When the Arizona State football program changed coaching staffs 19 or so months ago, then-new defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales met with incoming recruit Michael Matus and his mother Leslie, who had committed to the previous regime.

Step by step Gonzales went through the things he thought Matus needed to do to be part of the future plan, not knowing if the player would follow through. Matus was not scared off by the challenge. Instead, he stayed the course and is now poised for a prominent role on the Sun Devils defensive front for  the first time.

Matus, now 6-foot-2 and 261 pounds, will be part of a multiple-player rotation first year defensive line coach Jamar Cain plans on using moving forward. The Sun Devils are determined to get more of a pass rush than they did last year so that requires energy and intensity that would be tough to get out of one unit for 80 snaps.

So Cain will rotate players in, with senior veteran George Lea, junior Shannon Forman and sophomores Jermayne Lole, D.J. Davidson and T.J. Pesefea also playing a pivotal role, as will Roe Wilkins, a graduate transfer from Rice.

“I am focusing a lot of time on seeing which players work best together and I’m almost there,” said Cain, who came to ASU after serving in the same capacity the previous two years at Fresno State. “We’re going to use seven, maybe eight guys so getting the right combination is going to an important part of what we want to do.

“I can’t say enough about how far Mike has come. He’s probably the most pleasant surprise we have out there.”

Matus is just happy being part of the equation. He redshirted and was part of the scout team last year. He didn’t get in a game, although he did make the traveling squad after Davidson went down with a season-ending ankle injury against USC in late October.

“A lot of teams really spread you out so there’s a lot of running across the field so we’re going to have some tired legs,” Matus said, after wrapping up practice Sunday afternoon. “We have to establish a defense that not only has good players as 1’s but as the 2’s, and even the 3’s as well because then there’s no drop off. That’s the biggest thing we’re trying to develop and I’m just trying to find my role in that.”

The native of Katy, Tex., says he never thought about looking at other schools when the Todd Graham regime was ushered out. He had 15 offers out of high school, four of those from schools in his native state, with Washington State the only other Pac-12 institution in the mix.

He is majoring in supply-chain management with a possible double major in business data analytics. His mother, who graduated from Auburn, works for ExxonMobile in that field.

Matus said he picked ASU as much for academics as football. Despite being a redshirt freshman, he is nearly a junior in academic standing and is on track to graduate in under three years.

“My parents told me from the start that coaches can change every year,” he said. “Pick a school you can go to and if the coach isn’t there, it’s still a school you want to go to.”

Gonzales said the biggest task for Matus was getting stronger and gaining weight. When he arrived he was around 230, too light to play up front in a Power 5 conference. He was up to 245 by the time spring drills commenced in February and has added another 15 or so pounds, putting him right where the coaching staff wants to see him.

He centered is diet around chicken and rice.

“He did it the right way. We asked him to gain one pound a week,” Gonzales said. “Now he comes up to me and tells me what he is at. I don’t even have to ask.”

Matus also credits those around him for his progression, singling out Cain as a solid technician. Then he points to the lieutenants Edwards has surrounding him, including longtime NFL coach Marvin Lewis, brought aboard recently as a special advisor.

Then there is Kevin Mawae, part of the last class of players inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame. While Mawae excelled at center, Matus says he has been a valuable resource for the defense as well.

“Us being around these guys every day, we don’t even realize the amount of greatness we’re surrounded by. I see them every day. To me they’re just normal guys. Coach Mawae has had a huge influence on me too. He gives us a lot of pointers when it comes to pass rush. Him being the O-lineman that he was, he definitely has some secrets and we’re learning a lot.”

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

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