From the beginning of fall camp, offensive coordinator Zak Hill has been asked about Arizona State’s receivers. There’s talent in the room, but without a clear first option, like the program has had in the past with the likes of Brandon Aiyuk, N’Keal Harry, and even Jaelen Strong, questions lingered about who would lead in the receiving department.
A four-game sample size in 2020 didn’t allow for enough game reps to determine which receiver would become junior quarterback Jayden Daniels’s primary target. That lack of production entering the year wasn’t something Hill was worried about, though.
“They’re hungry to make plays. We know there isn’t a lot of experience and stats from the crew, and that’s fine,” Hill said following ASU’s second practice of the preseason on Aug. 5. “They’re going to create stats, and they know that.”
A choppy start to non-conference play for Arizona State resulted in two sub-200 yard passing performances for Daniels in the Sun Devils’ first two wins. Hill told reporters following the 37-10 win over UNLV that things were still progressing, and encouraging signs came in ASU’s final non-conference game.
In the first road game of the year, ASU’s passing attack showed up early in the first half. Daniels passed for 176 yards in the first two quarters alone, with two early completions going for 21 and 58 yards each.
“It’s really encouraging just knowing that we are able to create big plays in the passing game,” said redshirt sophomore wide receiver Andre Johnson. “It’s just a matter of execution. There were some plays that were left on the field but false starts and holding; all those penalties just took them away. We weren’t able to explode as much as we should, but it’s there, and we know it’s there, so we’re not really too worried about it.”
When the game concluded, a trend that mirrored the 2020 season stood out again: redshirt senior running back Rachaad White leading the Sun Devils in receiving.
“I think it was more of a focus in recognizing what our strengths were offensively as a whole,” explained graduate assistant and interim wide receivers coach Bobby Wade of the production shift in the second half against the Cougars. “Although we made good gains in the passing game in the first half, we did recognize that we were the more physical team at the time in the run game, and we needed to get back to that.”
White’s lead in the receiving category against BYU – with nine receptions for 65 yards – is emblematic of what the Sun Devils receiving options have produced thus far in 2021. Barring a quicker tempo or significantly cleaner offensive games from a penalty standpoint, the Sun Devils’ production in the passing game will likely continue to be dispersed across the board.
Other Pac-12 programs have approached this season with a similar approach. In a road upset of then-No. 3 Ohio State, Oregon defeated the Buckeyes with a passing attack that saw no receiver catch more than three passes or accumulate more than 34 yards in the air. Still, the passing game had success in the upset as 11 different receivers recorded at least one catch of 10 yards or greater.
“That is the challenge,” Wade explained of the delicate balance he and Hill must find to feed the ASU receivers enough while also supplementing the remarkable success of the run game. “It’s difficult, and you want guys that want the ball and want to be on the field. Within that, you want guys that are focused with a team focus over the individual.
“It’s extremely difficult to make everybody happy, and you never will. I just hope that collectively as a whole, they believe in the fact that we have a plan for them, and that plan is to let them be at their best.”
Through three games, Arizona State’s leader in rushing yards is also its leader in receiving yards. Just as he did in 2020 when White led the Sun Devils with 151 yards receiving in four games, the all-purpose back sits at a team-leading 117 yards of receiving through the first three contests this year. It’s possible Arizona State won’t have a clear first option in the passing game and that Daniels will have to determine how to appropriately spread the ball around to receivers in a balanced fashion. But in the meantime, the Sun Devils appear to have found a deep threat.
Against Southern Utah, Johnson hauled in a ball thrown to his back shoulder for a 31-yard gain. On a third-and-14 early in the first quarter Saturday night, Johnson pulled in a 58-yard gain with a nice over-the-shoulder grab.
“Seeing him progress and grow and really take an opportunity to focus on the things that he was weak at,” Wade said, “that’s what you really need to do. Dre has stepped up to that challenge, and I think he still has a long way to go, but it’s really good to see that he’s found his niche and that he’s really comfortable tracking the deep ball.”
“That’s been part of my game since high school,” Johnson said of his ability to be a deep ball threat for Daniels. In 2020, his lone reception went for 35 yards. “Me being 6-4, just a big dude, people are going to throw it up to me. Being able to bring that into college has just been a blessing.”
Wade raved about Johnson’s most recent explosive play, which helped set up ASU to tie the game early in Provo. Through three games, Johnson’s averaging 19.17 yards per reception on his six receptions. The big play threat trails White by two yards for ASU’s receiving yardage lead.
“That ball he had against BYU was a very difficult catch. He’s working to a landmark, and the ball comes over his head, and he has to readjust to that ball. It’s a technique catch. You see his eyes and his hands on the ball. His hands are high. A lot of the stuff that we really harp on and focus on, Dre is really good at taking that from the practice field and applying it to the game.”
In his third season in Tempe, Johnson’s comfort has risen, and that’s been on display. With Utah transfer and expected deep threat Bryan Thompson out with what appeared to be a hamstring issue, Johnson has become a deep target for Daniels.
“I’m just keeping my head down and working as much as I can,” Johnson said of his production thus far. “I think I’ve improved a lot since last year and come into my own in the offense. People are starting to see now that when you throw the ball up, I’m able to catch it.”
Wade expressed belief that the talent of the Arizona State wide receivers matched up favorably against BYU’s secondary and would continue to against most of the Sun Devils’ opponents throughout the fall. But drops like redshirt freshman wide receiver Johnny Wilson’s on third-and-long on a well-placed ball by Daniels aren’t acceptable and must be cleaned up in order for the offense to reach its potential.
“The couple of drops that we had really stalled some drives and made a major impact in the game,” said Wade on Tuesday. “We did make some good plays down the field.”
Johnson and Wade expressed belief that in a crowded position group, there remained room for improvement for the Tolleson Union High School product to grow. Wade said Johnson remains a silent leader in his group and has learned from the likes of Frank Darby to position himself to show those skills in the passing game. Established as a vertical passing threat for ASU, Johnson said he’s continuing to work on the shorter routes to gain footing in a crowded room of receivers.
“I want to be able to make the short plays,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “The RAC catches and all that stuff. I want to explode in the offense in that type of way, but it’ll come in due time.”
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