Arizona State defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez never leaves home without his energy levels fully charged. Rodriguez feeds off his passion for coaching and is effective at channeling it through his booming vocal cords. Even on the hottest days, it can bring the best out of his players.
That energy was especially important when the room started to get thin in experience last season. Jermayne Lole went under the knife for season-ending triceps surgery in August. Travez Moore tore his ACL in week three at BYU. Tyler Johnson, Michael Matus, Shannon Forman, and DJ Davidson all dealt with injuries at various points in the 2021 campaign.
Since preseason camp began, that energy has been amplified at a volume greater than before. There is a comfort that the overall breadth of talent and veteran fixtures are well-integrated into the mission set forth by Rodriguez when he arrived in the spring of 2020. This additional roster security takes some of the pressure off ahead of a season where the defensive line must be a formidable anchor for an ASU defense that has to replace eight starters.
“We have more potential players and more potential playmakers in the group overall than any time before,” Rodriguez said. “I think we have good depth – right now in my head – good is the enemy of great, and I’m always going to say it, and I’m always going to push that we get more and more guys. But I think we have eight guys right now, no doubt, and we got other guys that are progressing quickly to get in a position where we’re going to be good no matter what.”
Rodriguez talked at length about those guys. Matus has been hindered by a leg issue to start the preseason, but he’s intelligent, reliable, and level-headed. Anthonie Cooper, who Rodriguez said caused more quarterback pressures than anybody from the group, is consistent and progressed steadily. Joe Moore, who sits under Matus in the defensive end depth chart, has “taken a step in the right direction” and looked explosive to start camp.
Omarr Norman-Lott, whose intense level of focus following his return to ASU from the transfer portal has been a popular storyline this fall, is also ready for a larger role at the 3-technique defensive tackle.
“Omarr has made a nice improvement,” Rodriguez described. “There are a couple of times where he can get a little bit loose, but that’s the kind of player he is. He’s an athlete. It doesn’t take much for a Ferrari to go over the speed limit; you know what I mean? So you’ve got to be smart with it.
“He’s a great athlete, sometimes he can do that, but he’s worked so hard and really done a good job since the spring. Now, he’s earned the right to say we can count on him.”
Other players are coming into the fold. Freshman nose tackle Robby Harrison’s ceiling is incredibly high, and Rodriguez isn’t afraid to admit it. He’s freakishly strong and as big as a boulder. His squat and bench press personal bests (600 and 420 lbs.) are virtually unmatched in the Sun Devils’ weight room. Harrison is a future building block, but at the moment, he’s still crafting the base of his potential.
“We were doing a walkthrough drill right now. He almost caved my chest in,” Rodriguez laughed. “I mean, he really did. The whole group’s like, ‘this dude’s too strong for his own good.’ So he’s not allowed to have any puppies right now, or any gerbils, nothing like that. If I had a baby, I wouldn’t let him hold it for a while.
“When his feet catch up to his hands, he’s going to be unstoppable. Right now, he has such great upper body strength. He’s got no fear; he’s afraid of nobody. That kid goes in there; he’ll punch anybody. And he can be slightly out of position, but because he’s so strong, he can get back into position. The problem is right now; his feet aren’t quite quick enough to catch up to that upper body strength. So you can see, at times, he’s high and behind. When Robby Harrison gets a little bit more maturity in his legs and a little bit more ‘Z’ in the knee and bend…
“Really, it’s pretty feet. You guys talk about skillset; when they bring me big nose tackles, nine times out of 10, I’m like, ‘I don’t want them,’ just because they can’t move their feet when they go sideways. The game now moves laterally. I don’t care how strong you are, it’s not 1975, and we don’t have two-gap nose tackles. It’s not moving forward; it’s moving sideways. So they need to have the ballerina feet to move down the line. So that’s what I’m always looking for. If you don’t have those feet, then we can’t do it.
“Robby has those feet in him; he doesn’t have ’em yet. And when he does, I think we’re going to have a special player. Not just because he’s going to have that upper body strength, but because he’s a high-character dude, and he’s tough. And that right there is the home run. When the feet catch up, he checks all the boxes.”
Defensive end Blazen Lono-Wong has only practiced in an ASU jersey four times, but in that short span, the true freshman has already racked up an interception, a sack, and a handful of pressures. “Blazen has more big plays than words spoken in a meeting,” Rodriguez quipped. But this is precisely the culture Rodriguez has worked to establish, one that promotes the attraction of playmaking opportunities simply through following directions and exceeding within the structure.
“He’s a great example of what we preach here,” Rodriguez explained. “Quit trying to make plays; just do your job. If you’re a playmaker, you’re going to make plays. And sure enough, he’s just trying to do his job, and he looks up, and the ball is there. One of the players turned to me today and looked at me and said, ‘I think we got another Tyler (Johnson) on our hands.’”
Another post-spring newcomer Jalil Rivera-Harvey fits the same mold. At 6-2 and 310 pounds, the sophomore and junior college transfer certainly meets the physical frame criteria. Rodriguez praised the young defensive tackle’ strength and foot quickness but was especially pleased with his willingness to learn and embrace the process of progress. In his short time in Tempe, Rivera-Harvey’s position coach knows his player is cognizant of the fact that the fundamentals and the playbook come first before production can flourish.
“If the technique isn’t 100 percent on point, it makes us inconsistent,” Rodriguez remarked. “And that’s the last thing I want. I don’t want one good play to make up for three bad plays. So we’ve still got to hone in on some technique and get that to be second nature.”
When everything gets tidied up, then creativity can truly flow. Defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson wants to blitz more, and Rodriguez’s variety of front four pieces will be suitable for any pass rush situation. While increasing aggression in that area of the game naturally excites Rodriguez, he most values the boost in stamina that drawing from a vast pool of players offers. The former Minnesota Vikings assistant defensive line coach compared it to the best college basketball teams rotating their starters throughout a contest without a significant drop-off in production.
“I’m a series guy. I don’t like to rotate within series too much except for packages. So we keep it by series, and we can get other guys on the field and have fresh legs when we get to the fourth quarter,” Rodriguez noted. “And when you get to the fourth quarter, you play the hot hand. So if there’s a guy that just has a great matchup on the outside and winning, well, you want him on the field in the fourth quarter because that’s the hot hand.
“One thing that is discouraging for an offense when you play is wave after wave after wave just crashing, crashing, crashing into you. Eventually, you’re going to give. When you go up against the same person for four quarters, you can wear them out. But when there are fresh legs coming at you with the same intensity, focus, and technique, that wears you out. You feel like it’s you against the world. The best O-lines really can’t rotate, but the best D-lines can.”
With confidence in their craft, Rodriguez’s starters have largely dominated ASU’s offensive line in the first week of preseason football. As expected, This has resulted in a few altercations where temper gets the better of the players in the trenches. The trash talk is admittingly entertaining, but Rodriguez would rather let the production speak for itself.
“I’m trying to get these guys to understand the difference between intensity, physicality, and emotion,” Rodriguez said. “You want that emotion to drive into your physicality and your intensity. You do not want your emotions to take control of you, and you just start talking. What does talking accomplish?
“I can tell you, ‘I’m gonna whoop your tail,’ but I haven’t whooped your tail, have I? It doesn’t mean anything until I put my hands on you.”
***
Replacing Rachaad White is understandably a tall task for the Sun Devils. Yet, running backs coach Shaun Aguano once again is developing a versatile backfield that will remain the backbone of the offense.
ASU added Xazavian Valladay through the transfer portal, who had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Wyoming. He offers the Sun Devils a bruising ball carrying style that complements his teammates in the backfield. His nickname, X-factor, is very fitting when considering how his arsenal of skills will be utilized.
“When we talk about that running back, he’s a slasher-type guy,” Aguano said. “I like the way he gets skinny in holes. I like the way he stays tight through double teams. That is natural from a running back standpoint. He gets downhill really quick. In film that we’ve watched from Wyoming, I like his finish. We don’t tackle here at practice, so we can’t see that finish, but I’m confident he will be a very, very productive back in this offense.”
Redshirt junior Daniyel Ngata figures to expand upon the pinch-hitting, third-down role he flashed in situationally last season. Aguano described Ngata as observant and a detail-oriented rusher, yet ultra-competitive all the same. He’s been patient for his chance and, looking back, perhaps more patient than he should have been.
“Every time we’ve put him in, he’s been productive,” Aguano commented. “And shame on me, maybe he should have been that guy before. I think he’s followed the process, he’s trusted the process, and now it’s going to be his turn.”
As ASU’s leading receiver, White’s departure undoubtedly created a void to be filled in the ASU aerial attack. Ngata, who was a prominent receiver in high school, figures to inherit a large portion of White’s passing game volume of receptions. His particular skill set is why he landed on Aguano’s recruiting radar to begin with. Aguano does examine how running back recruits were utilized other than the backfield and believes players with slot receiver backgrounds translate extremely well for third-down receiving duties at the collegiate level.
However, Aguano is also focusing on building up pass protection to reach a higher level than in previous seasons. Case in point, the prowess in that department was a common critique of White’s draft stock evaluation. With ASU’s quarterbacks poised to line up under center with higher frequency, reliable blocking by the running backs takes on even a more substantial role.
“We’ve spent more time on the pass protection part with these guys getting them ready for the next level, especially for protecting our quarterback,” Aguano stated. “We have a new (offensive) line that I think is going to take probably one or two games to fully gel. A lot of times, the running back’s job is to make the linemen right on those pass protections. We’ve worked really hard on that, and I take that personally because I want to make sure they’re ready for the next step.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
