Hill expresses confidence in the state of the offense; looking for go-to WR

Installing a new offense during a pandemic season is far from ideal, but offensive coordinator Zak Hill and the Sun Devils were able to take steps in the right direction amid a truncated 2020 season. But with one of head coach Herm Edwards’s main goals in his search for a new offensive coordinator being to find the right fit to optimize Jayden Daniels, Hill’s work is far from done.

Few rushing attacks in the nation were more successful than Arizona State’s, and although redshirt senior running back, Rachaad White didn’t reach the minimum number of touches to qualify amongst national leaders, he still tallied an impressive 10 yards per carry. Worries about the Sun Devils ground game for this fall are almost non-existent, but the focus throughout fall camp has largely centered on the development of Daniels and the ASU receiving corps.

“Our transition through this fall camp, I think our guys are very comfortable with what we’re trying to do,” said Hill following Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve got a chance to install a lot. We’ve put a lot on their plate, seeing who can retain stuff. Obviously, there is a lot of carryover. Our guys that have had experience and are used to what we’re doing on offense, they are really excelling and are able to see the defense better.”

Dominant defensive performances in the opening practices of the fall have made way to a more competitive, back-and-forth, balanced sessions, a welcome sight for Hill and the offensive coaching staff. On Monday, Edwards told reporters that the past five practices had featured better ball placement from the third year starting quarterback of the Sun Devils.

“We’re clicking a lot more with Jayden,” an upbeat Hill said. “I think the guys’ progress has been really good through fall camp. We’ve had some battles with the defense, some back-and-forth, and that’s what you want. You want some days where there is some adversity, and you want some days where things are clicking, and you’re scoring touchdowns and having a good time.

“You can teach off of all of it, so you don’t want everything to be great, and you don’t want everything to be bad. But you find those life lessons and those football lessons within every practice.”

With just over two weeks to go until Arizona State opens its season on Sept. 2 against Southern Utah, Hill likes where his unit is at.

“The offense is where we need to be right now, and we’re going to continue to improve.”

Inflated by a 70-point performance in a thrashing of Arizona, Arizona State’s offense wound up averaging 40.5 points per game. Since the spring, Edwards has talked numerous times about the importance of a collegiate offense scoring in the mid to upper-30s for each game. In Edwards’s first two “normal” seasons in Tempe, ASU offenses never averaged more than 26 points per game.

Hopes of making that leap to an elite offensive output will hinge on someone stepping up in the Sun Devil receiving room. After wide receivers coach Prentice Gill was placed on administrative leave, the group has been instructed by graduate assistant Bobby Wade with oversight from Hill.

“It frees me up,” said Hill of Trey Anderson’s move into an interim assistant coaching position working with the quarterbacks. “Whether it be the tight ends, the o-line, the receivers, I can see the big picture rather than having to focus all of my attention all practice on the quarterbacks.”

Wade’s familiarity with the Phoenix area – he played his high school football at Desert Vista – has been a topic of conversation between he and another Valley native, junior wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.

“We always talk about our old high school days,” said Pearsall, who starred for Corona Del Sol before arriving at Arizona State. “I always give him crap about being at Desert Vista and putting up touchdowns against them back in high school. It’s been an easy transition with him because obviously, he’s an experienced coach, and he’s been in the room when (Gill) was there before.”

In year two working with Hill’s scheme, ASU’s offensive coordinator said Daniels has shown a greater grasp of the offense. That includes a comfort level making calls at the line of scrimmage and a greater tendency to recognize coverages and change into a better look.

“The quarterback has a lot of freedom in our offense to be able to adjust the offense as needed,” explained Hill. “Jayden’s getting more comfortable with what we’re doing. He’s not having to think about the operation. He can see ‘what’s the look? What’s the defense? Is this play good against this, or do we need to check out?’

“I think his comfortability and consistency are getting a lot better. He’s understanding what he can do and what he shouldn’t do. He’s having fun with it and getting better daily.”

Those words are an encouraging sign after a sophomore season in which Daniels threw for less than 200 yards in three of the four games ASU played. Granted, some of the lack of passing production came naturally via the game flow. With large leads against Arizona and Oregon State, little was needed from the arm of No. 5. In the process of creating a more successful passing game, Hill knows that someone must emerge from a crowded group of receivers.

“That whole group in general, there’s some good talent in there,” Hill said, naming several of the group. “The consistency in a few guys has been there. Ricky (Pearsall) has done a good job in being consistent. LV (Bunkley-Shelton) has been consistent. Geordon Porter is a guy that we can use in multiple spots and has some good speed. Obviously, Johnny (Wilson) has the big body and can make big plays.

“That whole group, from a total consistency standpoint, hasn’t really been there yet. We’re looking to see what guys are really going to stand out and which guys are going to be consistent day-in and day-out.”

Both Hill and Daniels, in back-to-back days, mentioned the development of Pearsall. When Daniels was prompted Monday to discuss which receivers were standing out, Pearsall’s name was the first to come out of the quarterback’s mouth.

“I’m trying to step up this year and be the leader of the group,” explained Pearsall. During the off-season, he and Daniels constantly communicated over text messages and met for throwing sessions when both were in Arizona. “The coaches are all looking at us and trying to figure out who the leader is, but I believe that I’m going to be one of the leaders this year and be more vocal.”

The texts shared between Daniels and Pearsall are indicative of the effort the two have put in improvement. With both entering their third season in the maroon and gold, Pearsall said their timing continues to prosper.

“When (Daniels) was here in Arizona when we started training, I was hitting him up and going out and developing that relationship and that trust and that timing,” explained Pearsall. During fall camp, Pearsall has impressed on numerous occasions. “The timing is important for a quarterback and a receiver to have that going onto the field.

“I believe that the work that we’ve put in is going to pay off.”

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!