How can ASU’s defense fix its biggest shortcoming from 2024?
The ASU defense had a glaring issue in what was otherwise an excellent 2024 campaign, and it's already found headwind in improving it this spring.
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TEMPE — Most fans can probably remember the feeling as the ASU defense got virtually no pass rush through in an all-out blitz on fourth-and-13 to end the Sun Devils’ season.
It wasn’t the defense’s only mistake of the game, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad call by defensive coordinator Brian Ward — head coach Kenny Dillingham took the fall — but for many fans it’s a core lasting memory from what was otherwise a magical postseason run.
Arizona State finished the season ranked 132nd out of 134 FBS teams in pass rush grade (58.7), according to Pro Football Focus. It was the biggest blemish for a defense that ranked sixth in the Big 12 in run defense (81.4), third in points allowed (22.6) and fourth in turnovers forced (23).
Making a leap in the category will be about finishing plays, assistant defensive line coach Vince Amey told Arizona Sports on Thursday.
“Polishing up their pass rush mechanics and especially at the quarterback because that’s what it was,” Amey said. “We missed so many sacks. It’s not that they’re bad pass rushers, we missed sacks because we got to learn how to finish at the quarterback.”
Arizona State returns its top three EDGE rushers in win-rate (Justin Wodtly, Clayton Smith and Prince Dorbah) as well as all four of the EDGEs who totaled double-digit hurries in 2024 (Elijah O’Neal, who joins the trio with an extra year of eligibility thanks to the NCAA junior college ruling).
Smith, who was a top-3 EDGE in the class of 2021, has a chance to break out on a national level coming off back-to-back seasons of 4.5 sacks in Tempe.
“That’s going to be on him. He finished the season really strong last year,” Amey said. “So he has to carry that over, you know, making sure he’s staying focused on the goal and the task at hand. And if he does that and when he does that, yeah, he’s going to have a great season.”
He said the returning group has improved most in the mental aspect of the game with learning how to be a pro on the day-to-day because each of them have the goal of one day getting there.
vince amey says “the tell has already been telling” this spring with improvements made on the asu defensive line pic.twitter.com/fPSJAib4Oz
— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) April 10, 2025
Jeff Clark, a defensive lineman who was second on the team with 13 hurries, is the only rotational lineman to not return this season. Oregon transfer and Peoria Liberty alumni My’Keil Gardner is a candidate to fill the role, but he began spring sidelined with a minor foot injury.
Additionally, mainstays on the interior CJ Fite and Jacob Rich Kongaika are also currently sidelined with minor lower-body ailments, with former Texas transfer Zac Swanson taking a majority of the interior reps.
Anthonie Cooper, a Goodyear Millennium alumni who has been with the team since 2019, has also been practicing after rehabbing a torn ACL all of last season. He has 5.5 sacks over 36 games in his career.
How has the ASU defense looked against its offense in spring?
It’s bordered on dominant, as the offense has had much more moving parts than a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters.
Dillingham sang its praises on Tuesday, calling it the most impressive group in spring for its level of competition and work ethic.
“A lot of these guys are playing at the best level they’ve played at since they’ve been here,” Dillingham told reporters. “It’s why we take them out for the live periods is we already know what they can do, and I think they’re gonna be naturally better this year because of the strength and work ethic and the mindset that they’ve had.”
Sam Leavitt then relayed to reporters a conversation with linebacker Keyshaun Elliott where he called the ASU defense the best he’ll see all year.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo heaped similar praise on the unit Thursday, noting its versatility along with the talent.
“We know right now that’s a damn good defense,” Arroyo said. “It’s their third year in the system with some really dynamic players. There’s nothing better than to go against a great defense with a scheme that’s not vanilla.
“They do a lot. … There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of different fronts, a lot of recoveries, a lot of disguises. We couldn’t ask for anything more at the quarterback position than to go up against defenders like that for 15 days in spring.”
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