Arizona State head coach Todd Graham didn’t have to do much work to get to know Phil Bennett while interviewing him for the defensive coordinator position this offseason.

After all, the pair had known each other for more than 20 years. Back then, Bennett was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and Graham was a young coach at Allen High School looking for new ideas to advance his program.

“We both just loved football, talking football, and he liked what we did defensively,” Bennett said. I liked his passion for football, and enjoyed visiting with him.”

Bennett said little has changed even now, as Graham quickly rose to the college ranks and earned head coaching gigs at Rice, Tulsa and Pitt before getting hired at ASU in Dec. 2011. He watched Graham’s maturation both from a distance and firsthand, including in 2007 when Graham’s Tulsa team beat Bennett – then a head coach at SMU – 29-23.

“He’s grown, and he’s done a great job,” Bennett said. “He’s been on the fast track, but he studies it. He’s passionate about it.

“He’s delegating. When you first start to do it, you try to do it all. He’s delegating, but he also sets parameters for everybody, and that’s what a good head coach does. You know what you can do, and what you can’t do.”

Bennett’s time at Baylor, which was his eighth different coordinator job in his 39 years as a college coach, came to an end this offseason. Even though he had no real idea of where he was headed, he knew he still had the passion to coach. Graham saw an opportunity to hire his mentor and improve a struggling defense, and quickly contacted Bennett.

“He thought that we can get better,” Bennett said. “Last year, they had some things that didn’t go quite as well, probably got a little bit anxious on some things and thought we could be a lot better with a little fine tuning.”

He was hired as defensive coordinator on Jan. 11, with the school announcing that Keith Patterson – another mentee of Bennett’s – would be moving from the position to focus on linebackers.

When Bennett first threw on the film and saw his new team in action, he saw the signs of a defensive unit that struggled last season, including having the second-worst average pass yards allowed in college football history and allowing more than 500 rushing yards in last season’s season-ending loss to Arizona. He saw issues that needed to be corrected – tendencies that developed over a six-game losing streak to round out the season.

He said the group must improve on a set of fundamentals during this spring, which has shown itself in how the unit has approach the practices. One is tackling – Pro Football Focus ranked Arizona State as dead last in the country in terms of tackling percentage. He also wants to focus on alignment, something which has been an emphasis in walkthroughs and individual drills during this spring’s sessions. Then there’s the matter of finding out who is the best fit at the same time.

But Bennett said he sees room for the unit to improve.

“We can win here, without question,” Bennett said. “We can win, we just have certain things that, when you start losing sometimes like what happened last year after that stretch, both sides of the ball get uncharacteristic in what your traits are. We just have to get those positive traits back. There’s good players here, good players.”

Bennett has been without his full array of talent for much of the spring. Some, such as defensive back Armand Perry, will be out the entire spring due to injury. Others, like J’Marcus Rhodes, have been in and out of the lineup due to an array of issues. Much of his incoming talent – Evan Fields, KJ Jarrell and Alex Perry, to name a few – won’t be in Tempe until the fall.

Bennett saw the absences as a potential benefit, allowing more reps to players who need it. He highlighted defensive backs Chase Lucas, Maurice Chandler and Ty Thomas as players who have succeeded in the extra practice time they’ve had.

The new defensive coordinator doesn’t see a need for a major change in defensive philosophy, just in execution. Years in the Big 12 Conference gave Bennett a wealth of knowledge in facing spread offenses, which have caused the Sun Devils fits in recent years.

“You have to make them predictable,” Bennett said. “You can’t just stay in Cover 4 and do that. You’ve got to create some problems with them. You have to get after them a little bit, and then you have to look at down and distance and see what your matchups are.”

Bennett said he sees potential with each level of the defense.

He said he sees something special in junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker. Graham has previously said he would like to at one point see Wicker at the 3-tech, or “TIGER” position on the defensive line currently occupied by Tashon Smallwood. Bennett, however, likes the speed and quickness Wicker can bring from the 5-tech, or “END” spot.

What will be the difference, Bennett said, is his ability to develop.

“I just told him, there’s a fine line between the good players and the great players,” Bennett said. “One of the things that I’d like to see him do is just mentally and physically elevate himself to that greatness, because he sure has some traits of it.”

Bennett will return an experienced linebacker corps that, despite some attrition from Salamo Fiso and Laiu Moeakiola, should improve from an overall talent level. Koron Crump will return for his second season in Tempe after breaking out during the second half of last season. J’Marcus Rhodes is moving to “SPUR,” which will feature his hard-hitting tendencies while also putting his coverage skills to good use.

Most importantly, he’ll have an experienced duo in the middle between Christian Sam and DJ Calhoun. Sam medically redshirted last season due to an ankle injury suffered in the season opener against NAU.

“(Sam)’s an athletic freak,” Bennett said. “He’s 235 pounds, probably runs a 4.5 (40-yard dash). He can make plays you don’t count on him making, and that’s what you like as a coach. Both of them can play anywhere I’ve ever been. I think both of them have the ‘it’ factor.”

The secondary has been hit the hardest due to injuries this spring, but still has seen positive performances. Lucas, who gained a significant amount of weight this winter, has emerged to earn consistent first-team reps. On the other end, Kareem Orr is looking to make an impact after an injury-riddled 2016.

“He’s just got to get his mojo back,” Bennett said of Orr. “I think he’s getting there. (Confidence) is huge. You’ve got to do some things to help him, too.”

Bennett has been as expected for Graham, who said he wanted to add a level of intensity to the defense. Several players have agreed. Bennett’s coaching style has provided a jolt for the group, which Graham said he’s been wanting.

“He’s obviously got a wealth of knowledge and intensity. You’ve got to play defense with great passion, and they’ll play like you coach them. He’s a great teacher, has great intensity. He’s a guy who’s very adaptive.

“More than anything defensively, I think you have to have a guy that’s the pulse of that group. What he brings is that fire, that confidence, and that’s how you want your defense to play.”

Graham said it’s been a philosophy he’s looked for in all his hires this offseason. He said he wants someone with a clear passion for the game, but also someone vocal and intense enough to truly impact the student-athletes.

“I want positive guys, want guys that are confident, and I think these are all characteristics of what a great teacher is,” Graham said. “This is football. This isn’t world history. You’ve got to be a teacher, but this is football, man. This is physical, demanding. You’ve got 11 guys out there, so getting everybody to be on the same page – you’ve got to overwhelm them with that energy and intensity.”

Bennett said he feels the players have adjusted to him well, citing that his wealth of experience in coaching has given him a credible voice that people are receptive to. He has a system in place, he said, that has provided a proved track record of success.

“I think they like it,” Bennett said. “I weigh the good with the bad. I try to love on them when I get on them, too. I try to keep it real with them. You want to congratulate them as hard as you get on them. I think they’ll take on, there’s got to be a sense of urgency, and it’s our job as coaches to create that sense of urgency.”

In many ways, Bennett is still the man he was when he first met Todd Graham. The two shared a kindred spirit and passion for the game of football, something that continues to this day. Graham just gave Bennett another opportunity.

The passion, which Bennett said has been a part of his life since childhood, isn’t fading away.

“I love the game. I’ve been in love with the game since I was six years old. It’s a game that teaches you every aspect of life. It’s a game that teaches you humility, it’s a game that teaches you discipline, respect, hard work, sacrifice.

“You’ll have things go great, you’ll have – you’ll hit every aspect of life in being a coach and being a football player. I just think that it makes you stronger for the run. God put us down here. He didn’t intend for us to be weak. He intended for us to be strong and dealing with what we deal with in this people world before the afterworld. It’s not easy, and I think that’s what football gives you.”