(Photo via Matt Venezia/WCSN)
A Catapult vest is a tool many football players wear under their pads to track their speed, distance, and more to help figure out their output and where they can amplify those results. For ASU’s linebacker core, they haven’t just been using it but studying the data down to the minute detail, comparing amongst themselves, seeing where the team needs to improve with the season less than a month away.
“After practice, we look at our Catapult numbers, and we like to compete,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Will Shaffer said on Friday after practice. “We see who’s lacking in speed that day or who didn’t run as fast as we need to run.”
Redshirt junior linebacker Connor Soelle has shown off the backburners early in fall camp, posting the fastest speed, according to Shaffer, but says the rest of the group will give him a run for his money the rest of the season.
“We try to beat each other all the time,” Shaffer said. “We’re a fun group. We all get along very well. We all like to have fun and compete, so on our days that we [are] not the best group, we take that [as a] hit to us. We want to be the best group every day. We try for perfection all the time.”
ASU’s 2021 linebacker core, headed by current Las Vegas Raider and former Sun Devil Darien Butler, used their explosive speed to halt any opponent before they even touched a blade of glass past the line of scrimmage. Now, in 2022, Butler is gone, but speed is still an advantage for this core as they grind away in fall camp to try and boost those skills, hopeful of converting them to success.
Heading into camp, head coach Herm Edwards mentioned that while the defensive talent as a whole is a substantial part of the team, the depth at the linebacker was not as rich as in other positions. Edwards clarified that the top of that rotation was hefty and contained an abundance of talent, and in turn, those same players have stepped up as leaders for guys lower on the depth chart to solidify ASU’s defense.
“We all work together very well, we all meet together, we make sure everyone is vocal,” Shaffer said. “That is a big thing we’ve been harping on, that [defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson] said a ton that ‘make sure when you’re making calls everybody across the defense can hear you. Don’t just say the call to one side of the field.’”
Communication is the key. The essential objective is that every defense member is on the same page together. Shaffer discussed how mistakes early in camp are beneficial for defensive chemistry. Understanding how a player reacts to a busted play and their improvisation helps build an unspoken language amongst the defense to fix those inevitable mistakes. To reach that point the Sun Devils’ defense tries to have a revolving door of players take action to ensure no wasted play.
“We can’t have an off day,” redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Joe Moore said. “We hold a higher standard to ourselves, not just on d-line but the whole defense.”
That leadership can come with or without pads, as redshirt senior defensive end Michael Matus demonstrated on Friday. While not dressed, he was on the field coaching, pulling teammates aside, giving advice, and showcasing his leadership even without equipment.
Matus wasn’t the only one getting their sneakers dirty, as fifth-year defensive back Timarcus Davis didn’t let the lack of pads stop him from making his presence felt in the secondary. Davis, similar to Matus, was active, often talking to fellow corners and working on his releases.
As a fellow defensive back, redshirt sophomore Macen Williams put it. It’s all about uplifting your peers despite the overbearing pressure of competition.
“In the DB room, we’re all brothers,” Williams said. “We’re all super close. We’re all pushing each other. We all want to win. At the end of the day, it’s about competition. It’s all about pushing the next guy to the best of their ability. Everybody knows that they’re trying to start, so even if somebody messes up, you push that person because, at the end of the day, we’re a team.”
Being behind former Sun Devil standouts like Chase Lucas and Jack Jones, Williams understands the hunger that comes from being at the bottom of the depth chart. Now, after earning a much more significant role in the secondary this year, he looks to not just elevate himself but his fellow defensive backs.
Williams understands pressure creates diamonds, and he wants the secondary to be glistering with talent. Despite the promotion and camaraderie between teammates, that hunger from Williams hasn’t left him.
“It’s all about consistency,” Williams said. “I’ve always had a big chip on my shoulder because no one ever expected me to come out on top. That pushes me every day. I think about it every day before I go on the field. I feel like I have nothing to lose, so I go on the field every day to give 110 percent.”
Williams is getting his money’s worth as, since the beginning of fall camp, the Sun Devils’ offense has been slowly improving, most notably the wide receiver core. ASU’s first practice was filled with dropped balls and never getting in sync with one another. Two weeks later, the receiving threats have woken up, making Williams’ practices more hectic. The main culprit for this has been 6’8 redshirt junior tight end Messiah Swinson who has become a thorn in the side of the Sun Devils’ secondary.
“Somebody that really has been sticking out to me is [Swinson],” Williams said. “He doesn’t drop the ball at all. One-hand, two-hands don’t matter how much contact is on him.”
Williams highlighted other offensive weapons that have to cause the secondary some trouble, like senior wide receiver Giovanni Sanders and redshirt wide receiver redshirt sophomore Chad Johnson Jr., but heavily emphasized that Swinson has had a “hell of a camp.” Swinson is just one of many tight-end talents on the Sun Devils’ roster that look to bring that power onto the field.
Swinson and the receiving core have been at the forefront of the recent offensive success in camp, but offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas believes it’s nothing to hold your hat on.
“I feel like there were some good things, but obviously, when you look back at the tape, you know the old analogy, ‘never as good, never as bad,'” Thomas said. “There’s a lot of things we can take a step back and improve on. Today was more situational. Coming out of a tight red zone, [we] got a little two minutes at the end. Trying to put a lot on them, creating some chaos, create some stress.”
While pleased to see the offense creating that foundation he has been harping on all camp, Thomas still knows that there is plenty of work to be done, especially against a defensive squad touted with players who aren’t to make it easy.
