Playing college football is anything but an easy task. Most players that come in from high school aren’t physically prepared for the rigors that come with playing at the Division I level.

Moreover, it takes time for incoming freshmen to refine their craft and become perfectionists at their position.

Redshirt freshman Zach Robertson was one of those players. He wanted to play and contribute, but he just wasn’t ready – not last year anyway – needing time to adjust.

He felt like he needed to come in right away, especially coming from a high school powerhouse like Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. But the pressure to play immediately soon gave way to knowing he needed to develop more first.

“I felt pressured, I felt like I should (play),” Robertson said. “Once I look back at it right now I realized I definitely wasn’t ready to play.”

Instead, he sat, running with the scout team and redshirting but that was far from the worst things that that could have happened. In fact, it was probably one of the best.

The extra year gave him time to refine his technique and practice against ASU’s first-team defense, giving them the best look possible and letting him play against the best ASU had.

“It’s a whole different ballgame in college,” Robertson said. “I think having a redshirt year, getting to run with the ones and twos last year gave me a little bit more confidence to do what I have to do now.”

The redshirt year not only gave Robertson time to refine things such as pass sets, footwork, and punch, he also had an extra summer to develop his body into the 6-foot-5, 325-pound leviathan that he is now.

Robertson represents one of four new starters along the offensive line and, for that reason; many outside the program see the offensive line as a question mark or an area of concern.

It’s understandable when replacing multi-year stalwarts like Christian Westerman, Vi Teofilo, and Nick Kelly, but that doesn’t affect Robertson sees the way the line is beginning to take shape.

“We know what we have. We know what have what it takes to win a Pac-12 championship and do what we got to do,” Robertson said. “But there are a lot of people doubting us so it just adds fuel to the fire.”

Now, close to two weeks into fall camp, a clearer picture of the offensive line is beginning to take shape.

As a unit they are beginning to form chemistry with each other, gelling and creating a cohesive group.

“It’s always been good but these last couple of practices we’ve been gelling together really well,” Robertson said. “We’ve been sticking together, helping out the quarterback a little more, getting people off our running backs, we’re killing people now.”

Directing the new unit is offensive line coach Chris Thomsen, who Robertson said has been a tremendous asset.

But Thomsen isn’t the only familiar face around the football team helping to direct the offensive line. Kelly, a former center for the Sun Devils who graduated after last season, is back helping to coach the offensive line this year as well.

“It’s good having Nick Kelly back from last year to also give us a little knowledge on what to do because he’d done it for two or three years and he was a beast at it,” Robertson said. “Him, Christian Westerman and Vi, they were the epitome of the Sun Devil way. They were all tough mean guys so having him…I can go to coach Kelly and say ‘hey man, this is what’s going on, tell me what I have to do.’”

Also helping the big men up front isn’t just their coaches on the sideline but also the men running the rock behind them.

Junior running backs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard are one of the best running back tandems in the Pac-12 and having them running behind Robertson and company, Robertson said, helps a whole lot.

“Our running backs, they see stuff a lot of people can’t see,” Robertson said. “They make great reads and they bomb it downhill every time and they run people over so I know that, even if we don’t get something done on point, they’ll be able to get the job done.”

While the running backs behind Robertson and his line-mates are consistent, the quarterbacks are not. So far, it has primarily been redshirt sophomore Manny Wilkins and redshirt freshman Brady White running with the first-team offense.

With different guys playing behind center, the offensive line has to adjust to each.

“It’s different, different quarterbacks coming in,” Robertson said. “Some have different voices, some are louder, some are quieter, it’s just getting used to it.”

As the quarterbacks have rotated, so too has Robertson, moving from his natural spot at left tackle to the right side.

While he said he typically prefers playing left tackle, noting that is his stronger side, he’s had to adjust to playing on the right side as he has played on that side most of camp.

“It’s part of being versatile and being in the game,” he said. “You got to play every single position and I’ve been playing every single position since I’ve been (at ASU) so at right tackle I need to make sure I perfect it.”