ASU football Monday practice report: Shawn Slocum's impact, depth chart, more

Arizona State opened Game Week with a Monday morning practice.

My report

Coach Todd Graham's opening statement to media: Graham did not talk after practice because he had his weekly news conference.

Graham's post-practice pep talk to team: NA.

Attire: Pads.

Media access: 15 minutes.

Personnel

Out: WR Cameron Smith (knee, out for season); OL Dillon Faamatau (knee, out for season); WR Jalen Harvey (collarbone, 15 days); WR Tim White (hand/wrist, 15 days).

Limited: TE Grant Martinez (ankle, 22 days); OT Sam Jones (knee, eight days).

Notes: White -- who ran with the first team before his injury -- ran during warm-ups, but still has a cast on his left hand. Martinez also did some running during warm-ups and appears closer to returning.

Shawn Slocum's impact

Among ASU's top priorities: improving special teams. In March, Graham hired Shawn Slocum -- who had spent the previous eight seasons coaching special teams with the Green Bay Packers -- to help turn things around.

At his Monday news conference, Graham called Slocum "one of the best football coaches I've ever worked with."

"I knew he was a really, really good football coach, and he's exceeded my expectations," Graham said.

Not just with special teams, but how ASU runs its daily operations, as well.

"I can tell you this," Graham said. "It's night and day. The preparation for the special teams and the meetings and the teaching and the progression that he's brought has been phenomenal. And then situationally we're just farther ahead. Time management and game-day operations ... even from play-calling and sequencing and all those things that happen in the game, he worked directly with the head coach there, and I think he really brought a lot of expertise in that area of just being proactive."

Example: In the game's final two minutes, ASU will have a person in the press box that is simply in charge of time management. That person will work with Graham, offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson down on the field.

"Coach Slocum will oversee all that," Graham said. "I love it because I love learning and I've learned an awful lot from him here in a short period of time."

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Back-up breakdown

Like he has for most of the preseason, Graham said he remains concerned with ASU's back-up quarterback situation. Redshirt freshman Manny Wilkins runs with the second team, while freshmen Brady White and Bryce Perkins are in position to redshirt.

All have showed flashes, just not consistency. Bercovici broke down the strengths of each:

-Wilkins: "What he can do with his feet is so natural when plays break down, and that's what makes him unique. ... He's still learning the basic part of football, and that's what makes him such a great football player. He can do what he can do, and he has so much more room to grow."

-White: "Brady came in during the spring. Our heads were turning with how much he knew from the offense -- someone that comes in for two weeks isn't supposed to know what he knew. He's obviously got an incredible arm, incredible feet for moving in the pocket. He's going to be a pretty dynamic quarterback."

Perkins: "What Bryce did this fall camp was unlike any freshman quarterback that I've seen come through here. If Coach Norvell made a change in his stance, the next day you wouldn't have to ask him to change his stance. The little things that he took from day-to-day during camp was extremely impressive for a freshman."

Depth chart

Here is how ASU lined up during the team period open to media:

OFFENSE

WR Devin Lucien/Ellis Jefferson

WR De'Chavon Hayes/Gary Chambers

WR D.J. Foster/Frederick Gammage

LT Evan Goodman/Zach Robertson

LG Christian Westerman/scout team

C Nick Kelly/scout team

RG Stephon McCray/Connor Humphreys

RT Billy McGehee/Quinn Bailey

TE Kody Kohl/Raymond Epps

QB Mike Bercovici/Manny Wilkins

RB Demario Richard/Jacom Brimhall

Notes: Senior Vi Teofilo is the starter at right guard; McCray often lines up there during the first team period. McCray is pretty much ASU's back-up at right guard, left guard and center.

PHOTOS: ASU depth chart

DEFENSE

End Edmond Boateng/JoJo Wicker

Nose Demetrius Cherry/Renell Wren

DT Viliami Latu/Tashon Smallwood

Devil Antonio Longino/Alani Latu

Spur Laiu Moeakiola/Marcus Ball

SAM Salamo Fiso/Chans Cox

WILL Christian Sam/DJ Calhoun

BC Lloyd Carrington/Kareem Orr

BS Jordan Simone/James Johnson

FS Armand Perry/Chad Adams

FC Kweishi Brown/Solomon Means

Notes: Moeakiola (ankle) may not be 100 percent, but he has lined up with the first team the past few days, an indication he should be good for Saturday. Boateng and Wicker still appear to be battling for the starting spot at end. Wicker and Orr are the only freshmen on the defense's two deep.

News, notes and observations

-ASU has more than 11,500 alumni in Texas, its third-largest alumni base outside of Arizona (232,000) and California (39,000). Even so the Sun Devils know Saturday's game in Houston -- located about 90 miles from Texas A&M's campus -- will be more like an away game. That means a lot of noise. ASU's plan to limit the noise: Limit explosive plays defensively and sustain drives offensively.

-During Graham's news conference, media asked a lot of questions about Bercovici. At one point, Graham said the fifth-year senior quarterback just seems a lot older than everybody else. I asked ASU's media-relations staff if Bercovici was the oldest player on the roster. Turns out, he's not even close. Junior linebacker Brandon Mathews recently turned 25. Bercovici is 22.

-Unlike Friday, freshman Terrell Chatman was not in a scout-team jersey.

-Bercovici on junior running back De'Chavon Hayes, one of ASU's fastest players. "You got to make sure you're conditioned when you play 'Gump' because every play he's going 150 percent it feels like." An issue Hayes has had: drops.

Up next

ASU practices at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. All sessions are closed to the public.

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