Javen Jacobs, DeCarlos Brooks take pride in versatile RB role

Jacobs, who played slot receiver and returned kicks on special teams, is seeing substantial time at running back – a position he excelled at in high school.

The former Saguaro athlete was a multi-pronged playmaker under Jason Mohns, who is now coaching the Arizona State tight end group. Jacobs collected 89 catches for 1,378 yards and eight receiving touchdowns over his time with the Sabercats, but also collected 670 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing the football. The nuanced role allowed Saguaro to find line Jacobs up all over the field and exploit mismatches where his athleticism would be a supreme advantage.

Now undertaking the same duties under another creative offensive mind in Kenny Dillingham, Jacobs has already flashed as a threat. He scored a touchdown in the team’s second scrimmage and ripped off several explosive runs, which kept the offense driving.

“Coach Mohns did a great job with me at Saguaro,” Jacobs said in an interview after Tuesday’s practice. “Being versatile with me and allowing me to make plays with my athleticism. It’s fun to pick that back up here and be able to do that at the college level now.”

Part of the reason why Jacobs was moved to a hybrid position is to provide depth in the running back room, which did have to endure some shuffling during the spring.

“He’s a natural runner,” running backs coach Shaun Aguano said. “He did that in high school. I think that’s a position for him to be effective with us and get some playing time. We got a couple of guys hurt, so I wanted to make a change and see how that would affect our group.”

It’s not the first time Aguano has worked with a versatile running back. Eno Benjamin caught a career-high 42 catches in his first and only year working with Aguano while recording a 1,000-yard season on the ground. Next came Rachaad White, who had 43 catches while producing 1,006 yards and 15 touchdowns as a runner. Even Xazavian Valladay flourished as a receiver at Arizona State, hauling in 37 catches to boot with 1,192 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

“I always look for backs that have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield in every single of them that we’ve had,” Aguano said. “In that group, all of them have great hands. So just from a reps standpoint, we need to get some reps off the guys that were taking a lot of it at the beginning of spring ball. Javen came over, and he’s been highly effective.”

Newcomers to the room like California transfer DeCarlos Brooks, who played under Aguano at Chandler, appreciate the emphasis that Arizona State’s current offense places on involving the backs as much as possible.

“I pride myself in being a balanced back,” Brooks said. “I look at the backfields in the NFL, like the Alvin Kamaras, the Christian McCaffreys. I look up to those types of guys because those guys are going to elevate the offense as a whole.”

Brooks also appreciated the transparency Arizona State showed when they contacted him in the portal. The redshirt junior believes the practice environment strikes a good balance.

“One of the biggest things, when I got here, was we were going to be a competitive team and also have fun,” Brooks said. “Obviously, you saw Saturday. We had a little dance battle and everything like that. At the same time, we’re also super competitive. Probably the hardest practices I’ve ever been a part of. Just finding that balance, I think that’s a really good job that Dillingham is doing.”

As Oregon’s offensive coordinator, Dillingham used the Counter run scheme – a physical call where two blockers pull to the play side – as the backbone of his attack, which ranked among the top five scoring offenses in college football. During practice, Arizona State has been training several run variations, all of which require different assignments. Aguano is focused on helping his players see the purpose behind each design in hopes it will aid their processing when taking the handoff.

“Understanding the reason why we are attacking the defense,” Aguano said. “Conceptually, understanding everybody’s job. And that’s my job, from a teaching standpoint, to make sure I teach them that so they’re just running the football. There’s a 'why' to everything. Their reads, their eyes.”

With Jacobs and Brooks showcasing their strengths as receivers, the offense frequently will operate out of an ‘Empty’ set, meaning with no running back behind or adjacent to the quarterback.

“The scheme is very diverse,” Jacobs said. “It’s very spread. Guys can play outside, inside. In this offense, it’s about moving around and putting guys in space. I think it’s good for me and for my teammates as well in the receiving room.”

With former Arizona State kick returner DJ Taylor having transferred to Cincinnati, Jacobs is eager to continue to make an impact in that area.

“I love special teams,” Jacobs said. “I love making plays all over the field. Punt return, kick return, offense. Wherever they need me, I’m willing to help the team win.”

Aguano typically runs a tight ship in terms of preparation and professionalism. With a room full of newcomers and younger talent, such as sophomore Tevin White and junior George Hart III, that aspect of his coaching style is not expected to go away any time soon.

“It hasn’t changed,” Aguano said. “They’re the guys that have to be first to the meeting, first up front, making sure that they have their notebooks; they’re always taking notes. They go over their notes in at the end of the night, making sure they prepare for the day before. Professionalism is huge if you want to play at the next level. I harp on that every day.”

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