Dejon Roney impressed by the Sun Devils
Whether it was his unofficial visit to Tempe or his friendship with quarterback Jayden Daniels, SoCal defensive lineman Dejon Roney has placed Arizona State on his short list as he plans to make a preseason announcement.
“Last month Arizona State was my first actual visit to the school,” Roney said, “and with some of my friends and family going there, I do have that connection to the school. I like how that team doesn't need to have the coaches tell all the time what to do, they just lead themselves, and I like that because that's how it is at my high school. Jayden told me that Arizona State is a learning experience, but it’s really fun being a player on that team. He told me that the players get a lot of support from their coaches, and they help them with everything they need. That’s something I really love.
“Coach (Chris) Hawkins and coach Robert Rodriguez are recruiting me. Coach Hawk, I knew for a minute because I used to play linebacker on (the 7x7 club) Ground Zero that his dad runs. So that’s how I know him. I like his vibe and how chill he is. Coach Rod is a different story (laughs). He’s a funny guy but will always tell you the truth. He tells you straight up, for sure. He coached in the NFL some of the D-Linemen I watch the most, Everson Griffin and Danielle Hunter. Each of them has a different playing style, but I like them a lot.”
Roney is being recruited as a 3-technique defensive tackle and said that Rodriguez would like to see him be a more well-rounded player.
“Coach Rod said that he wants me to get faster so I can to get to the quarterback,” Roney noted. “He wants me to be both a pass rusher and a run stopper, and I’m a good stopper already. I just need to work more on being a better pass rusher, closing the space. I’m at 6-1 286 pounds. He (Rodriguez) likes my weight, but he does want me to gain more muscle off that weight.
“I’m very good at getting to the ball, closing down gaps, taking on two offensive linemen. Pass rushing is different at my position, and I want to get better at recognizing if it's play-action or screen. A guard would do a little stand-up post, and I can't recognize if it's a screen pass, so I got to focus more on that.”
Since he knows ASU’s signal caller so well, Roney has regularly watched ASU’s games on TV. His focus however didn't center around Daniels and the Sun Devil offense, as he was very interested to see how the team’s defense operates, especially in its front four.
“I like the way they run the defense because they sometimes have four down linemen, and sometimes three down linemen. It changes up, and it’s like my high school defense; it’s unpredictable. The stunts they run at Arizona State are different from my school, but I can learn that quickly for sure. College is a different playing style, and everything moves faster for sure.”
(Dejon Roney (48) with his father Dejuan Roney during the ASU unofficial visit)
Arizona State marked Roney’s first visit overall to a school that had offered him. He plans to officially visit Tempe for the USC game on Nov. 6th, and in September, he’s scheduled to visit both, I would say Fresno State and TCU. He mentioned Colorado, and Oregon, as other schools pursuing him in earnest. USC, Washington, Miami and Nebraska are some of the notable programs that have extended offers.
“I want to make my decision a week before my season starts on August 27th,” Roney commented. “Right now, I’m probably deciding between Fresno State, Arizona State, and TCU. The school I choose will depend on my major. I want to go into coaching, so I’m probably going to major in Education or Physical Science.”
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