(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)
The third day of 15 Arizona State spring football practices took place Thursday at the Bill Kajikawa Practice Facility in Tempe. The practices, which are open to the general public and media, lasted one hour and 45 minutes. Here are a few quick field notes on the workout:
Frank Darby suffers left leg injury
Senior wide receiver Frank Darby was forced out of Thursday’s practice after he suffered a lower left leg injury during 7-on-7 work.
Darby managed to limp off the field under his own power and was checked out by an Arizona State athletic trainer in the medical tent. He appeared to be in good spirits and stopped to talk with a young kid despite his injury.
Darby later donned a walking boot and rejoined his teammates on the sideline. There is no update on his status for Saturday’s full pads practice.
Freshman running backs looking solid
After the departure of two-time All Pac-12 First Team tailback Eno Benjamin, Herm Edwards has a hole to fill alongside incoming sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Freshman running back DeaMonte Trayanum lined up alongside Daniels for the majority of 11-on-11 work at the end of practice. He was moving well, displaying good vision and agility.
Daniyel Ngata spent most of his time with freshman gunslinger Trenton Bourguet, at one point managing to snatch a defender’s ankles after catching a pass out of the backfield.
Ngata, a consensus four-star recruit out of Folsom, Calif., was ranked as the No. 7 running back recruit in the country by ESPN.
He accumulated 4,176 all-purpose yards his three-year varsity career at Folsom High School, averaging over 8.4 yards/carry and scoring 52 total touchdowns.
Jack Jones remains physical despite non-contact jersey
Senior cornerback Jack Jones has sported a bright green non-contact jersey for the first three practices, but that hasn’t hampered his physicality one bit.
Jones was seen embracing contact at numerous points on Thursday, bumping into ballcarriers and remaining competitive with the team’s receivers at the line.
The 5’11” Jones, who transferred from USC last season, is coming off a stellar junior season in which he led the Sun Devils with 13 pass breakups. That mark tied with Washington defensive back Elijah Molden for first in the Pac-12.
N’Keal Harry returns to Kajikawa
New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry was in attendance during Thursday’s practice.
Look who showed up! 😈
— Cole Topham (@HamAnalysis) February 27, 2020
New England Patriots WR @NkealHarry15 is in Tempe for ASU spring football practice. pic.twitter.com/7sBVBJasiC
N’Keal Harry, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, recorded 2,889 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns over his three-year career with the Sun Devils.
He spent most of the practice reuniting with old teammates and talking with members of the football staff.
Arizona State has 11 practices remaining before their Spring Game on March 28. Stay tuned to Cronkite Sports for continuing coverage.
