going on.”
The weapons surrounding Daniels allow for Sun Devil fans to dream about potent personnel combinations, but one of the greatest differences in this year’s offense may be the utilization of the tight end position. As a freshman, Daniels registered just 22 of his 233 completions to tight ends, totaling just 232 yards and one touchdown.
Judging by his Boise State tenure, Hill has a track record of utilizing tight ends at a higher rate than former offensive coordinator Rob Likens did. The lack of usage wasn’t for lack of talent or availability and the Sun Devils have plenty of options at the position with Curtis Hodges, Nolan Matthews and Ethan Long among the position leaders this year.
“I see a lot of growth from last year,” Daniels said of Hodges, who caught five passes for 58 yards during the 2019 season. “A lot more consistency. That’s the main thing we harp on with him. You’ve just gotta stay consistent. He’s making those plays and those tough catches, using that long frame, he has to be a mismatch, and we’re setting him up for mismatches against the linebackers or the safeties. He’s just gotta go out there and make the plays.
“There’s times we have tight ends running down the middle of the field. Or even check downs, getting them the little option routes so that they are able to flourish.”
There’s a back-and-forth nature to practices according to the players, with different days seeing different results between the new offensive and defensive units.
“We’re always keeping [the Sun Devil defense] on their toes,” Daniels said of the battles in practice. “It was the same going against the defense. They disguised a lot of stuff, and they give us a different type of looks. It’s helping us, too, getting ready for when we play against different teams because the different types of shifts and motions we give them keep them on their toes, and they keep us on our toes, too.”
Earlier in the week, Edwards mentioned that trust was becoming one of the keys to playing time as the offensive line begins to emphasize its physical presence, something the Sun Devils know they need in order to control the line of scrimmage on offense.
“The coaches preach that every day. The most physical team wins,” Daniels said. “There are times the defense is going to come and punch us in our mouth, and we’ve just gotta bounce back and go harder. That’s what we feel like we did today with the physicality.
“As far as the offense right now, I wouldn’t say I’m very content with where we’re at physically. I feel like we could be more physical up front, and I know that we’re going to get to that point… before we play USC.”
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