Arizona State OL LaDarius Henderson talks new culture amid low expectations

Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson has been with the team since 2019 and is no stranger to experiencing personnel and cultural changes within the program.

After an unforgettable offseason for ASU that included the team losing coaches due to the recruiting scandal and multiple starters from last year leaving via the transfer portal or NFL, expectations for the Sun Devils are quite low.

As the team aims for a cultural reset, head coach Herm Edwards in February mentioned Henderson as a leader when talking to Bickley & Marotta. Edwards said Henderson had eight of his teammates on the practice field working voluntarily on a Saturday morning.

Four months later, with ASU reeling from high roster turnover due to transfers and the Pac-12 reloading around them, Henderson isn’t worried one bit about where the Sun Devils stack up.

“I feel like they should be worried about us, but they’re not, let’s be honest,” Henderson said in a Zoom meeting with reporters on Wednesday. “We are more internally worried about things than externally for now.”

Arizona State lost former starting quarterback Jayden Daniels to LSU as the Sun Devils attempt to bring new leadership to the table with transfer Emory Jones set to take over quarterback duties. New offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas is set to takeover for Zak Hill amid the recruiting scandal.

While Jones is the current favorite to be the team’s starting quarterback in the fall, he will continue to compete with Paul Tyson and Trenton Bourguet as the offseason progresses.

“(Jones) has a really good character and personality. I personally feel like if he steps into a leadership role, there wouldn’t be a bat of an eye from many people on the team,” Henderson said.

ASU lost offensive lineman Dohnovan West, Kellen Diesch, Ezra Dotson-Oyetade, Henry Hattis and Jarrett Bell due to the transfer portal and the NFL.

The Sun Devils added offensive linemen Emmit Bohle, Des Holmes and Chris Martinez from this year’s transfer portal. With that being said, the only returners Arizona State will have from last year’s offensive line are Henderson and Ben Scott.

While it’s still early, Henderson is already excited about what his new teammates have to offer.

“The mentality with this offensive line might be the best we have had yet,” Henderson said.

He also mentioned two key elements as to what it will take for ASU to be competitive this season.

“If your players buy in and do their jobs, that’s how you win football games. That’s all it is,” Henderson said.