ASU spring football photos - 2019

Michelle Gardner | The Republic | azcentral.com

Thursday night's practice at Sun Devil Stadium will cap off ASU's spring football session, which was held six weeks earlier than in previous years.

A common theme throughout was the Sun Devils' lack of depth as several players were still rehabbing from injuries while a handful of others who saw time in a reserve role last season had transferred elsewhere in hope of finding more playing time.

The Sun Devils will be in better shape come the fall with all of the injured players expected to return and the addition of athletes from their most recent high school signing class.

Here's a quick look at five athletes who could have a significant impact moving forward. We won't include the quarterbacks since there are still four in the hunt for the starting spot and plenty has been written about them to this point:

Tyler Whiley, safety

Cheryl Evans/The Republic

The Chaparral High product was having an outstanding fall last year when he sustained a broken leg and ligament damage which spelled the end of his season in which he was expected to be the starter at the Tillman safety position.

Last week, the NCAA granted Whiley a sixth year of eligibility allowing him to play this season. The senior missed the early portion of spring drills while finishing his rehabilitation, but was able to participate some the last two weeks. Whiley, 6-foot, 217 pounds, returned about two months ahead of schedule, which has the Sun Devils' brain trust excited about his potential.

If he doesn't play at the Tillman spot, a hybrid of a linebacker-safety, he could start at safety.

Michael Turk, punter

Last season, junior Michael Sleep-Dalton averaged 43.8 yards per kick, ranking him 23rd in Division I punters, but he was among the handful of Sun Devils who put their names into the transfer portal.

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Never fear ASU faithful, the position appears to be in good hands with a transfer from Lafayette College who sat out in 2018. Turk, who averaged 42.7 yards per punt in 2017 at Lafayette, has been waiting in the wings and has worked on his kicking in the last year while not playing in games. The 6-foot-1 sophomore's kicks during the spring have been impressive.

Turk's uncle, Matt Turk, was an NFL punter for 17 seasons, which included a stint with the New York Jets in 2002, when Herm Edwards was their head coach.

Khaylan Thomas, linebacker

The Southern California native has seen time in a reserve role, but never seemed to reach the potential the previous coaching staff saw in him when they recruited him. Then, last year, he was overshadowed by a talented freshman class, which included linebackers Darien Butler and Merlin Robertson, who quickly established themselves as leaders of the unit.

Perhaps it was good old fashioned competition, or the realization that this is his final year, but whatever it was, Thomas has put in the work during this off-season and it has been noticed by the coaching staff as defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said the senior "looks like a completely different player." If Thomas continues to progress, the Sun Devils could boast one of the top linebacking units in the conference.

Thomas had been the backup to Butler in the middle but has seen some time at outside linebacker this spring, where an emphasis was placed on working players at multiple positions in the same unit.

Case Hatch, linebacker

Hatch, a Gilbert Perry High school alum, arrived in Tempe in January after spending the last two years serving a Mormon mission, so he was a completely unknown commodity to the Sun Devils coaching staff.

Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said a coach doesn't typically expect much from a player coming off of a mission since they haven't been active in the sport. But the 6-foot-1, 210 pound Hatch got up early every morning to work out for two hours before starting his church duties and it shows.

Dohnovan West, offensive lineman

Like the three true freshmen quarterbacks, West graduated early so he could enroll at ASU in January, which says a lot about his maturity and work ethic. It isn't common for offensive and defensive linemen to come in and get playing time right away since they are positions where considerable training in the weight room is required before one can be a factor in college, particularly at the Division I level.

The 6-foot-3, 285 pound West, yet another Southern Californian, said he is comfortable playing anywhere along the offensive front but has the most experience at tackle. He has seen some time at guard as well this spring.

ASU is blessed with a lot of experienced linemen so West will have solid talent around him from who he can learn.

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@Gannett.com or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

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