At a glance, Arizona State’s offense is one of the most complex and intricate in the Pac-12, largely in part to the football mastermind behind it, offensive coordinator Zak Hill. New position coaches may find difficulty integrating their groups and players into a scheme that is not only dazzling to those who watch from afar but to the players involved in it as well.
However, this is not the case for interim tight ends coach Juston Wood. The offensive analyst turned position coach knows the Hill’s playbook inside and out through his former role behind the scenes, learning and evaluating talent with other coaches and analysts. When Adam Breneman was placed on administrative leave on July 25, Wood was called in from the pen to take the reins of his position group, allowing him to step out from the shadows and into a place where he can use his coaching experience to directly shape and modify the outlook of the ASU offense.
“Personally, I’m having a blast,” Wood admitted. “It’s really fun now to get a chance to directly apply things I’ve learned from (Hill and o-line coach Mike Cavanaugh) and go back to my own tools and develop my own plan for the group. (Being an analyst) really allowed me to work on my weaknesses as a coach… I had this opportunity to evaluate my own on-field coaching over that period of time to really try and grow.”
Wood first came to ASU ahead of the 2020 season, alongside Hill, with whom he worked under at Boise State for a year as a quality control coach, game planning, and running the scout team defense. Wood was also responsible for the analysis and data on each opponent, putting together each week’s scouting report. Their relationship dates to the late 2000s when Wood was an assistant coach at Cal Poly while Hill was at Eastern Washington.
Hill then left for Hawaii and then Boise State, where he truly became the offensive coordinator he is today. On the other hand, Wood stayed at Cal Poly until 2016, where he climbed the ladder to an offensive coordinator position of his own. In 2017, he headed out east to Georgia Southern, where he coached the wide receivers in his first season with the team, before switching roles to coach the quarterbacks in 2018. He joined forces with Hill in 2019, helping the Broncos to a 12-2 season with a Mountain West Championship to boot.
“I had the chance to go up (to Boise) and work with (Hill),” Wood said. “I think it was the right thing for me to get back closer to the West Coast and get into a different offense… Our wives are good friends, and we both have two kids who love to play together and such. I feel such a responsibility to him to make his life easier whenever I can, to not let him down or help him succeed.”
Now back with Hill and with the added insight of a quick step back behind the scenes which allowed him to nurture his on-field coaching skills, Wood returns to the grass with the keys to six new cars in his hand, six players who mold the aspects of blocking and receiving into an intricate, flowing offense.
At the top is graduate student Curtis Hodges, a six-foot-eight local from Mesa, who has contributed at ASU since 2017, but has struggled to stay healthy, which has limited his potential and impact. He played in three of ASU’s four games last season, logging three receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown – a 74-yard score against Arizona.
“Curtis has high goals,” Wood mentioned. “He fits the DNA mold (for an NFL tight end), and he’s a former receiver, so athletically, all the outside (catches and routes) come naturally to him. I think his ceiling is very high; he’s just trying to polish his tools and take things to a new level to get a little bit more movement and leverage in the run game. He wants to stay healthy and be trusted and counted on daily.”
Next is junior fullback/H-back and captain Case Hatch, who works with the tight ends group. Called a “Swiss Army Knife” by running backs coach Shaun Aguano, Hatch is a player who can do a little bit of everything and hits hard doing it. He’s fast with significant size and catches and runs the ball with power. He’s a trusted individual who plays extremely physical but does a good job doing so and leading by example.
Wood’s next tool is a player who has flown under the radar, graduate transfer from Harvard, John Stivers. On Wood’s account, Stivers is “a guy who you can trust.” While he may have only played in one full season of 10 games with Harvard in 2019, the graduate addition has already received first-team reps with the Sun Devils. Described as a “fit-in” type player, Stivers already knows both his position and the needs of the H-back position, using his knowledge and diversity to make himself useful.
The shiny new toy in Wood’s room is redshirt freshman Oklahoma transfer Jalin Conyers, who possesses immense potential with his size and skillset. With the athleticism and hands of a receiver, Conyers is a weapon almost directly out of the box, no assembly required. The only hindrance to the young tight end is learning the intricate tricks and trades of Hill’s offense. Wood’s mission is to accelerate Conyers’ learning curve so that the game will slow down for the redshirt freshman.
“He’s a young guy, so learning the game conceptually and our offense (is very important for him),” Wood explained. “I’m trying to make the game easy for him… He’s gotten better every day, and that’s what I’m going to continue to tell him; it’s not about where you’re at today, it’s about where we are at in three weeks, and then he’s going to look back and see how far he’s come. At the end of the season, he’s going to look back and see a totally different guy.”
Rounding out the tight ends group are redshirt freshman Ryan Morgan and Jake Ray. Both players were on the 2020 roster, with Morgan only receiving playing time as a part of various heavy packages. Ray is a former three-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Wood said the pair of tight ends add competition and depth in his room as they continue to learn and grow.
Across the Sun Devil offense, three position groups are locked down and set for the Sep. 2 opener against Southern Utah – those being the offensive line, running back, and quarterback. Ambiguity remains amongst the wideouts and tight ends, and while there are still some questions to be answered about this tight end group, Wood is very optimistic and sprightly about his group and its future.
“My position room is a group of really great young men,” Wood said. “From the top down, they’re all a little bit different in their strengths and weaknesses. With the things we are trying to do to develop and help them grow and be complete players that I think within our offense and the way we personnel things, you couldn’t ask for a better (result). We can really get the right people in the right places. We just need to continue to grow and prepare.”
Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today here and get all the latest Sun Devil news!
