Jalen Harvey had been thinking about moving to safety for a while.

The Arizona State senior had been a defensive back in high school and – with his college career winding down – saw it as his best ticket to the NFL. But last season, the then-wide receiver was simply too valuable a pass-catcher for the Sun Devils to contemplate such a switch. Instead, he finished the season with 33 grabs for 558 yards, becoming the leader of a young group of wideouts and the team’s go-to third-down target.

“I was putting in too much work at the wideout position, so it was like, ‘I’m just going to let that go and stick with the script,’” Harvey said.

Things changed this winter.

Receivers coach Rob Likens was promoted to offensive coordinator, while newly-hired defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales brought his trademark 3-3-5 defense with him to Tempe, a perfect system for the physical and ball-hawking Harvey.

He made his pitch to the staff. The new group of coaches bought in.

“They told me to go out there and ball out,” Harvey said, who has started spring practice this week as a ranger (ASU’s new name for the safety position) in Gonzales’ secondary.

Not even Likens, who lauded Harvey as a “warrior” at receiver last fall, stood in his way.

“I love him on my side of the ball,” Likens said. “But in the back of my mind, you’re always thinking, ‘You know what? That dude would make a great safety.’”

So, Harvey changed jersey color, from the maroon of the offense to a white defensive top, and number, taking the tradition No. 43 of a safety, in the first two days of spring ball. He’s immediately become the first team field ranger, though he’s begun to learn his new position by trial and error.

His first lesson: “You can fly around. But at the same time, my eyes will get me caught up in stuff I’m not supposed to get caught up in and I’ll lose the coverage or I’ll bust the coverage.”

That’s what happened on Thursday afternoon. Harvey got caught flat-footed in a one-on-one coverage drill, allowing his former protege at slot receiver, Kyle Williams, to blow past him and catch a long pass down the middle of the field.

“There’s still a whole lot of stuff I have to learn,” Harvey said. “It’s a whole new language. But at the same time, just going over the stuff that the offense would do and me watching film on my own, I get a better feel for it when I’m out there.”

While he might be a novice in coverage, Harvey has already shown his play-making expertise in the open field.

On Tuesday, he sprinted some 30 yards to close on a deflected pass and pick it off. Then, just minutes after Williams burned him on Thursday, Harvey used a burst of speed to undercut Manny Wilkins’ pass (again intended for Williams) near the sideline, jumping the out-route for an easy interception. In a real game, he could have walked to the end zone for a pick-six.

His two takeaways haven’t been a surprise to any of his former position-mates.

“He’s good (at receiver), but he’s good on defense too,” Williams said. “He was out there flying around.”

“He’s a very physical guy. When he asked to play defense, nobody was really surprised,” added redshirt junior receiver, Ryan Newsome. “I’ve been watching (Harvey’s) highlight tape of high school because he played some defense. He welcomes it. He’s pretty proud to be one of our hardest hitters for sure. I can tell he’s a ball hawk.”

This spring isn’t the first time Harvey has lined up on the defensive side of the ball during his collegiate career. While redshirting in 2014, former coach Todd Graham tried making the 6-foot-1 Harvey a Spur-linebacker. It didn’t pan out.

“I’m not a linebacker,” he said, still shaking his head at his first failed attempt at defense. “It’s different now. I’m a true safety.”

His leadership has gone with him to the defensive backs room too.

“He’s real vocal,” sophomore Tillman-safety Evan Fields said of Harvey. “He was always a leader on the receiver side. He’s just bringing that over to the defensive side…I feel like it’s a great move.”

It’s a shared assessment.

Harvey thinks his aggressiveness will make him stand out in the secondary, especially to pro scouts. He’s needed just two practices to begin making an impact on his team this spring.

As a receiver, Harvey had to grind to manufacture a breakthrough 2017 campaign. A potential emergence at safety this year might come a little easier.

He didn’t stutter when describing how it’s felt to line up as a defensive back again.

“It’s natural,” he said.