Senior Chase Lucas holding peers accountable, 'in a different headspace'
Given an extra year to be a Sun Devil, redshirt senior cornerback Chase Lucas is taking full advantage. Heading into year six in Tempe – and year five as a starting cornerback in the Pac-12 – Lucas isn’t just taking care of himself. He’s setting up others for success in what is shaping up to be one of the most experienced secondaries in the country this fall.
“Chase Lucas is everything for this program, and I mean everything,” remarked defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins Wednesday following Arizona State’s ninth practice of the spring. “He’s a kid that doesn’t miss practice. He’s a kid that takes every single rep, and he gets mad when you take him out on certain reps.”
When Arizona State’s coaching staff decided to give some of its upperclassmen a “vet day” earlier in the spring, Lucas wasn’t a fan.
“He was pissed off,” said Hawkins of the day when ASU gave Lucas, redshirt senior Jack Jones and graduate student DeAndre Pierce the day off. “As a leader, he walked around yesterday with a paper in his hand showing everybody’s film minutes, and he literally got on everybody’s case who wasn’t watching film.”
Lucas has taken it upon himself to improve his draft stock and other defensive backs play around them heading into this year. With four years of starting experience in the conference, Lucas is as experienced as any defensive back has ever been at the collegiate level.
“I think right now he’s in a totally different headspace,” Hawkins said. “He’s a kid that wants to get drafted as high as possible. And he’s acting like that every single day.”
The leadership on display from the local Chandler High School product is key in a defense scheme which Hawkins says relies upon great communication.
“Communication is the biggest part of our defense running an NFL style defense there’s going to be certain types of movements or certain checks you have,” Hawkins explained. “I think that no matter who is in the game, we’re going to be able to compete because we’re all going to be on the same page whether it’s competing or doing anything. Communication is key, and obviously, the safeties being so smart and being so football-wise, I think that’s where they come into play.
“When you have corners who are five and six years into college, and they just know so much football they can help those young guys as well. I feel like I can put any five guys out there, and we’re going to mesh well on any typical Saturday.”
Arizona State is utilizing the spring to mix and match with its defensive backs, another defensive group on a Sun Devil defense which is expected to be great during the 2021 season.
“I think spring is a time when you try a lot of different things,” explained Hawkins of the usage of redshirt junior defensive back Timarcus Davis in personnel groupings with Lucas and Jones during the spring period. “If you look at last year, Timarcus played just as well as anyone on the field.
“Obviously Chase was who he was – one of the best corners in the conference, and I don’t think Timarcus was too far behind. We all know the talent that Jack (Jones) has, as well as Jordan Clark. I think I’m spoiled right now with the talent that I have in my room, and I think that I can come up with different lineups for certain different teams that a lot of people can’t do in this conference.”
The Sun Devils’ defensive staff have sounded like a broken record at times this spring as ASU brings back all 11 starters from a defense that was the best scoring defense in the Pac-12. In four games in 2020, the unit forced 3.3 turnovers per game, a mark that ranked best in the entire nation. With veterans across the board, ASU has aids in teaching its young core of recruits brought in by Hawkins.
“Like I said before; I think I’m spoiled,” Hawkins said. “I have guys that are young like a Macen Williams, like a T Lee who are ready to compete with all of the older guys. When you have a bevy of talent in a room, it breeds the best ones. The ones who fold under the pressure are the ones that won’t play.”
Hawkins says the ASU defense has forced a turnover in eight of the nine spring football practices this year. With a ball-hawking group of defensive backs, the recipe for success is there once again for the Sun Devils.
Since his addition to the staff, Hawkins has showcased a recruiting prowess across the country. Earlier this week, his effort to add more talent to his position group was bolstered by the addition of Alfonzo Allen, a four-star safety from Hallandale, Florida. Hawkins spoke Wednesday on the importance of that recruiting success in helping ASU reach its ceiling as a defensive backs unit.
“The more talent that you have in the room, the better off you’re going to be,” said Hawkins. “I truly believe that. That’s why I recruit so hard. That’s why I put everything into recruiting, because if you recruit good players, you’re going to have the best room, and I think right now I have one of the best rooms in the Pac-12 and pretty much in the country right now.
“I’m not here just to be here. I want to build something special… and I think that I recruit well enough for it, and I think that I get the right guys to want to compete and do that.”
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