Beginning spring practice with a new offensive coordinator is nothing out of the ordinary for Arizona State football in recent. Nonetheless, when Glenn Thomas was handed the keys to the Sun Devil offense in late January, three-year starting signal-caller Jayden Daniels was still his quarterback. Six weeks later, he’s in charge of a seemingly four-way quarterback competition following Daniels’ sudden departure.
Thomas spoke to media on Thursday following day two of spring practice, discussing his move to Tempe, his offensive style, and how he’s transitioned to an evaluator as he gets comfortable in the Maroon and Gold.
“From outside in, this is just a diamond of a place, the city, and everything,” Thomas said when asked what attracted him to the ASU job. “The University, the administration, and obviously they’ve had a lot of success here over the years, and the recruiting piece, this is just a dynamic place to be, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
On what he’s learned about his offensive group
“It really benefited me coming in and already having an offensive staff in place, I was able to get great feedback, and I’ve been able to lean on that a lot. Not only on film studying but being able to lean on guys who have been here about the different skill sets of who we have here.”
Thomas is tasked with adjusting to this group of players, but he acknowledged the adjustment is a two-way street.
“It’s not only about them adjusting to me but me adjusting to them. This offense isn’t about what I’m doing; it’s about what we’re doing. How can we collaboratively put this together and maximize our potential. That’s been good, and it will continue to improve.”
As an offensive coordinator, his evaluation starts and finishes at the quarterback position. It’s not an easy spot to be in at ASU, as the position has been shrouded in volatility for much of the last half decade. This spring, the job is up for grabs, and Thomas is ready to oversee the process.
Quarterback competition
“Our focus is on the guys in the room moving forward. I haven’t watched the film from today’s practice; we have to get them coached up on what we saw today. It will come down to who makes the most of their opportunities. And who knows the playbook best. It’s already been clear this week who has been studying the book. We’re doing the best we can to get ample opportunity for all of them, and eventually, just by nature, it will have to water down.”
On the identity of his offense
If there’s one key takeaway from Thomas’s media availability, it’s that he values versatility.
“Looking forward, we want to have the versatility to do a little bit of everything. The more you can introduce and expose to the defense as far as game-planning and their recognition, the better. Whether that be huddle, no-huddle, or up-tempo, to give the defense a different look.”
Versatility when it comes to personnel is of equal importance to Thomas. In his two seasons with UNLV, his offenses featured both a running back by committee and a feature back system. Thomas prefers the former.
“We have a variety of backs as far as skillset; I don’t have one particular skill set that I would say I love to have this. At the end of the day, it’s are they dynamic with the ball, can they catch the ball out of the backfield, whatever they do best, it’s our job to allow them to do it.
There are question marks at many positions for Arizona State this spring, and the running back unit is perhaps one of the more pressing items to solve following the loss of its top ball carriers (three if you include Daniels). Last season, Rachaad White was the clear-cut number one back while DeaMonte Trayanum supplemented White’s production. White picked up over 1400 yards, and Trayanum gained north of 400 of his own.
With White heading to the draft and Trayanum transferring to Ohio State (to play linebacker no less), replacing that plethora of ground production is hardly an enviable task, especially for a first-year offensive coordinator who is also trying to figure out his starting quarterback these days. However, Thomas is confident the backs he’s inherited, along with the new additions have enough under the hood to continue the team’s prolific ground game reputation.
“You need to have multiple options. From a longevity standpoint, that bodes well. The more backs you have, the better off you’ll be, obviously.”
Those options are clear. Daniyel Ngata showed promise in his limited 2021 touches, and transfer Xazavian Valladay comes in as a proven collegiate horse himself. True freshman Tevin White is already here on campus and could make his mark in the spring. Behind a deep offensive line, the ground game should be a nice crutch for a still developing pass game. Ngata and Valladay will compete for the vast majority of touches throughout the spring and into fall camp in August. As Thomas stated several times, this depth should only be viewed positively for the offense.
Last year, Arizona State was one of the most penalized teams in the country, with the majority of those fouls coming on the offensive side of the ball. Thomas stressed that minimizing procedural errors will be essential for the success of his offense in 2022.
“There’s a player element and a coaching element. Hopefully, we can create some consistency schematically that I know minimizes some of that stuff, whether it be pre-snap post-snap penalties. From a player perspective, it just comes down to an emphasis on focus. At the end of the day, it’s tough to get first downs when you’re at 2nd and 15. It has been a point of emphasis.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, 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!
