Arizona
Arizona State managing loads with spring game approaching
TEMPE — As Arizona State football enters the final week of its spring session, the Sun Devils look to be ramping up at just the right time for head coach Kenny Dillingham. Or maybe a little too much?
Managing the team’s workload was one of the main points of emphasis for Dillingham, as Thursday’s practice ended right at the two-hour mark.
Over the past few weeks, most practices have started at 9 a.m. and ended at noon.
“We monitor every movement in our player loads essentially. Our player loads have been 11% to 13% higher per practice,” Dillingham said. “The last player load was a little higher than what we wanted, which is a good thing. But we wanted to de-load them a little bit, take some helmets off and take the banging off before we have a great, hard long practice on Saturday.”
Arizona State quantifies “load” by combining yardage moved, top speeds and acceleration by position groups. Coaches use “loads” to measure how hard the team is practicing.
Dillingham and Co. can even compare workloads from last spring to this spring, which he said is 14% higher this year.
Could this defense win a championship?
Arizona State’s defense has been getting praise throughout spring from Dillingham and defensive coordinator Brian Ward.
The secondary, in particular, has had standout after standout. Whether it is Keith Abney II, Xavion Alford or Cole Martin, the secondary has shined. Add Javan Robinson’s name to the list of standout defensive backs.
Robinson, a redshirt sophomore, has already taken a leadership role in the cornerback room after transferring in from Washington State, where he played three games in Ward’s system as a freshman prior to the defensive coordinator making his way to Tempe before last year.
“I’m loving it out here, loving the atmosphere and loving our team so far,” Robinson said. “The only thing that is different is I feel like my role. Our cornerback room is really young, and I’m one of the older guys. So it was like just teaching those guys what to do, what not to do and taking those guys under my wing. That’s my role.”
Robinson praised cornerbacks coach and recruiting guru Bryan Carrington, whose coaching style he appreciates.
“He allows us to go out there and play,” Robinson said. “He allows us to make mistakes, and then he coaches up while we’re watching film. While we’re on the field, he doesn’t really say a lot to us because he wants us to go out there and feel it out ourselves and play, and then we’ll just coach it up later.”
Redshirt senior Ed Woods, who has appeared in 32 games for the Sun Devils, stressed the importance of making sure everyone does the little things right.
“I try to push the younger guys, making sure they are on time to class and doing the right things when no one is looking. That is what really matters at the end of the day,” Woods said. “Everybody is going to do the correct thing when people are looking, just making sure that they’re doing the extra stuff off the field like watching film.”
With both a veteran presence and youthful expertise, the secondary can take the defense to new heights during the 2024 season.
Spring game next Friday
Arizona State has three more practices until its annual spring game next week on April 26.
PAGE, AZ (AZFamily) — A person accused of making terroristic threats toward a northern Arizona medical facility was arrested Friday morning.
Just after 10:30 p.m., police received a report of a person calling the facility and threatening to kill staff and Native Americans, according to the Page Police Department.
Authorities said staff placed the facility on lockdown until officers identified the suspect and arrested them outside their home.
The suspect was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, threatening and intimidating, and making terroristic threats. Police have not publicly identified the person.
“The Page Police Department is grateful for and supports the medical staff’s decision to put the medical facility into lockdown until the suspect was arrested and the situation was rendered safe,” the department said in a Facebook post.
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In these four-round projections, the Arizona Cardinals don’t get a tackle until the fourth round.
We are just days away from the 2026 NFL draft, and that means some final mock drafts. What direction will the draft take the Arizona Cardinals?
Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy put together a four-round mock draft for the Cardinals. They go defense early but rebuild the offense for 2026 and moving forward, including landing their potential franchise quarterback.
Cardinals 4-round mock draft
Here are the players in the first four rounds Popejoy projects for Arizona.
- Round 1: Ohio State EDGE/LB Arvell Reese
- Round 2: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
- Round 3: Clemson WR Antonio Williams
- Round 4: Florida OT Austin Barber
What we think of the picks
The Cardinals want to trade out of the third pick and draft a tackle, so not getting a tackle until Round 4 seems unlikely, although they did meet with Barber. They do have options at right tackle for 2026 already on the roster.
Reese would be a great pick if they don’t trade back, as they badly need pass-rushing help off the edge.
Drafting Simpson seems inevitable at this point, so it has to be in a mock draft, although the feeling is they will need to go up into Round 1 again to get him.
Williams has speed and is almost six feet tall, but he does have short arms.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Due to significant injuries to the CB position last year which includes a shoulder surgery for Terrion Arnold, the Lions CB position scored a 6/10 need on my Lions Defensive Draft Need Rankings. Thus, an early-round selection of a young, healthy prospect like Keith Abney would not come as a surprise. He enters the draft with very low medical concern level.
Here is the excerpt from my medical report on Keith Abney:
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information are unverified and subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
Keith Abney, CB (21) – Arizona State
Projected round 2-3. #43 on Jeff Risdon board Feb 19.
Concern level 0/10
There is an isolated report of a hand injury but no corroborating information. Even if the hand injury is true, that’s of minimal to no long-term concern.
His availability in his final two seasons has been perfect. Overall, Abney appears to be medically clean and is at an excellent age.
He finished college with 6 INT and 21 PBU.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD
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