Arizona State Football senior quarterback Mike Bercovici surveyed the pre-snap defense as he stared into the opposing team’s endzone. The Sun Devils were down 21-0 with time trickling down in the first half in an early-season September game against USC in 2015. ASU was trying to put the exclamation point on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that would have stopped the bleeding at Sun Devil Stadium.
The 10th play of that drive saw ASU junior running back De’Chavon Hayes scamper 16 yards before being wrestled down just shy of the goal-line. The Sun Devils were on the one-yard line, and time was not on their side.
Madness then ensued.
It started when ASU junior center Stephon McCray, who was serving in a reserve role, seemingly snapped the ball well over his 6’2′ quarterback’s head. Bercovici hopped up on his tippy-toes and corralled the high snap. The interior of ASU’s offensive line collapsed almost immediately, as USC senior defensive lineman Delvon Simmons mauled his way into the backfield. ASU called a simple read option between Bercovici and sophomore running back Demario Richard, but the USC defense had other plans, as Simmons barreled into Bercovici and Richard before anyone could react.
The blast was enough to knock the football loose, and a certain USC sophomore safety was there for the scoop and score: Chris Hawkins. Hawkins picked up the ball and returned the fumble 94 yards to the house for a touchdown, putting USC up 28-0. As Hawkins sprinted down the hash, he saw nothing but Trojan jerseys behind him and green grass in front of him. He was running free in Tempe.
ASU lost that game to USC, 42-14. Four years after Hawkins’ senior season, USC’s former strong safety is rocking a slightly skewed shade of maroon and gold as a part of a new era of Sun Devil Football. He’s looking to run in Tempe once again, except this time, it’s with the help of the Sun Devils’ secondary instead, as Hawkins is now ASU’s defensive backs coach.
“I’m spoiled right now with the talent that I have in my room,” Hawkins said. “I can come up with different line-ups for certain teams that a lot of people can’t do in this conference.”
Much of the confidence Hawkins has in his cornerback room entering 2021 is centered around the veteran presence of seniors Chase Lucas and Jack Jones, who mix with newly infused talent and youth on the back end.
“When you have corners that are five and six years into college and they just know so much football, then they can help those young guys as well,” Hawkins said. “I feel like I can put any five guys out there and we are going to mesh well on any typical Saturday.”
ASU has a flurry of freshman pass defenders that could be future stars in its secondary. Freshman cornerbacks Tommi Hill, RJ Regan, Isaiah Johnson, Ed Woods and redshirt freshman Jordan Clark are all names to potentially take note of on the Sun Devils’ defensive backs depth chart. The group will also have the opportunity to learn from the keen experience and technique of Lucas and Jones. Hill already has.
“[Hill] had one day – our first Saturday practice – where he got baptized.” Hawkins said. “He was running with the ones all day and got obliterated. Now, he has actually picked it up and he is starting to learn the game and different coverages. He is playing really, really well right now. He had a couple of pass break ups today and I think [Hill] is one of the future guys of this program.”
As for Regan, the three-star corner from California is adjusting to a new role on the defense: nickelback.
[Regan’s] swimming right now because playing that nickel is probably one of the most important parts of our defense.” Hawkins said. “Once he gets it down fully and knows every technique and every single job he has within the defense, I think he is going to be just fine. He is a supreme athlete.”
Hawkins was visibly and verbally excited while speaking over Zoom about his group’s young pieces. He also mentioned the eventual addition of Johnson, who was one of the most coveted high school recruits in the country last year.
“With those two dudes [Hill and Regan] obviously being freshman, and then you add them to Ed Woods and Jordan Clark…” Hawkins said. “You [also] can’t forget Isaiah Johnson. That dude is a freak of nature at 6’3′, 195 pounds right now. [He is] the highest rated recruit we signed. He is chomping at the bit to get here and I think when he gets here, I’ll throw him in the fire some and we’ll see how he handles it.”
“When you have a bevy of talent in a room it breeds the best ones. The ones who fold under the pressure are the ones who won’t play. I have a room full of guys who step up to the challenge of competing everyday.”
For Hawkins, competing this spring and well into next season are fresh on his coaching agenda. However, thoughts of restoring the Sun Devils’ program long term certainly linger in the back of his skull.
“The more talent you have in a room the better off you are going to be,” Hawkins said. “That’s why I recruit so hard, that’s why I put everything into recruiting. If you recruit good players you’re going to have the best room. I think right now I have one of the best rooms obviously in the Pac-12 and pretty much in the country. The more talent that comes through here, the more defensive back [oriented] this program can become. I want to build something special here. I’m not here just to be here.”
