ASU Football: Sun Devils wrap up spring ball at Sun Devil Stadium

ASU football finished its Spring football season on Thursday with the Maroon and Gold Practice. Now, it’s a four-month grace period before Fall ball.

With the completion of the 2019 Maroon and Gold Practice, Spring football is officially over for Arizona State. The Sun Devils will wait a long four months until they once again put on pads.

But the grind doesn’t stop now. In fact, ASU coach Herm Edwards was pleased with this year’s early start and finish to Spring Practice.

“I like that we started early; I think it’s going to help us along the way,” Edwards said. “I think it’s going to pay dividends for us, especially in the weight room the next seven weeks.

“We’re still building.”

Over the course of Spring Practice, Edwards and his staff were given more chances to evaluate the team’s position battles. The glaring one is behind center.

There are currently four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster: Dillon Sterling-Cole, Jayden Daniels, Joey Yellen and Ethan Long. A redshirt junior, Sterling-Cole is the only signal caller on the roster with any experience at the collegiate level.

That said, Sterling-Cole hasn’t solidified the starting spot. Daniels, Yellen and Long – all freshmen – were all highly-regarded prospects coming out of high school. Though Daniels and Sterling-Cole are viewed as the favorites by many, Edwards said the starting spot behind center is still up for grabs.

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“It’s still a competition,” Edwards said. “We’re fortunate that all three of those young guys decided to come in.”

Per 247Sports, Daniels was the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2019. And his high-school stats display his prowess. In his senior year, Daniels threw for 4,515 yards and 60 touchdowns.

While the incoming freshman looks forward to his career in Tempe, he plans to use these next few months to bolster his skill set and create bonds with teammates.

“Just get chemistry with the receivers more and more over the course of the next couple months,” Daniels said. “Other than that, just get bigger, faster, stronger.”

Another area of question on offense is at wide receiver. The Sun Devils have to deal with life after N’Keal Harry. In three seasons, Harry contributed 2,889 yards – 1,088 of which came as a junior.

Without Harry, ASU will turn to a slew of returning wideouts. This includes Kyle Williams, Brandon Aiyuk and Frank Darby, among others. Each of those three accumulated around 400 yards last year.

Throughout Spring ball, two newcomers showed promise in the aerial attack: Geordon Porter and Curtis Hodges.

Porter, who redshirted in 2018, wowed in the Maroon and Gold Practice with his head-turning grabs, a few of which were in the end zone. As a 6-foot-8 tight end, Hodges displayed his potential to be a goal-line threat and a prolific blocker.

Once a wide receiver, Hodges will use his size, both in the air and on the ground, at his new position.

“I’m going to have a big role, blocking and receiving-wise,” Hodges said. “I’m looking to have a big role in the running and the receiving game.”

While there was significant turnover on offense, Spring ball was just as tumultuous on the defensive side. Since the end of the 2018 season, nine players have announced their transfer intentions, most of which came on defense. This list includes Jay Jay Wilson, Reggie Hughes, Darius Slade and others.

Though the losses were many, cornerback Chase Lucas is confident in where the defense stands.

“I’m really impressed with the defensive core that we got, and we just gotta keep growing it from here,” Lucas said. “We’re tough, no matter how many guys we have.”

In Arizona State’s 7-6 campaign last year, the most noticeable improvement came on defense. Freshmen Merlin Robertson, Aashari Crosswell and Tyler Johnson established themselves as leaders in a young defense.

Additionally, the secondary improved greatly, allowing just 233.8 passing yards per game. One season prior, ASU allowed 274.9 yards in the air per contest.

Now with a season under his belt, Robertson anticipates an even stingier defense in 2019.

“We’re nasty,” Robertson said. “We’re aggressive; we’re coming this year.”

Because of an early Spring season, Edwards and the staff have more time to scheme for the upcoming Fall camp and regular season. For such a young team, this four-month grace period is all about learning and working. The players’ results and development will help the coaches’ decisions when it comes to position battles and depth chart questions.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.