ASU Football: Offensive line another position group adjusting to changes

(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)

As spring ball reaches its conclusion, turmoil started to rear its ugly head for Arizona State Football’s offensive line on a very touchy subject: Fashion.

“When it comes to the O-line, it’s not even a question,” sophomore offensive lineman Isaia Glass said on the Sun Devils’ fashion hierarchy. “I tried to get [senior offensive lineman Ladarius Henderson] to put some tights on, [but] he don’t want to do anything. No one cares.”

Glass was adamant about the O-line’s disrespect when it comes to fashion from other teammates or the coaching staff during Wednesday’s press conference, providing the negative stigma directed toward his position as reasoning. The San Tan Valley-native tries to show out whenever he can to give his fellow lineman a good reputation in the fashion game. However, junior linebacker Eric Gentry told PHNX Sports that Glass was one of the players on the roster who “thinks they have drip, but don’t.”

Still, for some, like redshirt senior offensive lineman Spencer Lovell, they can get sick of the underclassman constantly taking outfit pictures at his locker.

“It does get annoying,” Lovell chuckled on the routine pictures by Glass. “He’s a good dude. He’s all about his outfits and his fits and stuff. I love the kid, but it gets a little annoying sometimes.”

Despite the deter from teammates, Glass has been persistent on his journey for respect. Glass mentioned that there is hope for the future, with redshirt freshman offensive lineman Armon Bethea helping him in his cause for empowerment with lineman’s fashion.

It’s a sentiment that Bethea co-signed.

“[Glass] was right on the money with that,” Bethea said.

While the internal fashion debate for this ASU team is entirely lighthearted, it has been beneficial for the group to build chemistry among generations, like the veteran leaders in Lovell and Henderson and the animated young guys like Glass and Bethea.

The Sun Devils’ offensive line had some significant holes opened this past offseason with the departure of three starters in center Dohnovan West, tackle Kellen Diesch and guard Henry Hattis. All were tremendous talents and offer severe blows to the team’s overall success in the future, leaving the team, for the moment, without a vocal leader. However, Lovell seems ready to step up.

“It’s trying to teach little stuff to [young teammates], whether it be the alignment of the defense, what they might do or things we see on the field like blitzes and whatnot,” Lovell said. “So, I think it’s just passing on knowledge, and with the transfers coming in, it’s just getting everyone on the same page and every practice we have to earn. We can’t just go out there and be lackadaisical.”

The two offensive lineman transfers that ASU grabbed in the transfer pool were Mammoth redshirt senior Emmitt Bohle and San Diego State graduate student Chris Martinez. Both will provide crucial experience to pass on to ASU’s younger guys while helping avoid any drop-off in talent on the field.

West and Diesch were voted to All-Pac-12 Conference second team honors in 2021. As a result, expectations are high for the transfers and the young guys to fill those cleats. However, even with those key players gone, their effect is still apparent with the teachings they bestowed upon the team heading in 2022.

“I got to get a little bit of the game field, but also watch a guy who’s about to get drafted,” Glass said on his role last year. “So, I feel it was the best of both worlds to sit back and learn but also get a good taste of what it’s like to play out there.”

The learnings from past Sun Devils’ have made a huge impact early on in spring practice. The team understands the importance of ironing out any imperfections before the beginning of the season in the fall. Lovell understands how imperative these times are for him as an individual, describing how he loves to analyze any weaknesses in his game.

It’s a mindset he’s passed on to his inexperienced teammates, ensuring that by the time fall arrives, ASU is in step with one another and will be at their peak performance. Nonetheless, the team is still far from where they want to be, especially with the adjustment period needed for players switching positions, like redshirt junior Ben Scott moving from tackle to center.

“It’s not my first rodeo at the center during the Spring,” Scott said. “I went back to the center two springs ago when Cody [Shear] wasn’t sure if he was coming back, so it’s like going back to where I was originally. It’s not too bad, working next to [Henderson] and working next to Spencer and Chris and all those guards next to me. It’s just building that chemistry again.”

Scott has had a smooth transition to adjusting his game to fit the holes in the offensive line, precisely the type of player ASU needs to succeed in its offensive protection. But again, the message from all the linemen seems to be that it’ll take time to rebuild up to the level of talent and chemistry that the line had last year.

While there lays many questions for this Sun Devils’ group up front – whether it be their chemistry, starters, or even fashion, the group is in a rebuild. It begins at the top with Lovell and Henderson leading the way to cement ASU’s offensive line. It’s a challenge that both have trained for and showcased so far in the Spring.

Despite that, the Sun Devils are still considered underdogs heading into 2022, but for the past few weeks, it seems like a mantra that the team has welcomed in, something that was reaffirmed by Lovell.

“I love that mentality,” Lovell said. “I love people thinking we’re not going to be great and shutting them up. It’s a great position to be in.”