ASU offensive coordinator Mike Norvell has been heralded by many as one of the brightest offensive minds in college football.
With so many versatile pieces on the ASU football roster in 2015, it looks like Norvell will be able to show off just that.
Despite losing star wide receiver Jaelen Strong and quarterback Taylor Kelly to the NFL and graduation, the Sun Devils look to bring back many versatile weapons in what is expected to be a high-flying, innovative offense.
"I have no doubt about our ability to score points," coach Todd Graham said. "I have no doubt about our receiving corp. I wish we had Jaelen Strong back out there but that's not going to happen."
Graham reaffirmed his confidence in the receiving corp despite the loss of junior wide receiver Cam Smith for the season.
"This will be the best receiving corp we've had here," he said. "I believe offensively in our ability to score points. This will be the best offense that we've had here."
For Graham, the key is simple — innovation.
"The key is to keep being innovative," he said. "You can really think your system is innovative, start talking about how innovative you are, and they start to catch up to you. That's what we have to make sure we do — stay on the cutting edge."
With the added personnel of players such as redshirt junior running back De'Chavon "Gump" Hayes and the increased roles of sophomore running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage, Graham said to expect a new-look offense.
"We're going to look different, because we have new personnel," Graham said. "But, it's going to be exciting. ... It takes everybody (in practice) to go and try to defend it, because if you make a mistake, it goes for a long ways."
Hayes has been a star this spring, seeing action with the first- and second-team offenses while lining up at running back and wide receiver.
"He's got tremendous potential," Graham said. "We don't have two years. We don't have a freshman and sophomore year to get him ingrained in how we do things."
Hayes was forced to redshirt in 2014, which Graham sees as a blessing in disguise.
"It was a blessing to us, because he would have definitely played (in 2014)," Graham said. "We're going to get two years out of him that way. I think (the redshirt) has helped him to really get orientated to how we do things."
With Hayes and senior wide receiver D.J. Foster, the Sun Devils have a number of offensive weapons who can line up at several positions.
"We've got a lot of versatility with (Kalen) Ballage, Gump (Hayes), D.J. (Foster), obviously Demario (Richard)," Graham said. "If you don't pay attention to Demario (Richard), he'll catch screen passes and go 60 (yards) on you."
Foster, who is transitioning from running back to wide receiver during the spring, has emerged as the No. 1 target for redshirt senior quarterback Mike Bercovici.
"When D.J. (Foster) gets the ball in space, he's going to be explosive," Graham said.
Foster has enjoyed the transition.
"It's been great," Foster said. "It's a new chapter, a new challenge. I just have to focus and do as much as I can in these couple weeks of spring ball that we have and just enjoy the moment."
With Smith down, much of the onus on replacing him falls on Foster's shoulders.
"I think that we already had that pressure," Foster said. "We lost Jaelen (Strong), and I think that as a new quarterback for (Mike Bercovici) he's got to depend on us out wide. We take it as a challenge."
Both Foster and redshirt sophomore Ellis Jefferson get the unique opportunity to room with Bercovici, allowing the quarterback-wide receiver chemistry to continue to form.
"When we go home, if we have something to talk about I can see him face-to-face and we can about what happened, different strategies," he said. "To be able to watch film with Mike (Bercovici) and stuff whenever I can, it's definitely an advantage."
Additional Notes
- Graham said that the tight race for the field corner spot between senior Kweishi Brown and redshirt senior Solomon Means continues to be close.
"We have three starting corners out there," he said.
- Sophomore defensive back Dasmond Tautalatasi was in a green no-contact jersey Tuesday after being helped off the field during Saturday's scrimmage.
- Redshirt senior defensive back Jordan Simone was back in a gold limited contact jersey Tuesday after wearing the PT42 jersey each of the previous four practices.
- PT42 jerseys: 3 (Bercovici, redshirt senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington and redshirt sophomore safety James Johns)
- Unofficial "Flame" helmet count: 28
Reach the assistant sports editor at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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