Hargis trying to learn in a hurry
April 9th, 2008, 9:59 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
Jon Hargis
Jon Hargis had every reason to believe that his football career at Arizona State would play out as a defensive lineman after a move to offense last spring lasted all of one practice.
That belief was fortified in the fall, when the Mesa Red Mountain High product, serving as a backup defensive tackle, showed improvement as the season went on. After suffering a separated shoulder against UCLA, Hargis was lauded as a tough guy, as he not only finished that game but played in the year’s three remaining contests.
Expecting to compete for a starting spot at defensive tackle in 2008, Hargis instead received news during the offseason that he was getting another stint on offense. Since then, he has undergone a crash course at left tackle that has intensified since the start of spring drills.
“It was a little surprising to be making the switch,” said Hargis, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound sophomore. “I started out as filling a gap on the defensive line, but I really progressed. I was going to be fine with anything that the coaches decided, though, and this is going to be the best move for me and the team.”
Completely revamping his mechanics in the trenches has been an exercise in patience for Hargis. On defense, he rushed on his toes. On offense, he often backs up on his heels, making sure to keep his feet spread apart. On defense, he tried to drag an opposing lineman aside. On offense, he tries to push him away.
What’s more, there are all kinds of protection calls and reads to learn.
The fact that Hargis is frequently assigned to block Dexter Davis, ASU’s best rush end, has not made the on-the-job training easier. But the coaches have shown enough faith in Hargis to give him most of the first-team snaps this spring, ahead of junior college transfer Tom Njunge and redshirt freshman Mike Marcisz.
“It’s been good and hard,” Hargis said. “The hardest thing is not getting frustrated. There are a lot of new things, technique-wise. But it’s coming along. I’m feeling more comfortable this week. It’s coming along for me in a lot of areas.
“I wasn’t expecting to be first team, but I’m doing my best to go with it. I’m trying to seize the opportunity, as they say.”
Randy Shannon
More than a decade after he left the Miami (Fla.), Erickson has an opportunity to directly influence what the Hurricanes will do on the field in 2008. Second-year Miami coach Randy Shannon and many of his offensive assistants are visiting Tempe to brainstorm with Erickson and the ASU staff.
Some of the assistant coaches attended Wednesday’s practice. Shannon — who from 1991-97 was a graduate assistant, defensive line coach and linebackers coach at Miami — was due to arrive in the evening, and the Hurricane contingent will stay through Friday.
“They wanted to exchange ideas,” Erickson said. “It will be good to see Randy and sit down and talk.”
Miami’s spring drills ended in March.
Information sharing between coaches from different schools is commonplace, though typically not among conference rivals. For example, Ohio State’s coaches traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to pow-wow with their Florida counterparts in the summer of 2006, months before the teams played in the Bowl Championship Series title game.
Erickson said that his defensive coaches engage in such sessions, sometimes with as many as five other staffs at a time.
“You can’t stand still, you have to keep learning, or you are going to get your rear end beat,” Erickson said.
A handful of players hobbled off the practice field on Wednesday, including tight end Dane Guthrie (shoulder), wide receiver Chris McGaha (leg), defensive end Luis Vasquez (ankle) and safeties Jonathan Clark (shoulder) and Jarrell Holman (back). With 10 practices down and five remaining, it is that time of spring when injuries can pile up.
After Thursday’s practice and Saturday’s scrimmage, players should have time to heal. The final week of drills has just three sessions, one on Tuesday, a non-pads workout on April 17 and the spring game on April 19.
The injuries have especially hit the defensive line, which was further depleted on Wednesday with Davis’ absence due to class. After Vasquez departed, the first-team line consisted of ends Jamarr Robinson (a converted linebacker) and James Brooks and tackles David Bertrand and Jonathan English. Of those four, only English has played in a game on the defensive line at ASU.
Starting DT David Smith, who has been out with a concussion, should return Thursday.
“You go with the guys you’ve got,” Erickson said. “When you have injuries, you try to develop some depth. You have to remember it’s the spring. I’ve had to remember that over the years, because I’m so competitive. Guys got hurt, and you’d get upset because you can’t do things.
“But it’s the spring. There will be guys that are hurt, and you can’t do anything about it. (The NCAA) set the rules at 15 practices, and it was probably right to do that.”
