Sun Devils’ Defensive Backs Poised for Improved Season

(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)

An Arizona State football staffer reminded his defensive backs the importance of taking advantage of fortuitous scenarios during an individual period of a practice at the Kajikawa Practice Fields.

“Picks are hard to come by,” he said. “Get the easy ones.”

This rang especially true for a team that finished with only five interceptions, the fewest in the Pac-12, in 2023. What’s more is that the Sun Devils forced six fumbles a season ago for a grand total of 11 turnovers created on the year. Only five picks in 12 games weren’t ideal, but the lack of overall takeaways from the defense stood out to head coach Kenny Dillingham.

“You’ve got to be a good player in a good position to make a play, right?” Dillingham said. “But creating fumbles is a lot of effort. You’ve got to harrass the football 24/7, you’ve got to run to the football… They’re going to play the game with violence every single time… I think that’s something we emphasize in terms of takeaways, is swarm the ball.”

However, second-year growth under Dillingham has been evident across the board, and the secondary is no exception to that. With a balance of several strong additions and promising returners, ASU’s defensive backs appear poised to make life difficult for any receiver they face.

“They’re a scrappy group,” defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington said. “A lot of these guys have short-space quickness. They have twitch, they have long speed. They’re really able, from an athletic standpoint, to challenge the entire route tree… We just have better athletes on our roster right now.”

Throughout the offseason, there was a significant turnaround within the defensive backs room, especially among key contributors. Safety Jordan Clark, the team’s leader in pass breakups in 2023, transferred to Notre Dame for his graduate season. Rising redshirt senior cornerback Ed Woods created another void when he took his talents to Michigan State. Starting corners Ro Torrence and Demetries Ford, along with safety Chris Edmonds, each tried their luck in the NFL Draft, exhausting their eligibility.

So, Carrington and the rest of ASU’s staff did what any program would do when facing such circumstances: attack the portal.

Six defensive backs, five of which were rated at least three-star transfers by the major recruiting services, in addition to seven freshmen made their way to Tempe this offseason. Many of those newcomers bring a wealth of experience to ASU’s two-deep, and in the base 4-2-5 defense utilized by defensive coordinator Brian Ward, there are several that can see the field this fall.

Admittedly, there were several questions surrounding what such a new group would look like once the practice jerseys were swapped for full pads and game uniforms. But as fall camp concluded, the Sun Devils’ defense backs appear to have met the expectations placed on them — at least for now.

“Going into fall camp, that was one of my ‘what are they going to be?,’” Dillingham said. “We’ve got some good balance there, but what I like is that position is not just based off of the talent level. Those guys are really savvy football players, and savvy players create tipped balls, savvy football players create takeaways because they’re savvy.”

Laterrance Welch (LSU) and Javan Robinson (Washington State) are two third-year corners who have viable shots at starting for the Sun Devils in 2024, each with more than 10 collegiate games under their belt despite not being the No. 1 options at their respective schools. Sophomore Keith Abney II, who recorded an interception and two tackles in eight games for the Sun Devils last fall, is looking to build off of a promising freshman campaign.

“All of those guys have played a lot of football before, but they haven’t started,” Ward said. “We feel really good about that position right now and the growth, and the competition is really driving the performance in that room as well. (I’m) excited to see what those guys are going to do.”

There are a few additional cornerbacks in the mix to start this season. Basha High School product Cole Martin is coming off a strong freshman season at Oregon where he logged 20 tackles and a pick, and his football IQ has been revered by Dillingham. Rodney Bimage Jr., a consensus three-star prospect in the 2024 class, has impressed during the fall and could very well see reps during his first collegiate year, avoiding the scout team prior to the week one game against Wyoming.

Perhaps ASU’s most important defensive player is graduate safety and second-year Sun Devil Shamari Simmons, who paced the squad in total (73) and solo (54) tackles, played the eighth-most snaps (796) in the Pac-12 and garnered the team’s Defensive MVP honors in 2023. After sitting out the past two seasons — last year due to the NCAA denying his waiver as a two-time undergraduate transfer — redshirt junior Xavion Alford will see game action for the first time since recording 31 tackles, two deflection and three interceptions for USC in 2021.

“(Simmons’) just a football player,” Ward said. “What that means is he’s very football smart. HIs IQ is very, very high. He’s the type of guy you literally tell him how to do it, what he’s doing wrong. He won’t even ask a question or acknowledge it. He’s just going to get it right.”

Transfers Myles Rowser (New Mexico State) and Kamari Wilson (Florida) add even more depth at the safety position. Wilson saw the field sparingly for the Gators in 2023 despite recording 39 tackles and a forced fumble the year prior while Rowser logged 70 tackles, second only to linebacker and fellow ASU transfer Keyshaun Elliott, and a pick for an Aggies team that won eight games for the first time in nearly six decades.

Of course, it remains to be seen how the Sun Devils’ secondary will fare once it meets a run-heavy Wyoming offense that finished towards the bottom of the Mountain West for most categories in 2023. However, all signs point to the defensive backs showing vast improvement from the year prior as it looks to help the team in its second campaign under Dillingham.

“We’re going to be deep, we’re going to cause a lot of turnovers,” Welch said. “We’re going to get off the field on third downs. We’re about to have fun, it’s about to be an exciting team to watch.”