Senior LB bolsters ASU defense
Khaylan Kearse-Thomas living up to lofty expectations in final year
Some players take longer to blossom than others. But the Arizona State football braintrust had to be wondering if Khaylan Kearse-Thomas was ever going to develop into the player that looked so promising as a four-star recruit out of Etiwanda High School in Southern California.
Better late than never.
Now a senior. the 6-foot-1, 224-pound linebacker is finally playing up to his potential and serving as a leader for the Sun Devils (6-5, 3-5 Pac-12), who close out the regular season against Arizona (4-7, 2-6) at 8 p.m. Saturday with Territorial Cup bragging rights on the line.
“It really feels good to be able to go out there and contribute,” Kearse-Thomas said. “No one wants to be a backup. If that’s what you’re called upon to do that’s what you do. But this year I wanted to play. I was hungry to play.”
Kearse-Thomas arrived in 2015 and spent that season and the next playing on special teams. Then he missed the next season with a knee injury and redshirted.
Last season, as a junior, he saw some time in a backup capacity, finishing with 34 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for a loss.
His best outing came in a loss to Fresno State, 31
20, in the Las Vegas Bowl when he had six tackles in the absence of freshman starter Merlin Robertson, who did not make the trip for family reasons.
That showing set Kearse-Thomas on the road to a more structured, disciplined offseason. He met with strength and conditioning coach Joe Connelly and paid close attention to the training plan prepared for him.
That meant not just working out but giving up junk food, particularly the breakfast burritos from a place near campus he loved.
Instead of eating out, he cooked his own meals, leaning toward steaks and chicken. It was not as much about losing weight but toning up and carrying the right weight.
He also spent considerable time watching game film along with linebackers coach Antonio Pierce and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.
“All of last season was I watching and wondering what I could be doing.I had to step my game up,” he said. “I wanted to do whatever it took to be out there on the field.”
He also realized that being an upper classmen wasn’t going to guarantee him playing time because he had already seen true freshmen such as Robertson and Darien Butler pass him on the depth chart.
Coach Herm Edwards made it clear the best players were going to play no matter their status.
The work Kearse-Thomas made all the difference. put in
“He’s more consistent, been the same guy every day,” Pierce said, “Last year, he would have a great day, then two bad days. Since the spring he’s been steady.”
Unlike roommates Malik Lawal and Jay Jay Wilson who hit the transfer portal looking for more playing time elsewhere, Kearse-Thomas decided to be his own advocate for more playing time since he had already invested time into the program.
His improvement came at a good time for the Sun Devils because sophomore Tyler Johnson was slowed at the start of the season by offseason shoulder surgery and has had had other nagging injuries too. So Kearse-Thomas has been needed in a lead role.
He has responded to the tune of 54 tackles, a team-high 4.5 sacks, two pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.
He was a major factor in Saturday’s 31-28 upset of No 6 Oregon with six tackles and an interception.
“It’s not about talent, he has a lot of that. He’s one of the quickest, fastest, most athletic linebackers we have,” Pierce said.
“It was more mental for him. Once he decided, ‘this is enough, I’m going to go out there and handle his business,’ the rest is history.”
When Senior Day events commence Saturday, his mother, Stacie, and brother, Kamryn, one of his three other brothers, will be in attendance along with 10 other family members.
“I’m really proud of him for sticking it out and putting the work in,” Stacie Kearse-Thomas said. “It has been worth it and he has learned a lot in the process.”