(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
“We have a chance to go into the season with a steady set of five.”
These are the hopes for sixth-year senior Cade Cote and the Arizona State offensive line, something that could not be said a year ago.
Injuries, moving pieces and two true freshmen starters was the reality of Arizona State’s offensive line last season.
A lack of depth saw current sophomores Dohnovan West and LaDarius Henderson plunged into the starting lineup early on in the season, forcing them to learn ASU’s system on the fly.
While the offensive line went through some turbulence in 2019, the unit could be one of this team’s strengths this season. The Devils add two graduate transfers on the offensive line while West and Henderson are now sophomores with a year of starting experience.
Offensive line coach Dave Christensen said on Tuesday that four of the five spots, Cote, West, and graduate transfers Henry Hattis (from Stanford) and Kellen Diesch (from Texas A&M) have “solidified themselves as starters.”
The fifth spot is still up for grabs between Henderson, redshirt freshman Ben Scott, and redshirt sophomores Ralph Frias and Spencer Lovell.
“We’re really waiting for one guy to play at a higher level than the other on a consistent basis,” Christensen said. “Until one establishes that, we’ll keep the competition open.”
Cote, who was limited to just three games near the end of the season due to a broken foot suffered at the beginning of the year, was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA back in March.
Being the oldest of the group, he said he’s been the target of “old man” jokes during practice. However, he says he’s still hungry to be the best that he can be.
“The starting spot is mine to lose, but I’m going to go out every day like I’m competing for a spot,” Cote said. “I’m going to be the best center I can be for this team.”
West, who was a Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention selection last year and the 13th-best interior lineman in the conference, said he’s put on about 15-20 more pounds and is sitting at around 295-300.
Christensen still believes he can play at a better level than last season.
“[West’s] out there working hard and he should be better,” Christensen said. “He’s practicing ok, not great, but he’s practicing well. We’re going to push him on a daily basis to continue to play at a higher level.”
Hattis, who spent three years at Stanford and suffered a season-ending knee injury last year in October, says he has noticed a difference in culture so far while working out with his new team.
“This team is a lot more central-focused on one mission,” Hattis said. “I feel like now, since especially a lot of things are online due to COVID, it’s a lot easier for the team to focus on the mission on hand and getting ready for the season.”
Diesch, a 6-7 left tackle, was actually recruited by Christensen back at Texas A&M. However, Christensen departed from the program at the end of the 2015 season. Now at ASU, he is reunited with his former coach for one more year of his eligibility.
“[Christensen] recruited me in high school, but I never got a chance to play for him,” Diesch said. “Now I’m getting the chance to play for him and… I just really enjoy working with him so far.”
Much of the hype coming into the season has revolved around ASU’s skill players, new running backs and wide receivers. But the offensive line will be the first step in allowing the rest of the offense to function. That means protecting sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels and opening running lanes ASU’s three new tailbacks.
“I think they’re doing a nice job of picking up the new offense and spending time getting down the installations and executing at a high level in practice,” Christensen said of the offensive line. “I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made.”
