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The Arizona State football team was just a week removed from the end of the shortened 2020 football season when the first good news came.

Senior corner Jack Jones sent word on social media he was coming back, taking advantage of the NCAA’s ruling that the 2020 season not count against eligibility because of the circumstances surrounding the global health pandemic.

Two days later it was safety Evan Fields, who was fifth in the nation in solo tackles per game.

Two days after that it was the other corner, Chase Lucas, already with five years at ASU under his belt, four of those as a starter.

The Sun Devils only had a dozen or so seniors, but those were the more accomplished athletes many thought might go on to more lucrative NFL pastures.

Their return, as well as others, is one reason expectations in Tempe are high. Not only do the Sun Devils return all defensive starters, they return 10 of 11 backups, the exception being junior safety Aashari Crosswell, who declared for the draft after being suspended from the team by coach Herm Edwards.

“We’re fortunate we had a bunch of guys come back for their sixth year. Most of those guys are in the secondary, we have some linebackers not declare for the (NFL) draft and come back,” defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce said in a Zoom session with the media on Monday. “Then you add in the freshman class that we brought in. Our goal here is to build depth and then to hone in on the fine skills of our guys who are older and played a lot of football here. It builds each and every practice.”

Edwards talked about the team’s depth last week, saying that for the first time in his tenure the team can go three deep on a depth chart on both sides of the ball.

The starters are veterans but the last two games of the season also allowed Pierce to get a look at some of the younger defenders such as freshmen linebackers Will Shaffer, Caleb McCullough and Jordan Banks. Shaffer blocked a punt in the season-ending victory at Oregon State; Banks and McCullough had interceptions in the win at rival Arizona.

Because of the number of returning seniors ASU didn’t have to sign a lot of high school recruits. The Sun Devils have 10 high school prospects taking part in spring drills. Among the ones already making strong impressions are defensive backs Robert “R.J.” Regan (Orange Lutheran, Calif.) and Tommi Hill (Orlando Edgewater) and linebacker Eric Gentry (Philadelphia Neumann Goretti).

“It’s real simple. Our twos are pretty good. Our twos can be starters and will be comfortable with that. Will it be what we want and fine-tuned across the board? No. But we’re really comfortable with our twos,” Pierce said.

“You name a bunch of guys in our second group and you said, ‘Wow. If that was a starter, I’m OK.’ Those guys understand that and the guys that follow them understand that because I’m telling them that each and every day. We’re also telling our freshmen that because that’s what we’re telling recruits when they come in here they’re going to be getting the opportunity to compete. That’s how we built this culture here over the last four years.”

Last season the Sun Devils finished ninth in the Pac-12  in both rushing defense (183.3 ypg) and passing defense (252.2 ypg), which they expect to improve upon. Most problematic was the failure to get stops on third down which was most glaring in the season opening loss at USC in which the Trojans ran off 95 offensive plays.

One of the areas in which Pierce’s crew excelled was turnover margin with ASU ranking first in the entire nation with 13 takeaways and only five turnovers in four games. It also allowed just 23.3 points per game, fewest in the Pac-12.

Competition is something Edwards and Pierce have stressed since the day they arrived. It has not fallen on deaf ears. The veterans don’t take anything for granted.

“Our coaches have done a great job of recruiting and bringing in talent. It keeps everybody on their toes,” Fields said. “You know if you’re not doing your job, then there’s somebody else that can come up and do it. It makes the room better when you have competition like that. Making the older players work hard and giving the younger player a good example to look to, and if somebody younger is balling, then it’s next man up.”

The defense is working without several key players working their way back from injuries, most notably ends Amiri Johnson (groin) and Stephon Wright (shoulder), both of whom had off-season surgeries. Junior Tyler Johnson, who was impressive last year after his move from linebacker to end, is also on crutches with a brace on his leg. All three are expected to be ready by the start of fall camp.

Junior defensive tackle Jermayne Lole has also been absent. He remains in Southern California after the sudden deaths of his father and an older brother.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

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