N’Keal Harry’s early departure for the NFL draft is swinging the door wide open for others in this unit to assume center stage in ASU’s passing game. Redshirt junior Frank Darby is one of those returning wide receivers eager to assume an increased role this year.
“I feel like it’s time for people to actually show off their talent,” Darby said. “Being that we’ve got (Brandon Ayuk) coming in, we’ve got Kyle (Williams) and then me. All three of us were just training so we’re looking forward to doing a lot of big things this year. We’re just wondering who’s going to stop all three of us.”
Darby is coming off a semi-breakout 2018 campaign. While only catching 21 passes last year, Darby averaged 20 yards per reception to finish with 421 yards. He had impressive performances against Colorado when he hauled in three catches for 171 yards including a 72-yard reception and a 40-yard touchdown and versus San Diego State when he had five catches for 127 yards including a 51-yard reception.
Darby said 2018 was just about trying to complement Harry. This year though he wants to have more responsibilities and a more significant footprint on ASU’s passing game.
“I just felt like anything I needed to do, I had to do because not too many opportunities were coming my way at the time,” Darby recalled. “When the ball came, I had to make a play so this year I’m looking forward to doing more. I feel like I could get some more targets, make some more plays to help the team out.”
Darby noted that he has been working in earnest this offseason and that his training program was “on a different level” over the last several months. He added that he trained with various coaches to better himself on the nuances of his game he felt he needed to improve. He commented that one of his main focuses was not being “raw” anymore and more refined with his technique.
Darby spoke of how Harry has guided him in taking the next step. He said he is in constant communication with the former ASU wide receiver and said he has been a good motivator for him during the offseason.
“Me and N’Keal…we’re like best friends,” Darby stated. “A couple of days ago he hit me up and said I hope you’re working. Keep going. It’s your time now.”
Darby said despite losing Harry, he thinks the wide receiving core can be even more productive this year as opponents will be focusing on running back Eno Benjamin and leaving the receivers for one-on-one opportunities facing defensive backs.
“Eno…everybody knows about him breaking records,” Darby said. “We are going to see teams try to come in and try to stop him. I just want to know what are you going to stop? We’ve got Aiyuk, we’ve got Kyle and we’ve got me.”
As one of the older receivers on the team, Darby tries to be a leader pushing his teammates to do their best and was pleased that they have been receptive to the leadership that he brings. While some prefer to lead by example and others enjoy being more of a vocal leader, Darby tries to find the perfect combination of both.
“I always try to be the best,” Darby said. “I want people to compete with me. If I’ve got this much energy, you can do it too. I just want people to be at their best. I feel like last year we got jipped a couple of times and it was like we’re right there. We can do a little bit more.”
Darby’s teammate and fellow receiver Kyle Williams praised Darby’s work ethic calling it unmatched by most on the team. The senior said he is looking forward to seeing Darby this year and believed he could see him playing at the professional level. Williams added that the receiving core would get together on Saturdays and Mondays during the offseason to run routes and has proven to be a group which is very supportive of one another.
Fellow senior Brandon Aiyuk also echoed Williams’ words concerning the work ethic and consistency displayed by Darby and appreciates the upbeat personality of his teammate.
“Every single day of the year he’s going to be the same guy,” Aiyuk said. “Every single day of the year he’ll have energy, every practice he’ll have energy, in the weight room he’ll have energy. I’ve never seen a day where he’s been down.”
Freshman quarterback Joey Yellen said Darby makes it easy to throw and also felt that his leadership and work ethic didn’t go unnoticed. Another freshman quarterback, Ethan Long, went as far as to call Darby a perfectionist as far as his route running goes and praised his personality saying Darby is probably the funniest player on the team.
Perhaps the biggest vote of confidence Darby received from the quarterbacks was from one of the two signal-callers competing for the starting role in Dillon Sterling-Cole.
“Me and Frank have an unbelievable bond,” Sterling-Cole described. “Every spring, every fall we’ve connected like no tomorrow. Just knowing that I can throw any pass and he’ll come down with it is truly a blessing to have.”
When it comes to Darby’s aspirations for upcoming the season, he hopes the Sun Devils are part of the Pac-12 championship game this year and winning 10 games. He said having the early spring practice in February has allowed the team to heal, and go through an extensive and uninterrupted strength and conditioning program that could give them an advantage over other teams.
“My individual goal is being the best that I can be,” Darby said. “I would love to actually reach 1,000 yards this year if I can. I try not to look forward to it. I’m just trying to let my game speak for itself. That’s one of my main goals, just trying to be a guy people can rely on.”
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