The Arizona State football team released its first depth chart of the 2012 season Monday night, and it included a few notable designations.
Though it came as no surprise following his recent surge, senior receiver Rashad Ross worked his way onto the first-team offense, leapfrogging redshirt junior Alonzo Agwuenu and joining senior Jamal Miles and redshirt junior J.J. Holliday as a starting receiver.
Ross started fall camp slow and fell to second team but impressed coaches during the team's practices at Camp Tontozona last week. He caught three touchdown passes in the team's Saturday scrimmage.
"I wanted to come in and show that I can be a starter and be a playmaker like last year at the end of the year," Ross said after the scrimmage. "I feel like I did a little bit, but I've still got stuff to work on."
Also of note on the depth chart were three true freshmen, all local products. It was, again, no surprise to see freshman running back D.J. Foster (from Scottsdale Saguaro High School) and freshman nose tackle Jaxon Hood (from Chandler Hamilton) listed as starters at their positions given how much coach Todd Graham has praised them throughout fall camp. He said last week they projected as starters and that held up, though Hood and junior transfer Mike Pennel are both listed as starters at nose tackle.
The other local freshman in a key role is long snapper Easton Wahlstrom, a product of Scottsdale Desert Mountain. Also on special teams, redshirt sophomore Alex Garoutte was listed as the team's starting kicker, though junior walk Jon Mora might still have a chance to win primary duties there.
The biggest depth announcement of the day came much earlier, when Graham revealed after morning practice that redshirt sophomore Taylor Kelly would start against Northern Arizona in the team's Aug. 30 season opener.
The full depth chart can be found here.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
"X" WR – Rashad Ross
"Y" WR – J.J. Holliday
"Z" WR – Jamal Miles
LT – Evan Finkenberg
LG – Jamil Douglas
C – Kody Koebensky
RG – Andrew Sampson
RT – Brice Schwab
TE – Marcus Washington
"H" WR – Chris Coyle
QB – Taylor Kelly
TB – Cameron Marshall
RB – D.J. Foster
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
"Devil" LB – Carl Bradford
DT – Will Sutton
NT – Jaxon Hood OR Mike Pennel
DE – Junior Onyeali
"Spur" LB – Chris Young
"Sam" LB – Steffon Martin
"Will" LB – Brandon Magee
"Boundary" CB – Osahon Irabor
"Boundary" S – Alden Darby
"Field" S – Keelan Johnson
"Field" CB – Deveron Carr
