ASU Football: Running back room a family despite competition

(Photo credit: Sun Devil Athletics)

During Arizona State football’s second full week of practice in preparation for the 2020 season, running backs coach Shaun Aguano walked into the room hosting his disciples.

The three of them – freshmen Daniyel Ngata, DeaMonte Trayanum and junior Rachaad White – were huddled up with each other studying the pass protections in new offensive coordinator Zak Hill’s offense.

“You don’t see that when they’re competing for a job,” Aguano said. “It’s a special room. Hopefully it stays like that throughout the season.”

But to the three players going over their material, the session was nothing new. Ngata, Trayanum and White are all newcomers to the Sun Devils roster (White transferred from Mt. San Antonio Community College to ASU in May).

The Sun Devils have a large hole to fill in their 2020 offense in the absence of Eno Benjamin. The star tailback rushed for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019 after putting up gaudy numbers in 2018.

As long as Edwards has been at the helm of the ASU program, he’s had Benjamin in the backfield to rely on. But with Benjamin gone, Herm and company are looking for their next starting running back.

For the three players in the running for that prestigious spot, they’ve taken it upon themselves to make sure no one is left behind.

“While one of us is getting reps, the others are off to the side getting mental reps,” Trayanum said. “We always offer tips and never hold each other down. At the end of the day, we just want the best out of all of us.”

The players are taking what their coaches are saying to heart, according to Ngata.

“Coach Aguano always tells us that we all have to push each other so we can get better,” Ngata said. “That’s the only way you get better.”

The group has become so close that the trio will take written notes about their counterparts. The performance of the three is a good problem to have for Aguano and Hill, who both said they feel as if all three backs could play and contribute right away.

Trayanum is arguably the most one-dimensional of the three, but that’s not necessarily a negative. He’s a workhouse power back who made Edwards say “Whoa” when hitting holes early on in practice. Hill says other coaches are shaking their heads when they watch him run.

“He’s one of those guys that’s going to be tough to bring down,” Hill said of Trayanum. “We’re laughing as coaches. It’s going to be fun to see him in live situations and watch people try to tackle him.”

The freshman bullhorn from Ohio said he’s attempting to diversify his game by being more viable in ASU’s passing attack.

“I’m trying to be that every down back if I need to be,” Trayanum said. “I just want to be reliable to this offense and be available. That’s the main thing coach Herm has told us over this quest… “

Ngata praised Trayanum’s ability to hit holes and run between the tackles. It’s just one example of the information passed between the three.

Edwards has also been impressed with the trio so far, and thinks that Ngata can help fill the gap left by Benjamin well.

“He’s a bit like Eno,” Edwards said of Ngata in his opening press conference of the season. “He can make you miss. He’s really good with the ball in his hands.”

Hill echoed Edwards’ comparison of Ngata and Benjamin.

“Daniel is very good in space,” he said. “He’s elusive. He’s still a physical runner and has really good balance, and he can catch it out of the backfield too.”

Ngata had a slow start to learning Hill’s offense in the spring prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A hamstring injury nagged him, hurting his execution on the field in a scheme that he calls “crazy.”

But now that the California-native has grasped the offense, he’s been able to showcase his full display of skills. Ngata’s ability to be physical, shifty and have a presence in the passing game makes him arguably ASU’s most well-rounded back. He added that he’s still looking to gain weight during the season.

“I feel like I can do a lot out of the backfield,” Ngata said. “But I still have to work on everything, like running in between tackles. Trayanum and Rachaad [White] do a great job on that.”

The Benjamin compliment from Edwards was appreciated, but Ngata feels that he’s his own player, and that each of his teammates are as well.

“I don’t like being compared to anybody,” he said. “I think I have my own skills and am different. Everyone in the running back room has their own different skills. I can’t find who we should be compared to.”

Rounding out the group is White, who has appeared on ASU’s practice report as the solo starter once. However, coaches and players alike have insisted it’s still an open competition. No one is fostering that environment more than White himself.

“I’m with the ones, but coach switches it up everyday,” White said. “It’s different every day. It keeps us level and honest. It makes sure we work every day.“

White is the elder statesman of the group, despite his new arrival to ASU. The three-star recruit from Kansas City has two seasons of JUCO ball under his belt, and he ran for 1,264 yards and ten touchdowns his sophomore year.

He seems to have gained the eyes of his offensive coordinator in the first two weeks of practice.

“Rachaad’s fast, slippery and can use his tempo to slow a guy down then hit the gas,” Hill said. “He’s very elusive and he’s got good vision. He’s got good hands out of the backfield as well.”

However, coaches have referred to him as a freshman and noted his lack of experience at the Power Five level. But to the other backs in the room, his presence is welcomed and needed.

“[White] brings experience,” Trayanum said. “With his age, he just knows the field. Since he’s been in junior college for a couple years, he just knows how it is done on the collegiate level. He’s more of a shifty kind of back. He can do a lot. It helps me competitively.”

Hill’s comments regarding White were similar to his describing Ngata, as both have a multitude of skills at their disposal. It’s his experience that could give him an edge over the inexperienced others. A lack of mistakes rather than an amount of big plays could be the deciding factor in who gets the starting gig, according to Hill.

“We’re trying to see which guys fit which plays,” Hill said. “But are also trying to see which of those guys can process what we’re doing compared to who is making the most mental errors,” he said. “That’s who we’ll feel best about when they’re on the field.”

The experience White brings has made him the center of ASU’s running back community, but he’s not exactly trying to be that.

“I’m just a natural guy,” he said. “I like to lead by example. My mom always told me I was born to be a leader.”

It’s working. Trayanum, Ngata and coaches have all cited White’s experience as a positive addition to the field and locker room. He’s detailed about what the freshmen are doing right and wrong, and is simultaneously stunned by their overall talent.

“Yes, they’re freshman, but they can play right now,” White said. “They can go to other schools in the nation and play right now. They’re very young but they’re talented. They’re smart. The biggest thing to me is how they go about everything everyday. They compete as freshmen. They want to be the star and want to play everyday.”

Ngata and Trayanum give White his respect but are holding him accountable as well. Just as a family should be.

“In practice, sometimes you miss a ball or miss a hole,” White said. “We communicate with each other, like ‘You could have hit it or ran outside or you might have missed your block over here.’ Things like that are what I bring to the room: the camaraderie. We’re competing, but at the same time, iron sharpens iron and we got to look out for each other.”

Agauno loves it.

“The competition part of it makes them better every single day,” he said. “They’re a young group. None of them have run the ball or be in on a play in the Pac-12 so from a competitive level they bring it every day.”

Less than 20 days out from the season opener, there’s still no clarity about who will take the starting role. Hill has said he sees ASU using all three backs in some capacity. Aguano calls the situation “a headache” as kick-off approaches.

“That’s what is frustrating for me: they’re doing everything right,” Aguano said. “Maybe somebody doesn’t do something right and someone else moves up the depth chart. All three of them are football savvy.”

White said he is preparing to be the starter, just as his fellow backs are. Edwards said the use of each could vary game-to-game, while Hill is keeping things simple.

“I’m not concerned with us having ‘this’ type of back,” he said. “We just need a productive back.”