The Sun Devils’ signal-caller touches on various topics as he sat down with reporters during the Pac-12 Media Day event.
On how Wilkins and Harry became roommates
“It was inevitable. We just felt that it was going to happen and I just asked him if he wanted it to happen because the rent was going to be cheap with the amount of people that are living in our house. It was easy for both of us to save crazy amount of money and to connect and he ain’t never home, he’s at his girlfriend’s anyway.”
On whether that has helped their chemistry
“I think we definitely got a lot closer this year than the previous year. Living together plays a big role because you see somebody every day. You get a different connection.”
On his Pac12 Media Day experience, and the preseason poll picking ASU sixth in the South
“It went very well. We didn’t learn anything new we didn’t think was going to happen. It’s just time to get back to work. If we needed this to motivate us, we have some issues. We know what’s up. We don’t need no chip (on his shoulder). We were picked fifth last year and we finished second, and there was a real possibility that we could have finished first if we beat USC. So I’m not worried about it…I’m thinking about winning the next game. You win these games one by one, the rest will take care of itself.”
On his thoughts concerning the national media criticism ASU received when it hired Herm Edwards
“It’s an easy story to jump on the train because everyone else is saying that it’s bad (hire). We knew this was going to happen. We knew that we were going to get a lot of questions about coach Herm.”
On the importance of the offense’s informal workouts prior to fall camp
“I think they went really well and I had them out there doing more than I thought we were going to do (Wilkins said later 3-4 times a week) I feel that if I’m at a point where if I have the same comfortability as I do with him (points to N’Keal Harry) and every receiver – game on! We have young guys I feel that will be able to help us right away and some young guys that will have to help us right away. We’ll see what happens as time goes by.”
On what would indicate to him in the early stages of fall camp that the offense has benefited from these informal workouts
“You’ll feel it. You’ll feel the energy. You’ll feel that things are just clicking. I don’t have to think about what he (points to N’Keal Harry) is going to do. I don’t have to think what is about to happen, as he knows what I’m going to do as well. It’s just a vibe that you get.”
On how the seamless transition in offensive coordinators is helping his confidence
“I see the amount of trust they are instilling in me so when things need to be taken over when we need to go fast…as long as coach Likens and I are on the same page and I know what he’s going to call. Those are the things that they are allowing me to do because I’m a fifth-year senior. Just the confidence level, the conversations that we had, the things we have studied together…we are on the same page.”
“I have to make sure that every ounce of myself goes into football. I tell coach Likens that if he sees me slacking, don’t settle for me being mediocre. Instill in me that I need to do these things. I have to make the most of last year and I’m doing the best I can to do that.”
On the value of having a fresh start under a new head coach and how that can mentally affect a team
“I think for guys that have been on the (outs) with coach Graham it always ignites something. ‘now I have a clean slate.’ They feel a little bit fresher. I think there are a lot of positives that can come from this. You’ll see guys emerge that didn’t emerge under a different staff. A new set of eyes maybe triggered something in their mental. Like I said, I think there are a lot of guys who will help us this year, that hasn’t really helped us in the past. And I’m excited for some of these new guys as well. I think it was an impressive group that came in.”
On which player he thinks could shock fans this year
“I think Jay Jay’s (Wilson) role increased as a leader and the role he is playing on defense. There are some moving pieces that are still happening but he definitely has a pivotal role in what we are doing.”
On the reports that Arizona quarterback Kalil Tate had an influence on the head coach hiring in Tucson, and would he do the same for a hire in Tempe
“I don’t really feel that I have to imply my opinion. At the end of the day, my opinion really doesn’t matter. I don’t call the shots here. It’s not my job title. But me feeling comfortable with someone is cool. So when coach Napier got rehired to stay on as the offensive coordinator, I loved having him as the OC so I’m going to verbally say that. Having said that, I’m super excited for the opportunity he has (as a head coach) and I was perfectly cool with coach Likens coming in and I had a conversation about that before they hired him.”
On establishing that center-quarterback relationship with Cohl Cabral who’s playing center for the first time this year.
“I’m very close with Cohl and he’s a good friend of mine. So having already that vibe with him the transition is very easy. He works hard and picked it (the center position) up very fast. He’s one of the most athletic guys we have, he works his butt off in the weight room and he earned that leadership role. He communicates very well and in that position communication is very high on the list of needs.”
On working with a center who’s 6-6 and taller than the average center quarterbacks usually work with
“He plays low. He plays like (former center) A.J. McCollum. He’s super physical, a very grimy player and I’m really excited for him and what’s to come.”
Wilkins trained in the summer with the same coach (Dennis Gile) that trains Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke. He discussed his thoughts on the signal caller he will face on September 8th
“Brian is very, very underrated. He’s so talented and some of the things that he can do…he can really sling the rock. Him getting hurt has made people not really think who he really is. That happens with every quarterback who gets injured – it happened to me. But I’ve seen him work, work, work this summer and grow as a quarterback. It’s just cool to see someone grow so much. We play golf together. He’s a cool guy.”
On whether it’s hard for him to see his own incremental improvements because he’s immersed so much in the game
“It’s definitely difficult...when I’m training with Dennis, for him to say ‘you got so much better at this’ and I’ve done it so much that I don’t realize that it has happened at that time. You really need someone to watch you throwing all the time to pick up on things. So he (Gile) has definitely helped me with some of the mechanical things I was doing wrong last year. Hopefully, in camp all the work I put in will become a habit and not something I need to think about.”
On what was a point of emphasis for Wilkins to improve on
“I was dropping the ball a little too much towards the end of the year especially when you have a bruise and you have to adjust something sometimes. So that was causing a hair longer of a release. I did a lot of footwork stuff and everything we did this off-season was under center. I’m trying to have a presence in that pocket. I took a lot of the drills I did in the spring and implemented them in the training (with Gile) that I did. The amount of film I watched…it’s double from last year to now. Just continuously try to progress.”
On whether he can carry the momentum he had in November of last year when the team went 3-1 during that month
“Sure. I do honestly feel momentum is a real thing that can happen. Playing so well at Utah was because we were coming off that huge win over Washington. We are working, making sure we put our head down, stay out of the media for anything bad. We are just working in silence.”
His thoughts on the new football jerseys
“So much more stretchable. So much comfier…the others were so much more restricting. They finally made the material like the Pat Tillman (camouflage uniforms) ones and those are the best ones. Instead of saying ‘Arizona State’ it has the (state) flag in the background and the star is in the middle.”
On what he wants his legacy at ASU to be
“I just want to be respected when I leave here. Obviously, I want to win a championship and achieve all these self-goals that I have set. But when I leave that building I don’t want anybody to have anything negative to say about me.”
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