Adjusting on the fly
Pandemic creates challenges for ASU’s new OC
The coronavirus pandemic is creating challenges for Arizona State University’s new offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
Like most of the coaches on the Arizona State staff, new offensive coordinator Zak Hill tends to look on the bright side of things.
Sure the coronavirus pandemic has presented some challenges but every NCAA team is in the same boat and while the Sun Devils can’t do a lot of things, it has allowed them to focus on others.
Hill was brought in seven months ago in place of previous offensive coordinator Rob Likens, who was let go by head coach Herm Edwards at the conclusion of the 2019 regular season.
Hill, who came to ASU after serving in the same capacity at Boise State, had to learn new personnel and install a completely different offense while
“You have to do the best you can with the circumstances you’re dealt. You have to adjust. As coaches we’re used to making adjustments and
we’re having to do it in a big way.”
Zak Hill
ASU offensive coordinator on working with players during limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic
having spring drills curtailed by the global health pandemic. It was hardly an ideal situation but it could be worse.
The Sun Devils at least got in seven spring practices, enough to give players a foundation with which to work while providing enough film for analysis purposes.
Many Pac-12 schools, including Colorado which is breaking in a new head coach, both coordinators and a new quarterback, didn’t get in any.
“You have to do the best you can with the circumstances you’re dealt,” Hill said. “You have to adjust. As coaches we’re used to making adjustments and we’re having to do it in a big way.”
Hill formerly joined the fold in January, although he was on hand for ASU’s Sun Bowl week preparations in El Paso, Texas, as an observer. The chance to join Edwards’ staff and work with an elite level quarterback in sophomore Jayden Daniels were major factors.
Some players, including Daniels, reported for voluntary conditioning workouts two weeks ago. More are expected next week. All are tested for the virus weekly.
There is still an ongoing ban on off campus recruiting. This would normally be a time in which coaches are traversing the country, visiting recruits and trying to secure pledges for the next recruiting cycle. Since the coaches can’t do that, they focus their attention elsewhere, although they are making calls and keeping tabs on prospects.
The NCAA has allowed the coaches eight hours to meet with players via zoom or whatever media platform they choose. That eight hours is divided up between the head coach, unit meetings as well as position meetings but that’s not something they usually have benefit from at all.
“We’re seeing them more right now than we would in a normal situation,” Hill said. “Normally we’re out this time of year so we don’t have a lot of face time with them so that’s been a good thing.”
The Zoom sessions can present challenges as well though. They are better than nothing but aren’t the same as being in the room with their athletes where the coaches and players have have more interaction.
“Guys are definitely more engaged and likely to ask questions when they’re in the same room,” said first-year wide receivers coach Prentice Gill. “Sometimes we’ll have two 30-minutes sessions rather than an hour in a day. I’d rather have quality time. I don’t want to beat a dead horse.”
Daniels spent the quarantine time at home in San Bernardino, Calif. He lives just 15 minutes from sophomore wide receiver Geordon Porter so the two often got together for some catch with true freshmen Johnny Wilson, Chad Johnson and LV Bunkley-Shelton sometimes coming over from the Los Angeles area to join in.
“We’re all trying to get on the same page. It’s definitely not how we imagined the off-season would go,” Daniels said. “Coach Hill has done a great job with us. We’re all doing the best we can with the situation.”
It isn’t exactly a simple offense that Hill has brought with him to Tempe either, as his colleagues have noted.
In recent years the tight ends has been a forgotten weapon in the ASU arsenal but that won’t be the case. There might be two, or even three. There will be motions, shifts, all with the goal of having to keep the defense guessing. The system relies on audibles and playactions which puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback and his wide receivers.
So yes there is a learning curve for those on that side of the ball.
“He brought some funky stuff,” laughed defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce during a press conference in the spring. “He’s got a lot going on there.”
ASU ran a more conservative offense last year because of the hand it was dealt. Sure there were some veteran weapons in running back Eno Benjamin and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, both of whom have gone on to the NFL, but Edwards didn’t want to put too much on the plate of his rookie quarterback, especially because Daniels had two true freshman on the line in front of him.
But Hill is ready to turn his quarterback loose and let him do what he does best. The Sun Devils are coming off an 8-5 showing that included that Sun Bowl win. Most projections have them pegged second in the South Division behind only USC.
“This offense definitely plays to his strengths,” Hill said. “He is dangerous even when a play breaks down. We’re going to be a very tough team to prepare for . ... ”