Normally, when ASU football's Clayton Smith explodes off the line, it's the stuff of nightmares for quarterbacks. A 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound mountain of a man, Smith's power and speed out of his stance drop coaches' jaws. He rumbles the earth on his way to the backfield, where he gives ball carriers a reason for their postgame ice bath.
"The dude is freaky athletic," offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, the team's offensive coordinator, said via Sun Devil Source.
But during this season's spring training, Smith used his elite athleticism to take off at the snap to the benefit of the signal-caller. He could turn out to be a quarterback's best friend.
Because at the end of those bursts, he was leaping to grab a 50-50 ball or reaching for a back-shoulder catch.
To begin ASU's spring, Smith got most of his reps at wide receiver, but for the past five years, he's served almost exclusively as a pass rusher.
It's an experiment that, if it proves fruitful, would provide the Sun Devils with yet another uber-athletic X-factor on offense, a player capable of producing a momentum-changing play in the Sun Devils' bid to return to the top of the Big 12.
Smith's role would be particularly special. It's expected that he will remain a big part of the defense as the lone returnee from last season's core rotation on the edges. But he could earn the opportunity to be a situational weapon for ASU's offense — when he's not wrecking the opponent's.
"I think he's going to be able to do something, I really do," Arroyo said per Sun Devil Source. "And it could be ugly. I mean, poor DBs. It's like lining up against the predator."
It wouldn't be the first time Smith served as a dual-threat. Back at Texas High, he played both the edge and wide receiver. But the last time he spent significant time on offense was in 2020.
Smith committed to the defensive role when he reached college. Upon his arrival in Tempe from the University of Oklahoma, he's proven capable of flourishing, as he's produced 13 sacks in his past three seasons with the Sun Devils.
He does have one catch in his college career. It was a 15-yard reception that came off a fake punt against Kansas on October 5, 2024. He would also get a sack in what ended as a 35-31 win for the Sun Devils.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham felt comfortable asking Smith to spend the first part of camp on offense due to his experience in their defensive system. He said it was the perfect time to see what impact Smith could have on that side of the ball.
"He can be a weapon if utilized in a unique way over there," Dillingham said. "It was really a combination of who we had on the defense, combined with the ability that he had to become a weapon on certain down-and-distances."
Preparing for the loss of upcoming first-round pick Jordyn Tyson, ASU has shown a focus on recruiting pass-catching talent. Their new group is highlighted by two standouts in senior Omarion Miller and redshirt junior Reed Harris.
While Colorado transfer Miller presents a great challenge in the open field — the 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound receiver mostly creates mismatches with his speed and agility — the combination of Harris and Smith in the red zone could turn out to be all-but-unstoppable. Harris stands at 6-foot-5-inches and has grabbed nine touchdowns in his past two seasons, both at Boston College.
Throughout the opening weeks of the spring, Smith proved capable of handling offensive snaps. He was able to produce multiple noteworthy receptions, showcasing his still-existing ball skills from his high school days.
"We wanted to get him to learn the offense enough to use him as a weapon in certain situations," Dillingham said. "I think he knows the offense enough that if we threw him in there, in like small packages throughout the year, he would understand the vernacular enough that it wouldn't be foreign to him."
Defense will likely continue to be Smith's primary role. Leading a mostly new edge room, including transfers redshirt senior Emar'rion Winston, senior Jalen Thompson, and JUCO product junior Kirt Vakalahi, the hope is that Smith can emerge as the defense's pass-rush leader.
"We need him back on the D-line," Dillingham said following Smith's first practice back on defense. "His edge on the D-line is something we need."
He also noted that he felt that practice, which took place on April 7, might have been the best the defense had looked all spring. He expects Smith to stay on defense for the rest of camp, barring some more situational drills.
While they have seen enough of Smith on offense for the time being, it seems highly likely he will earn at least situational opportunities on offense. In a best-case scenario, Sun Devil nation might need to get used to seeing Smith play the majority of snaps, returning to the highly effective two-way threat he presented in high school.
One thing is for sure — no matter which side of the ball Smith finds himself on, he's sure to make his impact felt.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at jakobarnarsson@gmail.com.
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