ASU Football: Sun Devils close out Early Signing Day, prepare for bowl

(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)

Arizona State Football defensive line coach Robert Rodriguez and multiple players spoke to the media on Friday following a week of practice in preparation for the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl against Wisconsin. The week also saw the conclusion of Early Signing Day for recruits. Here are some highlights from what was discussed.

Rodriguez proud of Johnson and Davidson, says they’ll soon make big money

In early December, the Pac-12 Conference announced its All-Conference honors, with 13 Sun Devils being awarded. Two of those players came from the defensive line, with senior defensive end Tyler Johnson making the Pac-12 First Team and senior defensive tackle D.J. Davidson making the Second Team.

“Tyler is one of those guys that – he wakes up in the morning, he opens up the covers and there’s a football right there,” Rodriguez said. “The football finds him. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Rodriguez also said that Johnson is a first-round talent peaking at an opportune time. While the defensive end will most likely rake in large figures from the NFL, Rodriguez also thinks Johnson will receive similar earnings from just playing in Arizona.

“He treated people well, he was great to the fans, and he was great to the people here,” Rodriguez said. “So he’s going to make money in this town for a long time. There’s a lot of people with a lot of money that want to have golf with Tyler Johnson, I know that.”

Johnson is also expected to play in ASU’s upcoming matchup with Wisconsin instead of preparing for the draft, which Rodriguez credited to “how much he loves being a Sun Devil.”

Davidson, a similar wrecking ball on the defensive line, is expected to play as well. Rodriguez – who’s first season with ASU came last year – said Davidson “played good” in his fourth year, but saw greatness potentially still on the horizon for him. Consequently, he challenged Davidson’s manhood and wanted more from him this past season.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound senior has stepped up to the test with a dominating year, being graded as the 20th-best defender overall and the third-highest interior defensive linemen in the Pac-12 (76.0), per Pro Football Focus. He’s also proven to be a gifted run-stopper, with 48 of his 57 total tackles – good for fifth on the team – coming on running plays, which ranks fourth in the nation among defensive interior lineman. This has all elevated Davidson into a touted NFL draft prospect.

“We’re not millionaires but we make millionaires,” Rodriguez said about his role as a coach. “To watch [Davidson] be able to say ‘I’m ready’– and also the feedback that I’ve gotten that he is ready and that there’s going to be people there (the NFL Draft) that are very interested in taking him – that’s what coaching is all about.

“I don’t want to be a chapter in their books. Just to be a footnote in that story – because it’s his victory and it’s his accomplishment – that’s what it’s all about.”

Clark ready “to show everybody what I can do” in bowl game, excited for future DB room

Injuries to ASU’s secondary have been a constant this season, resulting in redshirt sophomore defensive back Jordan Clark having to rotate around multiple positions. The Sun Devils will again have a limited unit for the Las Vegas Bowl, as senior cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Jack Jones have opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Senior safety Evan Fields’ is also likely to not play due to injury, per Sun Devil Source.

The expectations stay the same for Clark, who primarily has played nickelback this year and is expected to be relied upon more heavily with the key absences. However, the versatility comes naturally for him.

“I feel comfortable on the field,” Clark said. “Wherever they can get me on the field, wherever I can help my team best. I don’t really have a preference – I’ve played everything my entire life. I really just like to move around and do a little bit of everything.”

With all the moving parts in the defensive back room, Clark still feels strong about the future of the group and expects no dropoff in production next season. Walk-on redshirt sophomore Alijah Gammage and redshirt freshman Macen Williams saw extended time among others this year and showed potential with various first and second unit players hurt. The Sun Devils will also add junior college defensive end Dylan Hall to the roster next season, a transfer from Antelope Valley College who Clark is excited about.

Rodriguez downplays small recruiting class

Ever since the ASU program was put under NCAA investigation for recruiting violations in June, multiple high-level recruits have de-committed from ASU’s incoming recruiting class. After the first day of the December Early Signing Period, the Sun Devils had five freshman and one junior college transfer sign. The class – ranked 85th in the country by 247Sports – is currently ranked 11th in the Pac-12 and is ASU’s lowest ranked class in 247Sports history.

Yet, Rodriguez is not concerned and sees this as an opportunity for others to step up.

“It’s not about who you don’t get, it’s about who you do,” Rodriguez said. “Bringing in the wrong guys is the worst thing we can do regardless of the unknown, regardless of what’s being said, regardless of the various things that are probably going to be untrue at the end of the day.”

“And whoever bites, there’s enough good players out there and I don’t need — with all due respect, I don’t need ten different teams to agree with me to do that. Sometimes adversity gives you the opportunity to show something more that you’re about and at least what I control and what we control, and the defensive line room — we’ve always done it that way. We don’t recruit guys because of their stars, and I really don’t care about the stars …”

Rodriguez did say there’s one aspect he doesn’t like of the recruiting trail, though.

“People are just ornery on the planes, man!” Rodriguez said. “That’s the one aspect of it, is being on planes with people [who] are just crazy. Once you get there and you get to recruit and be around coaches and players, that’s all fun.”