Autzen Zoo Pac-12 Preview: Arizona State Ushers In New Quarterback
Herm Edwards believes he has the right players in place at Arizona State to compete in 2019, but one player will tell the tale.
The Arizona State Sundevils will turn to a true freshman at Quarterback. Jayden Daniels takes over for graduated Manny Wilkins who finished his fifth season of eligibility in 2018. He helped push Arizona State to the second-best Offense in the Pac-12 Conference. Fall Camp was a challenge.
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It was a four-headed monster pushing for the starting job and Wilkins took the starting spot. He is high school resume speaks for itself accounting for over 14,000 passing yards at his California High School. He also accounted for over 3600 yards on the ground.
One of the toughest parts of working in a new signal-caller is the playbook. It will likely not be as big as it was when Wilkins was in control of the Offense, but it will be built gradually as the season progresses. I expect that Jayden Daniels will be a known name in the Pac-12 by the end of September and one that teams in the Conference will have plenty of film on.
Running Back Eno Benjamin will also likely see an increased role in 2019. With N’Keal Harry now gone to the NFL, opposing teams will do their best to make Arizona State one-dimensional on Offense. Edwards and his staff will certainly find ways to get the ball out of Daniels hands, but there will be growing pains early in the season.
The Sundevils Defense will have to pull some weight early in the season. There is quite a bit of talent there as well including Aashari Croswell. The Safety has something to prove after a rough start last season and should be ready to step up early in 2019.
The Arizona State Sundevils open the 2019 season on Thursday hosting Kent State. (7 pm Pacific Time, Pac-12 Network)