ASU Football: Captains ready to lead after head coaching change

(Photo via Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)

The energy in the air was undoubtedly different Tuesday morning for ASU football’s first practice with interim head coach Shaun Aguano leading the team.

Gone are the days of players walking off the field. After practice, players were notably more tired than they’ve been after practices so far this season. The change was most evident when graduate linebacker Kyle Soelle remarked how wet a chair was after a sweaty LaDarius Henderson had sat in it moments ago.

“You know how change is. Change is different,” defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson said after practice. “It was a lot of energy, and it was different practice. It was an upbeat practice where the players found themselves doing things they hadn’t done in years. An example was, there will be no walking anywhere…So, the tempo was sped up a little bit today.”

While the coaches could be considered lucky to only watch the players adjust to Aguano’s methods, senior fullback Case Hatch felt the full effects of a more physically demanding practice.

“Today, personally, I believe, was what we needed,” Hatch said. “We were running around on the field, off the field, switching out personnel, running off, and it was a change that we kind of needed. Guys were tired by the end of practice. I mean, I was tired, bending over, trying to catch [my] breath, but we were pushed today, and that’s something we needed to do.”

Although Tuesday’s practice was more physically demanding, senior offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson believes it could lead to more future Sun Devil success.

“The thing is, we made a lot of changes today that are long-term wins, so we definitely won today,” Henderson said. “We can’t win the season, win Saturday today. We just have to win today, and I feel like, with the changes we made, we definitely got to do that.”

The difference in practice speed is just one of many changes that will ensue with Aguano now assuming the head coaching role. Sunday afternoon, Sun Devil athletics announced that former head coach Herm Edwards and the school had come to a “mutual agreement” that he would “relinquish” his duties as ASU’s head football coach.

Since then, players and coaches have been sucked into one of the biggest news whirlwinds this university has ever experienced. Through it all, the players have stuck together, uplifting each other in hard times. With nine games still left to play this season, the team captains felt it was necessary to call a player-led meeting to give everyone a chance to process the news.

“We said what was going to happen, how we were going to move forward, come together as a family, and I know Coach Aguano is pushing that hard right now,” Hatch said. “This is a family. The boys on the team are coming together, kind of rallying behind him and getting ready to play. We’ve got nine games left. Let’s make it count.”

Despite several players maintaining close relationships with Edwards over the years, the team took the time to acknowledge that his tenure as head coach is in the rearview mirror. While change is difficult, players knew what needed to happen to move on.

“It’s tough, especially for me personally,” Hatch said. “I had a great relationship with Coach Herm. He changed my life, giving me the opportunities that I’ve been given here at ASU. So I’m very grateful for what he did for me, but, at the same time, I have a good relationship with Coach Aguano, and I told a lot of my teammates, ‘It sucks that it happened. It’s a business. It happened. Time to get over it.’”

Hatch wasn’t the only Sun Devil to show his support for Aguano. Soelle, a Saguaro alum, is more familiar than most with Aguano’s winning habits at nearby Chandler High School. He, among many others, hopes that same level of success carries over to ASU’s program.

“I would probably say it’s what we need right now,” Soelle said. “Coach Aguano comes from a winning program. He knows how to win championships. It’s obviously lower level, but I still believe in that championship pedigree, and we’re going to follow his lead.”

While Aguano has the team’s support, the task of keeping the team in line still falls heavily on the shoulders of the team’s captains. With the tough conversations out of the way, Soelle, Hatch, Henderson, graduate linebacker Merlin Robertson and redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones will be just as responsible for making sure this team is prepared as Aguano and the rest of the staff.

“It’s up to the leaders to keep [the high expectations] going,” Hatch said. “When we see our teammates kind of slacking off here and there, instead of Coach Aguano yelling at them and trying to get them going or the strength coaches yelling at them, we need to be the ones that are yelling at our teammates to get them going. It’s going to be within the team as a unit to get things rolling and start pushing forward.”

“Whenever there’s an interim head coach, the leaders of the team, if you’re worth anything, you have to kick it up a notch in your leadership and step up because Coach Aguano, he’s doing a great job,” Henderson said.

While players are sad to see Edwards go, Sun Devil fans have expressed displeasure with his leadership since last season. With the change at the helm, players hope fans will be more willing to support the program, especially with three straight games against AP Top-25 ranked opponents. The three-week gauntlet will consist of dates with the No. 13 ranked Utah Utes and the No. 18 ranked Washington Huskies traveling to Tempe and a Sun Devil trip to Los Angeles for a date against the No. 7 ranked USC Trojans.

“I just want to let [the fans] know to keep supporting us and be patient with us,” Henderson said. “We can’t achieve every aspiration that they have for us and we have for ourselves in one week or one day, so just come out, support us and be with us because this is for Arizona.”

As for the team, the start of conference play signifies a new beginning. Soelle mentioned the Sun Deivils’ 0-0 Pac-12 record numerous times Tuesday. With a new head coach, a clean slate and Pac-12 play right around the corner, ASU is ready to capitalize on every chance they get.

“That’s life,” Soelle said. “…New opportunities bring new beginnings, so maybe for some guys, a new face allows them to redefine themselves to a new person and just take the new opportunities and run with it.”