TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State knew it would have plenty of holes to fill on defense this fall, but coach Todd Graham put a special priority on finding someone to replace Carl Bradford at Devil-backer, the hybrid lineman/linebacker position.
Instead, he found three.
Though ASU ideally would have liked one player to emerge as the starter at the crucial spot, Graham appears very confident in the trio of players he expects to use there.
"I think that's probably a strong point for us right now," Graham said Monday. "I feel good about it. We'll see how they respond. We've got a lot of new guys playing there."
It's hard to say yet if the position will actually be a strength or a weakness, but there's no denying ASU has versatility there. With Edmond Boateng, Antonio Longino and De'Marieya Nelson, ASU has three different looks for the position.
Boateng has played Devil-backer for less than a week but apparently has made a big impression in that time. He is listed as a co-starter with Nelson and brings more defensive line experience than Longino.
"He's kind emerging as a guy at that position that's allowed us to do more of what we did last year with a guy with his hand in the dirt most of the time," Graham said.
Longino will play more as a standup linebacker. Nelson, perhaps the most dynamic of the group, will likely play most in third-down situations, as he'll spend most of his time at tight end/H-back on offense. Graham said Monday he expects Nelson to get about 15-20 snaps per game on defense, more if he can handle it.
Figuring out how to divide snaps between the three could take some time. Graham would also like to get former tight end Marcus Washington on the field at the position.
"We've got four guys that can play that position that I feel pretty good about," Graham said.
Graham knows what it's like to be on the other side of a matchup like Thursday's against lower-division Weber State. Having previously coached at Rice and Tulsa, he's coached in plenty of mismatches, so he generally knows what to expect from first-year coach Jay Hill's team this week.
"Obviously they've got to be able to protect their quarterback, so you're going to see the ball thrown quick," Graham said. "Quick passes, empty formation, no-back formations, a lot of things like that. That's something that we've prepared hard for. Our guys should be able to handle that."
Graham also mentioned expecting to see some "exotic formations" from Weber State as the Wildcats (2-10 last year) will be willing to empty the playbook in their attempt to upset a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.
But more than anything, it sounds like Graham expects a lot of quick passing -- a result of ASU's pressure, presumably -- like ASU saw from Sacramento State in last year's opener. That being the case, Graham wants to see his defense be patient and not overreact early in the game.
"If they throw quick passes, they're going to complete a pass or two," Graham said. "You don't have to be panicked about it."
As for who will be throwing those passes, Weber State expects to start sophomore Billy Green, who played at BYU last season.
With one practice left before the season opener, Graham has yet to say definitively who will start as the second safety next to Damarious Randall, but signs point to redshirt junior Jordan Simone getting the nod.
Just a few days ago, it seemed redshirt freshman Marcus Ball would start as long as he got medically cleared (the team expects to hear Tuesday), but the conversation has shifted a bit. Ball has been held out of contact for most of the preseason due to an undisclosed medical issue.
"We don't have Marcus cleared, so we've got to prepare for somebody else to play," Graham said Sunday. "I don't know if he was cleared if he would start because he's just got a lot of work to do. He's just missed so many reps."
Redshirt freshman James Johnson had moved into the lead over Simone, a walk-on who was put on scholarship last week, but Graham said Simone has moved back ahead. All three could play in Thursday's game.
ASU announced Monday it will again partner with helmet maker Riddell and Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) this season to learn more about concussion detection and treatment.
ASU participated in the same study last season, outfitting a select group of players with helmets that gather molecular information and head impact data to identify whether the effects of sub-concussive hits are identifiable.
"We want to be on the forefront of not only caring about our student athletes while they're here but also what they're going to be doing 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now," Graham said.
Graham said he knows players, including himself at one time, can be hesitant to admit they might have a concussion. With Riddell's Sideline Response System, ASU will be able to obtain real-time head impact data from players wearing the outfitted helmets.
"It will measure how hard they're hit so we can tell instead of counting on a player to tell us when he's been hit hard," Graham said.
TGen researchers have been with the team throughout the preseason. They took initial baseline samples from the participating players before fall camp began and will follow them through the season.
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