With Arizona State producing two-straight first-round NFL draft picks at wide receiver in N’Keal Harry and Brandon Aiyuk, the pressure is on this year’s group of young wideouts to keep ASU’s success at the position going.

On Thursday’s Maroon Monsoon radio program on 98.7 FM, ASU’s co-wide receivers coach Prentice Gill joined ASU play-by-play broadcaster Tim Healey to discuss his unit, a group that is albeit green, for the most part, yet still plenty potent.

“I think our group is young, but we’re super-talented,” Gill told Healey. “And just from me being at USC and being around those group of receivers who’s always been standout guys in the conference, I think we’re getting to the point where we’re having that same type of talent. Now the difference is we just don’t have the experience.”

Three true freshmen lead the untried but beyond formidable unit. LV Bunkley-Shelton, Johnny Wilson, and Chad Johnson Jr., son of former Cincinnati Bengals great Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, are all well-recruited prospects looking to make an impact as newcomers in the 2020 ASU offense.

Gill sang the praises of the 6’6 Wilson, a player who changed his pledge from Oregon to ASU when Gill was hired away from the Ducks late last season.

“Johnny is a spiderweb,” Gill said. “He’s a big kid. His catch radius is great. And I think the biggest thing that people don’t know about him is how well the kid moves. He has great straight-line speed. I think Johnny’s going to be unbelievable, to be honest with you. It’s about getting him used to college football and getting him maybe to slow down a little bit. But once he does that, I think the sky’s the limit for Johnny. I’m super excited about that kid.”

Gill went on to commend the work of Bunkley-Shelton, who, according to his coach, is a “pro right now.”

“That’s LV,” Gill remarked. “He comes to the game like a pro. He shows up and eats food like a pro. I told everybody, the day that LV signed his (Letter of Intent), he immediately started training for college football, and a lot of high school kids don’t do that. And that’s what he did, and it’s showing right now because he hasn’t missed a beat from (Junipero) Serra (High School) to Arizona State.”

Gill’s opinion of Johnson Jr. was different in comparison, though not critical. He described the freshman as more of a work in progress but said the wide receiver's self-assurance will ultimately translate to a solid career.

“I think the biggest thing with Chad is just he has to learn how to slow the game down,” Gill explained. “And I think that his high school career will kind of be similar to his college career, in my opinion. I think with Chad; it will take a minute to kind of get used to it. He’s always been that way. The moment he settles in because the kid’s confidence is so high … the kid will take off.”

While the majority of the ASU receiving core is young, one noticeable stalwart remains. Redshirt-senior Frank Darby leads the group of young receivers and, with the help of Gill, could be poised for a formidbale season.

“We just met, but we have a great relationship,” Gill described. “We talk outside of practice, probably four or five times a day. And the guy is just really hungry to get better and learn. And all we talk is football IQ, route running, beating press man coverages. He works at it, and I already think he’s taking his game to the next level.”

One aspect of the 2020 Sun Devils Gill thinks is helping his young receiving core is the defensive scheme ASU is running this year under co-defensive coordinators Marvin Lewis and Antonio Pierce.

Lewis, the longtime Bengals head coach, and Pierce, a member of the 2007 New York Giants defense that took down the undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, have instituted a 4-3, NFL-style defense, and Gill believes it is aiding in the growth of his receivers.

“I love our defense, and I think the defense is challenging the offense, and I think that’s probably the best thing that’s going on right now because we have a veteran defense and our offense is a little younger,” Gill stated.

A couple of wideouts with uncertain roles this year are sophomores Geordon Porter and Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall and Porter are battling for spots with the younger guys, but Gill said he could still see them playing roles in the ASU offense.

“GP is a kid that … has good size and he’s very fast, “ Gill said. “He can stretch the field. Ricky’s one of the toughest kids I’ve been around. I expect both of those guys to make a lot of plays.”

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