With Arizona State football ramping up its activities for an early November kickoff, it was a great time for Sun Devil broadcaster Tim Healey to bring ASU co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce on the “Maroon Monsoon” radio program Thursday evening.
The conversation centered around how Pierce, who also serves as ASU’s recruiting coordinator, has turned ASU into a national recruiting juggernaut and what fans will see in the new defense that he and fellow co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis have installed for 2020.
Pierce discussed how the defense would differ in 2020 from the 3-3-5 scheme the Sun Devils employed over the last two seasons. He mentioned how the NFL experience both he and Lewis bring to the table will influence this year’s system.
“You’ll see multiple formations, multiple personnel groups,” Pierce said. “You’ll see four down (lineman). You’ll see three down. You’ll see five DBs. You’ll see six. You’ll see four linebackers. We will be based off of our personnel, what’s available to help us win for that week. I think the key part about it when you come back with the résumé of myself and Marvin and Herm’s (Edwards) … in the NFL, you adapt. Each week you adapt. You just don’t stay stagnant.”
Pierce detailed the individual strengths of the defense. He praised junior linebacker Merlin Robertson for the work he put in in the offseason. Robertson was the 2018 Pac-12 defensive freshman of the year but seemed to have suffered from the proverbial sophomore slump in 2019 as he struggled with his conditioning. Pierce noted that Robertson now weighs 239 lbs., down 11 pounds from his listed weight of 250 lbs. last year.
“Totally different player,” Pierce described. “He has dedicated himself this offseason to the weight room, to conditioning, to his body. Obviously, he’s always had plans to play at the next level. He looks the part. And now we got to go do it. And he’s practicing that way. He’s preparing every day that way.”
Pierce also highlighted redshirt-junior linebacker and local Scottsdale Saguaro product Kyle Soelle. Pierce said Soelle will be a starter this season and will be the “bell cow” for the ASU defense, being a leader for the group. He said he expects Soelle to play both middle and outside linebacker.
It's no secret that entering this season, the defensive line is the biggest question mark on this side of the ball. According to Pierce though, he expects this unit to improve markedly and commended the job first-year defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez has down with this position group. Pierce claimed that this year's defensive line will be “light years” ahead of defensive lines of past Sun Devil teams.
Pierce went on to say his secondary is “two-deep" and “possibly 10 guys” could play this season because of the coaching staff's comfort level with the second-string defensive backs.
The aspect of the ASU defense Pierce applauded the most was his players’ coachability.
“We’re not where we want to be yet personnel-wise,” Pierce explained. “But from what we have and how these guys are eager to get better every day, eager to learn, I think that’s the most impressive thing I will say about our group. They don’t think they know everything yet, and that’s beautiful to watch. So I hope you see (an) intellectual, fast, smart defense, that’s physical, that’s dominating on Saturdays.”
The recruiting aspect of Healy’s interview with Pierce focused around how Pierce has started recruiting nationally, not just in the usual ASU recruiting spots of California and the Southwest.
“I think it’s no different than when you put a game plan together to play against USC,” Pierce said. “You come up with a plan, and you say, how do you attack it? And you stick to it. And there have been bumps in the road. There have been some times we haven’t hit a home run. But for the most part, we’ve done an outstanding job of sticking to the plan, sticking to the script of what we want to look like. Big, physical, tall, lengthy, fast defenders and offensive lineman, and that’s kind of what we’re doing. You look at the guys that verbally committed to us. We wanted that mass with those big bodies that you see playing down in the SEC and in the Big Ten and in the ACC.”
Another topic Pierce and Healy discussed was the College Football Playoff and whether a Pac-12 team deserves to be in the coveted final four group in a season with any given Pac-12 team only playing seven contests. Pierce said ASU’s goal is to win a Pac-12 championship and to keep its players safe from COVID-19 and injuries. He acknowledged that a berth in the playoffs is out of the Sun Devils’ hands.
All in all, Pierce noted that everyone in the program is “fired up” for the season to begin and for the season's schedule to come out.
“I think we’re all trying to beat coach Edwards in the building,” Pierce said of ASU's head coach who has known oi arrive at 4 a.m. “That’s hard to do …. “Guys are bright-eyed. Players are excited. We didn’t have anybody opt-out, anybody declare for the draft. We got a team that wants to play together. They enjoy being around one another. They love football. They’re passionate about it, and that makes it exciting to go to work.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
