Cote ready to start at center for Sun Devils
For Cade Cote, playing time has been a long time coming. The 6-foot-3, 296pound lineman came to Arizona State from Williams Field High School, but has seen action in only a handful of games in a backup capacity.
Now it looks like Cote is headed for a lead role for the first time.
Over the past week, Cote has been getting first-team reps at center. A void was created at that position when incumbent Cohl Cabral, an NFL draft prospect there, had to move to left tackle to replace senior Zach Robertson, who is out indefinitely with what the coaching staff has termed “personal matters.”
Redshirt freshman Jarrett Bell and true freshman Dohnovan West have also worked at center since the Sun Devils took to the field on July 31 to start preparation for their Aug. 29 opener against visiting Kent State.
But the way playing time has been distributed the past two weeks seems to indicate Cote has the center position for now.
“I’m really excited about the chance to play,” he said. “You always have to stay ready because you never know when your chance is going to come so I think I’m up for the challenge.”
Cote’s presence gives ASU an offensive front consisting of five seniors, which should benefit true freshman quarterback starter Jayden Daniels, with Cote joining Cabral, Alex Losoya at left guard, Roy Hemsley at right guard and Steven Miller at right tackle.
“When you have a new quarterback there are some quirks you have to work out,” Cote said. “There are some things they haven’t seen in high school but they’re quick learners and they will make the adjustment. They are doing well.”
Cote added that because the starting linemen are seniors, they’re a particularly tight unit. He is especially close to Miller, who played at Gilbert High. The two played against each other in both football and basketball, and they committed to the Sun Devils about the same time.
“We’re all on the same page and we communicate well,” Cote said of the unit. “That just comes from being together our whole time here.”
Cote had seven Division I offers, four of those from Pac-12 schools. He grew up watching ASU games so the opportunity to play in Tempe was something he couldn’t pass up.
He played right tackle exclusively in high school, but then-ASU offensive line coach Chris Thomsen asked him to work on snapping the ball before he arrived. He did just that and spent his early years at ASU shuffling between center and guard despite getting little playing time.
“I will play whereever they need me,” he said, after a night practice earlier this week. “Guard is a little more fun because you don’t have to worry about the calls but center is fun, too, because you have to make sure everyone is on the same page and you’re the guy that starts the action. I feel comfortable at either spot.”
All have appreciated his work ethic and dedication, even when he wasn’t playing. He was given a shirt that read “Iron Devil” on the front and has a picture of a forklift on the back.
“(Cote) has really come a long way,” offensive line coach Dave Christensen said. “He really hasn’t had a lot of playing time but we liked what we saw out of him in the spring. He was a very pleasant surprise.”
“I’m really excited about the chance to play. You always have to stay ready because you never know when your chance is going to come . ... ”
Cade Cote, ASU center, who appears to be the front-runner for a starting role