(Photo: Dominic Contini/WCSN)
“There is always [a] plan B. I always say a plan that can’t be changed is a bad plan.”
That line signifies the mantra that Arizona State Football head coach Herm Edwards and his team will need to embrace on multiple levels as spring football opens up. As the group tries not to backslide after the steep freefall from a rollercoaster offseason that saw a surplus of starters leave in addition to five assistants depart due to the NCAA’s investigation into the program, the Sun Devils are left scrambling away from what was their initial plan.
Edwards issued “no comment” when asked about the investigation and pivoted towards talking about the product on the field for the first day of spring football. Repeatedly, the fifth-year head coach spoke about the excitement from the shift in energy on the field Tuesday.
“You can see it, feel it,” Edwards said. “Just being around these guys for the past two months, there’s a different chemistry, a different football team.”
The unorthodox COVID-19 shortened 2020 season and the extra year of eligibility created for some as a result was a “juggling act” for Edwards. Multiple starters coming back formed a sense of security, but that led to moments of complacency, all while new acquisitions never had the time to mesh into the system, hurting the team’s chemistry as a whole.
According to Edwards, the hunger from the 26 new faces has changed that mentality. With previous starters gone, the competitiveness that open spots brings seems to have motivated returning players and new ones. This is apparent in the fact that many players have voluntarily worked out on the field during the past six Saturdays without coaches’ supervision.
While the enthusiasm is there, replacing lost pieces is no small task. The most notable departure that needs addressing is former starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, who transferred to LSU a few weeks ago. Edwards joked that it’s “not fun” finding a replacement for an established starter like Daniels.
“This year, throwing the ball out there, they’ll all get to work with the first group, and we’ll figure it out,” Edwards said of the quarterbacks on his roster. “That’s all you can do.”
Edwards thanked and wished the three-year ASU starter in Daniels luck in his future but has stayed focused on finding his replacement, whether that comes from in-house or from the transfer portal. He would “love” if the starter was out on the field Tuesday, but he doesn’t know if it’s true because of the limited sample size that he has seen on the field from redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet and Alabama transfer Paul Tyson.
Edwards believes that ASU could be similar to other Pac-12 Conference teams, like Oregon and Utah, and find an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal to come in and fill that void under center. The desire for a more experienced guy to fill the holes produced this past offseason has made the portal a tempting option.
“You can get [the hole] fixed,” Edwards said. “You can fix it. If you need a veteran guy, there is a guy out there. These guys are smart. They look at schools and go, ‘They might need this guy.'” And sometimes they call you.”
While the transfer portal brings in new faces, ASU hopes the old ones will create some familiarity. Newly promoted defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson’s history with Edwards dates back decades. Edwards trusts that he and Henderson have the chemistry that will help synergize the entire coaching staff.
“I’ve known Donnie for a long time,” Edwards said. “He was in training camp when I was with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s been around a lot of good players [and has] coached a lot of good players.”
Edwards believes the duo still have that edge and drive in coaching even at their older age. The unity from the coaching staff, and the willingness that the players have shown, help make adapting the redesign of the program’s philosophy not as much of a tall task even with the fresh faces on the staff, like offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas.
Edwards isn’t worried about a learning curve for players to comprehend the different systems.
“There aren’t new plays in football,” Edwards chuckled. “I think you’ll watch practices and see we get in the huddle. That’s fun to get in the huddle instead of looking at all the Daffy Duck and Mickey Mouse [signs] all those [other] people hold up.”
ASU had its poor moments offensively last year, scoring a combined 69 points in their four regular-season losses. Edwards chopped it up as “four bad halves” littered with 50 unforced fouls and a lull on offense that took them out of games. While similar to last year, Thomas’ system has expectations to answer those lapses of judgments in 2021.
The 2022 season will show what Plan B looks like for ASU. It’ll reveal if Edwards means his promise for change within the program for the mistakes that have plagued the team during his entire tenure. His press conference on Tuesday illustrated that the coaching staff understands that college football has changed. Whether it’s the transfer portal, recruiting or working in-house, Edwards knows that the mindset both on and off-the-field for ASU has shifted.
“We got the makings,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be fun to make it.”
