Jaren Hamilton, Derek Eusebio among ASU WRs who need to step up with Jordyn Tyson out

TEMPE — Jordyn Tyson’s absence for Arizona State against Houston due to an apparent hamstring injury will be hugely impactful, especially given how little production the rest of his position room has put forth.

Tyson has 75% of the catches by Sun Devil wide receivers, and he leads the Big 12 in catches (57), receiving yards (628) and receiving touchdowns (eight).

Running backs Raleek Brown (25) and Kyson Brown (eight) and tight ends Chamon Metayer (21) and Cameron Harpole (eight) all have more catches the second-most productive wide receiver, Derek Eusebio (seven).

Beyond his production, ASU will miss Tyson’s chemistry with quarterback Sam Leavitt, showing up on his clutch 33-yard pickup on fourth-and-2 where both players were on exactly the same page.

“To have your lead guy go out, I think everyone understands the reality of the sport,” ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “It’s hard to replace one guy that valuable with one spot. Everyone’s gotta pick up a little bit here and there, gotta get creative.

“Obviously, a tough loss for us, but our guys have done a good job responding, coming out to work. Their attitude’s been fantastic in regards to how we’ve gone about the week and reengaged.”

Arizona State wide receivers to watch with Jordyn Tyson out

Expect ASU to lean more into rushing with a healthy dose of 12 and 13 personnel, sets with multiple tight ends. But the Sun Devils won’t pivot totally away from the passing game when Leavitt has put together some of his best games as a passer in recent weeks.

Malik McClain has gotten the most comparable snaps to Tyson (278 to 299 pass snaps), but he has nearly as many drops (four) as catches (six) across his 25 targets, per PFF.

McClain had a deep catch for a touchdown from Leavitt on the first play of a team drive in practice this week, as Leavitt worked on syncing up with the targets he will have available this week.

“He looks great at practice and does everything right and then when we get to the game, things haven’t been going as well as he would like them to go,” ASU wide receivers coach Hines Ward told Arizona Sports of McClain. “Maybe it’s just more of gaining confidence within himself, getting more acclimated, getting more time with Sam. … It’s only a matter of time.”

Because of his drops and four penalties on the season, it’d be hard to count on just McClain when there are others who have flashed, such as Eusebio and Jaren Hamilton.

Eusebio is likely the guy Leavitt trusts most at this point among available options, but Hamilton presents the highest ceiling.

Eusebio, a former walk-on, broke into the picture with a 68-yard catch against Baylor, and he’s had multiple touches in each game since. Hamilton recorded his first catch as a Sun Devil — a 44-yarder — in the win over TCU, and he added two of more than 40 yards against Texas Tech.

Hamilton had a good week of practice and has spent many practice reps throughout fall as Tyson’s direct backup within the offense, which could set him up well.

Arroyo said it’s important that no one player feels like they have to be the answer, Hamilton included.

“We all got to pick it up and carry it together and in whichever fashion we can to seal that hole a little bit,” the OC said.

Jalen Moss is an option yet to catch a ball from Leavitt this season, as a foot injury and illness kept him off the field for much of the first five games. He caught two passes from Jeff Sims at Utah, the only two of his ASU career.

Redshirt freshman Zechariah Sample could be a dark horse candidate to get on the field after he got his first career touches as a punt returner against Texas Tech, including one that went for 31 yards.

“We’ve had a chance to see him evolve and mature in the game and practice and kind of earn his opportunities,” Arroyo said of Sample. “It’s good to see a guy like that present himself and get out there on the field like last week and then be able to present himself in maybe some offensive situations to help contribute to the team.”

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