Q&A with Mike Cavanaugh

Some may think that a four-game season is too small of a sample size to reach any conclusions concerning any ASU position group, but its first year OL coach has been able to learn quite a bit from those contests, and naturally, the 15 spring practices to realize the great talent level he has on the veteran unit.

Devils Digest: What were your impressions of your group at the conclusion of 15 spring practices?

Mike Cavanaugh: “Well, I’m excited about that first group. I think moving Dohnovan West to center, LaDarius Henderson to left guard and Hank – I call him Hank – Henry Hattis at right guard and Ben Scott at right tackle, and Kellen Diesch at left tackle; I like the group. They are athletic guys and tough guys.

“One of the things that I try to bring in here was being out early a half-hour before practice just working really hard on fundamentals, becoming better with our technique. Foot patterns and targeting, hand placement. To me, there are two leverages – there’s vertical leverage pad to pad, and there’s horizontal leverage which is your hands. I think it was a good spring. I think our communication improved as it went on. Obviously, as an O-line, you’re a unit, and all five have to be on the same page. So, I thought that improved.”

Devils Digest: Being a first-year assistant at Arizona State with a good number of veterans in your group that has to be a significant benefit for somebody like yourself coming into a brand-new team…

Cavanaugh: “Having returners back, yeah. Obviously, that’s a big thing. As I said earlier, technique is a big part. Everybody can always improve on technique. I loved how coach Edwards and coach Hill have organized our spring practices and the different periods and situations that we worked on. We hit everything from short yardage to goal line to third-and-long to third-and-short, third-and-medium, red zone. You name it; it was a good spring for us situationally. Some of it I was like ‘wow, this is fantastic.’”

Devils Digest: When we talk about an offensive scheme like Zak Hill’s that has a good deal of complexity and creativity compared to many offensive schemes out there, from an offensive line perspective, is that something that you embrace?

Cavanaugh: “I totally embraced it because I came home with that. We are similar to what we were like at Oregon State with the pro-style. I came from that spread, up-tempo deal, but it’s great having that pro-style attack back where there are tight ends, and there’s a (running) back in the way we used to run inside zone. And there’s outside zone, and there are gap plays. There are little subtleties that were different, but it sure reminds me of what I came from in the old days.”

Devils Digest: I know you’ve been lucky to have long stints at multiple schools. But when you do come in as a first-year position coach, do you spend a considerable amount of time viewing last year’s film, or do you like to truly start with a new slate and perhaps not pay a good deal of attention to what happened prior to your arrival?

Cavanaugh: “Well, obviously we watched last year’s film, and I wanted an idea of what they looked like. To me, going out there that half-hour earlier (for spring practices), the first-stringers to the last stringers got reps. So, I evaluated guys every day. I put them through my drills, and some of them are daily vitamins, obviously, and I’m a big ‘whole, part, whole’ guy, so you put a whole scheme in, and then you break down what goes on in that scheme. I wanted a chance to evaluate and see where these guys are at, and that part was great.”

Devils Digest: Let’s talk about some of the players in your unit, starting with left tackle Kellen Diesch. Certainly looks like a legitimate NFL prospect, and it has to be a blessing for ASU to get such a high-caliber player back for one more year at such a crucial spot. What were your impressions going through your first spring practice coaching Kellen?

Cavanaugh: “My impressions are that he’s a tremendous athlete. Really athletic, has great feet. What we’re trying to work on is developing more technique for him. That’s the big area for Kellen. But he’s a phenomenal athlete and a fun guy to coach. He’s got a lot of talent, but I’m always a big technique guy, so we’re going to keep working hard with Kellen to help him in every way possible.”

Devils Digest: LaDarius Henderson lining up next to him already has an interesting history on the team. He’s only in his third year at ASU but started at left tackle in almost every game during his true freshman year. His sophomore year was more of a reserve lineman. So, as young as a player that he is, really he has already gained a lot of experience. Do you think he has, in fact, now found a home there at left guard?

Cavanaugh: “Yes I do. I really like LD. He loves football, and he works hard at it. His craft is important to him. He’s buying into the technique part of it, so I’m excited to see what LD does over the next year and the years to come.”

Devils Digest: You talked about Dohnovan West earlier, but another player who was thrust into action as a true freshman and ironically started his first two games as a Sun Devil at center. Things are seemingly coming full-circle for him right now, lining up at center again. Do you think it might be an easier transition for him compared to other guys in his spot, and what was your evaluation of his performance following those 15 practices?

Cavanaugh: “I thought it was really good. He’s a smart guy, and knowing the scheme is important to him. I think the experience that he had at guard carried over, too. (West) is a really athletic guy and a really smart guy. Again, he just needs to continue to work on technique. Hopefully, Westie will get bigger and stronger over the off-season, but I’m really happy with what Westie is doing.”

Devils Digest: You mention what Henry Hattis did in the spring, and he’s obviously, one of the veterans on this team. Do you feel that he’s the type of player that shows his maturity in how he carries himself and helps some of the younger guys along, too?

Cavanaugh: “Absolutely. He’s a great teammate, and I’ve seen big Hank improve in his run technique, being more violent with his hands and accelerating his feet. I’m excited about Hank and what he brings to the table, and then we’ve just got to continue to work on the pass protection part of things. I’m gonna say this: he had a really bad injury (prior to arriving at ASU), and I think he’s moving a lot better than where he was at with just being able to recover for a longer period.”

Devils Digest: Ben Scott is a player who really hit the ground running. He redshirted as a freshman, which isn’t really rare for an offensive lineman, and because of his performance on the scout team was a starter last year. For such a young player, how would you assess his potential?

Cavanaugh: “I’m really excited about Ben Scott. Honestly, I thought he was our most consistent offensive lineman this spring. Technique-wise, assignment-wise…he’s another guy that has a passion for football. He works hard at his craft, and he’s a fun guy to coach. He’s like a sponge. He wants to get better, and he absorbs everything. His craft is very important to him, and I love the guy. It’s going to be fun to work with him over the next several years.”

Devils Digest: Just to touch on two more current players, both of them true freshmen who arrived here in January and I think did a solid job establishing themselves on the second team. Let’s start with Isaia Glass at left tackle; what did you see out of him?

Cavanaugh: “Well, I’m really excited about Isaia. He’s a real athletic guy. It’s important to him, and he works really hard every day at his craft. He was just mad that he hurt his hand (during spring practice) because his technique was developing, but I’m excited to get going with him again this summer.

“And then the guy that didn’t practice was (freshman) Sione Veikoso. Based on everything I hear from the weight room, he’s a really athletic guy, so having two young tackles like that – we’re going to have to get Sione force fed and let him get a lot of reps in the summer camp, but I’m looking forward to working with him.

“And then Armon Bethea, he got reps at second guard there. Armon is a guy that just has to continue to work on his craft. He’s a smart guy, too, but one of the things for him is to get in great shape and have a great off-season. That’s going to be big. Two is just to continue to buy into the technique part of it, the ‘whole, part, whole’ and breaking it down. But he flashed some really good things, he’s a tough kid, and he finished good at times. I’m excited about those three guys, and then we’ve got two guys coming in that I haven’t seen or coached; I’ve just talked to them on FaceTime. Ezra (Dotson-Oyetade) is a guy that we’re really excited about. We’ve had great conversations, and we’re really looking forward to him being here, and then Austin Barry, the tackle out of California, is another guy. So, there are some good young kids there.”

Devils Digest: So, when it comes to Ezra, I know it might be premature four months before fall camp to talk about him possibly starting at center as a true freshman. Even though it happened at ASU a couple of years ago, it’s a very rare thing to do. Yet, is it one of those things where as an offensive line coach, you genuinely have to come in with an open mind believing that this scenario could happen?

Cavanaugh: “Here’s what I would say; I told guys to get in the best shape of their life and come in and compete like crazy. Over the course of my career, I’ve had like four guys I think have started as a true freshman. So that’s a lot to be expected. That doesn’t mean I’m not really excited about Ezra, but you just can’t put the horse in front of the cart.”

Devils Digest: We talk about cohesiveness and chemistry, which are important at every position but on the offensive line, I think it takes on even greater significance. So, is it less than ideal to NOT have the same starting five that came out of spring practice take the field your season-opener, or is it maybe not as substantial as people think it is?

Cavanaugh: “Well, chemistry is a huge thing, and that’s an important part of it. We’re going to go through some of practice and see how it goes and see who those five guys are going to be. Right now, that (starting five in spring practice) is the five. I’m one of those guys who’s as excited as can be (about the arrival of Dotson-Oyetade), but he’s gotta come in, and he’s gotta learn our scheme, he’s gotta learn the technique. Now, I know one thing: the guy is going to bring a great mentality to Arizona State. And he’ll come in here with guns blazing because you see it on his tape. I am excited about the attitude and approach that he’s going to bring.”

Devils Digest: The running backs and the offensive line have the type of relationship where they can make each other look really good. Even before the first spring practice, I’m sure you saw plenty of film from last year and how dominating this running game was. Is it a luxury as an offensive line coach to have such a talented running back group behind you?

Cavanaugh: “Here’s all I know. Coach Aguano does a great job of coaching his guys, and Chip and Rachaad and Ngata, holy moly, what a great group of running backs! We’ve gotta take great pride in blocking for all of those guys, but they are fun to be around, and they work their tails off. They set a great example, and I’m just excited to watch those guys coming this fall.”

Devils Digest: On that same note, when you have such a mobile quarterback like Jayden Daniels, and I know Zak Hill doesn’t want him to just take off on every down – but for an offensive line I’ve gotta feel like it’s an advantage when you’ve got a quarterback out there that’s not going to look like a statue and has the ability to get out of the pocket even if it requires the offensive line to change their blocking…

Cavanaugh: “No doubt. He’s an athletic guy, and he’ll get you out of trouble. That’s always a good thing.”

Devils Digest: I know you talked about technique being a huge goal when spring practice started. How do you feel about that specific aspect, and have your goals in general for this group been accomplished at the end of spring practice?

Cavanaugh: “Well, to me, I get excited when I see a drill, and you’re emphasizing certain things, and it’s carried over to the team. That tells you they are listening and learning, and executing what you want. So, I’ve seen that. I’m going to tell you we’re just going to continue to work on that.”

Devils Digest: You coached for so many years at Oregon State that ASU was not really a big mystery to you. Now that you’ve been here in the Valley for four or so months, how’s the experience been not only on the field but off the field here in Tempe?

Cavanaugh: “It’s been awesome. I’ve been finding some great restaurants. To be honest with you, I lived in a hotel – I just moved into a house. We’re really excited about that. We have a great football staff here and great people in our athletic department, so it’s been awesome to get to meet everybody and work with them. We’ll have to do a few social things together, and I’m looking forward to continuing that once all this craziness (pandemic) settles down. It looks like it’s headed that way. But I really like our group of guys. I really like our team, and I’m looking forward to the 2021 season.”

(Gabe Swartz contributed to this article)

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