Inexperience at linebacker was evident going into the 2018 football season.

The Sun Devils started two true freshmen in Merlin Robertson and Darien Butler as well as redshirt freshman Tyler Johnson last season, which presented a tough task for Antonio Pierce as a first-year collegiate linebackers’ coach.

However, the young linebacking core capitalized on their opportunity as Robertson led the team with 77 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He was the first freshman to lead the team in tackles since Jason Shivers in 2001 and was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America

“When I brought (Robertson) in I told him I thought he was an NFL linebacker and he’s proven that in one year,” Pierce said.

While Robertson undoubtedly lived up to his accolades in 2018 and made the biggest name for himself of any of the linebackers last season, Butler and Johnson also showed their abilities as first-year starters last year.

Johnson was tied for second in tackles for loss with eight and sacks with four. Butler was second on the team in both tackles with 70 and tackles for loss with eight and became a leader despite his youth and inexperience.

“(Darien) is not a rah-rah guy,” Pierce said. “It’s by example. It’s the way he practices, it’s the way he attacks the weight room, it’s the way he attacks meeting rooms and then his style of play. He’s an alpha dog.”

With a full-year of experience under their belts, Pierce thinks his unit can be exceptional this year.

“I think they’re just comfortable with being one year fully into college,” Pierce said. “They know what is expected of them. They know what to expect. The expectations of our room are being the elite unit on our team.”

One of the changes Pierce made in the off season to enhance this group was moving Robertson from the outside linebacker position to the inside MIKE position with Butler sliding to the outside.

“(Robertson) is very instinctive,” Pierce said. “He sees the field really well. For the most part, he is a natural MIKE linebacker, meaning he knows how to line people up. He’s sharp. He’s a student of the game. When you have a guy like that you put him in the middle.”

As far as Robertson’s overall game, not just his ability to transition to the inside, Pierce said he needs to be able to play a complete game from start to finish bringing intensity to the field the entire game. He added that he wants to see Robertson double his statistics from last season and do a better job in making the team around him better. Pierce feels that if Robertson can stay on the straight and narrow, he could be one of the best linebackers in Sun Devil Football history.

This is certainly a plethora of expectations placed on Robertson’s shoulders, as Pierce has challenged him to be not just the best linebacker or even the best defensive player but rather the best player on the entire team as well as the team leader.

“I’ve asked him to take it up a notch mentally,” Pierce explained. “There are no more excuses. He’s played enough snaps, gotten enough awards. Every practice he needs to play like the guy who’s going to be playing on Sundays.”

Naturally, it is not just Robertson Pierce wants to see improvements on this group. ASU’s linebackers’ coach is aiming for an overall unit improvement especially against the run. Pierce noted that making strides in this area will lead to opponents being forced into difficult passing situations on later downs which could result in forcing turnovers.

Pierce believes that not halting ground attacks early and often in contests led to some of the 2018 losses in his opinion.

Another key part of the linebacking core in 2019 will be the reserve linebackers which feature newcomer Case Hatch and redshirt-senior Khaylan Kearse-Thomas.

Hatch, a 2016 Graduate of Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona joined the team as a walk-on during spring practice in January after completing a two-year LDS mission and has immediately impressed Pierce.

“Case surprised me a lot to be honest,” Pierce said. “I didn’t know what to expect. Didn’t know much about him to be honest. What I did see is a guy that worked hard, studied, didn’t make a lot of mental errors and when he got the opportunity to play and get reps, he took full advantage of them.”

Pierce also praised the maturity of Hatch due to his advanced age for being a freshman. He stated that Hatch fits the kind of linebacker the Sun Devils want and that he could see game day reps on special teams.

Kearse-Thomas will bring the experience element to this group, and his position coach said that the gains he made in his maturation process and attitude didn’t go unnoticed. This is why in his last year in Tempe the linebacker could finally become a starter.

“I think he’s changed his body and I think he’s changed his mindset,” Pierce remarked. “He came with a lunch pail mentality. Blue collar, come to work every day. I think as we’ve gone on this spring, he’s had one of the better springs on and off the field for us as well.”

One question mark coming into Tuesday’s media day was the availability of reserve linebacker Stanley Lambert who tore multiple ligaments in his knee during bowl practices. Pierce said Lambert is expected to begin practice with the team and be fully available when camp Tontozona begins next week.

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