With spring practice underway for ASU football, the receiver group is hearing something they didn't last spring — every practice, receiver coach Hines Ward yells at his receivers to finish the rep.
Ward was hired last year in the middle of spring practice, so it didn't give the receivers time to build relationships beforehand. This year is different as Ward makes his presence known each day. Redshirt junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson feels it on the practice field.
"I'm on Jordyn's butt every day," Ward said. "As great as he is, I still think there's a lot of room that he can become even better than what he is. So it's just about (maturing) to becoming more of a leader."
Ward pushed every receiver to finish through a rep, and specifically Tyson. One day, he ran a drill where receivers ran a curl route around a hula hoop to stay as close as possible to the hoop. Ward made sure to give Tyson pointers after and he fixed his mistake, earning a loud affirmation by his coach.
"He tells me what to expect," Tyson said. "He kind of got mad at me today for showing a little passion and talking a little bit of mess."
Tyson caught two straight touchdown passes in a team red zone period on the first day of spring camp.
Tyson is expected to grow as a player with him and redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt teaming up again. Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo is among those believers, as he knows Tyson and Leavitt have a special connection.
"There's no replacement for experience," Arroyo said. "There's just no substitute for it. You got a quarterback coming into year two in the system, you got a wide receiver coming in year two in the system … It's going to slow down for the players, and they're going to start to play faster and freer."
Tyson accounted for 54% of all yards by ASU receivers last season. Regardless, head coach Kenny Dillingham made the emphasis on getting new receivers clear when the transfer portal opened. The goal was crushed this offseason.
ASU picked up three receivers and four recruits from the transfer portal. Redshirt sophomore Noble Johnson from Clemson, redshirt freshman Jaren Hamilton from Alabama and redshirt junior Jalen Moss from Fresno State came in as transfers. Chance Ables, Harry Hassman, Cory Butler Jr. and Uriah Neloms are new recruits.
Moss is seeing first-team reps in the slot and alongside redshirt sophomore receiver Derek Eusebio, who caught a 64-yard touchdown against UA last season. Moss made 48 receptions for 563 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs last season, as well.
Redshirt senior receiver Malik McClain is seeing reps opposite Tyson. McClain redshirted midseason in 2024 and is competing with Hamilton for the starting spot.
"The guys got great chemistry with everybody already," McClain said. "We all hang together and break bread. It's good; coming out here on the football field is just (hanging) with the guys."
There were a lot of reasons for a wide receiver to come to ASU. The loss of Melquan Stovall, Xavier Guillory and Jake Smith opened up opportunities for new arrivals. The receiver room is also coached by an NFL legend.
"I'll say coach Ward," Johnson said, explaining why he came to ASU. "I've always looked up to him as a receiver and I've always studied his film. I love his mentality when it comes to playing the game."
Seeking talent in the portal is challenging, primarily recruiting guys like Hamilton and Johnson, who were on those Power Four rosters but didn't see any playing time. The two combined for just three receptions in 2024.
Ultimately, ASU decided to take swings on young players who still have much to prove. Coming into Dillingham's culture, it's evident Johnson, Hamilton and Moss love the game and are ready to get to work.
"With going back and doing that evaluation and watching some of their high school tapes, you saw some of the skill sets on why they went to Clemson, why they went to Alabama and why they went to Fresno State," Ward said. "I say 'Hey, you want an opportunity to play alongside Jordyn Tyson. … They wanted to be coached beside a guy who's done it."
Edited by Jack Barron, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
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Daniel is a senior studying sports journalism. This is his first semester with The State Press. He has also worked at WCSN, OC Riptide, 1550 Sports and AZPreps365.
