FORKS UP: A CONVERSATION WITH ARIZONA STATE OFFENSIVE CO-ORDINATOR ZAK HILL
By George Somerville
George speaks to Sun Devils Offensive Co-Ordinator Zak Hill about working with Herm Edwards, life in the PAC-12, and the lofty ambitions of the ASU college football program:
Expectations in Tempe, Arizona and amongst the Sun Devil fan base are high. Arizona State may be an acceptable 17-13 under Head Coach Herm Edwards since he arrived in the Grand Canyon State, but you just need to cast your mind back to that November night in 2019 against an Oregon side led by Justin Herbert pressing for a place in the College Football Play-Off to realise just how exciting life can get in Sun Devil Stadium.
Last year the Covid-19 pandemic wrecked havoc amongst PAC-12 schools, especially at Arizona State where the season comprised of only four games. ASU’s season ended 2-2, but included a quite incredible 70-7 thrashing of state neighbours Arizona, which saw Wildcats Head Coach, Kevin Sumlin relieved of his post. So there is quite the level of heightened excitement for the new season.
With spring camp completed and the recruiting window open, I sat down with Offensive Co-ordinator, Coach Zak Hill to talk about his expectations for the new season.
Building The Program
With Coach Hill in his second season and Head Coach Herm Edwards entering his fourth year, this is a program which is still developing.
While many Head Coaches move along that conveyor belt from College Football to the NFL, far fewer have made the reverse trip. However Herm Edwards bucked this trend, taking up the reins at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe after a long NFL career – sandwiched by a role as an ESPN analyst in between.
So does this route to college ball make a difference and can this be an advantage? Coach Hill talked about the culture that Edwards has instilled in his team;
“With the pro model that we are running here and a lot of the NFL experience, Coach Edwards, Marvin Lewis, Antonio Pierce and all the guys that are here, Coach Edwards has done a really good job with the culture and establishing the standards here at a high level”
Coach Hill went on to expand,
“I know that our players love being here and being around what we are doing from a scheme standpoint but also how we run things on a day to day.
I think it’s very attractive for student athletes and parents to come into this type of environment. It’s a great lifestyle here, to be able to go to school and to play football – but it’s also a great culture and a great family environment with Coach Edwards setting that tone”.
Rising Expectations
With the program’s attractive and exciting style of football catching national attention under the Herm Edwards regime, it’s no great surprise that expectations are rising with some – including myself – tipping the Sun Devils to a successful 2021 season.
In fact many will go as far to stay that ASU will challenge USC for the PAC-12 South title, with a victory there propelling them into the PAC-12 title game – and with it the opportunity to talk themselves into the College Football Play-Off discussion.
And therein lies a problem for the Arizona State coaching staff. With so much external noise lifting expectations, how does the coaching staff keep focus in the locker room and feet firmly on the ground? Coach Hill had this to say:
“I think Coach Edwards does a really good job of the feel of the team. He’s got a good gauge of what guys need to hear and keeping them focused in on what we need to do and not get ahead of themselves”
He went on to say,
“I think the standards and the expectations that we have here are extremely high and we do want to win Championships and go to the Rose Bowl. But also by the same token I think we do a good job as a coaching staff of having the vision of what we’re doing right now.
“What does today look like? What does this week look like? Alright, let’s Just keep progressing in the right manner and developing.
“Whether its off the field, on the field, in the weight room or film study, we just try to focus on the day to day to prepare as much as we can”.
Heading Into The 2021 Season
After a reduced 2020 season impacted badly by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still much work to do in fall camp for the upcoming season. The coaching staff had the opportunity to see how the team picked back up during spring camp practice. But where does the staff and team need to focus on going in to fall camp? Coach Hill said:
“I thought our fifteen practices in Spring were very productive
“It’s a whole lot easier for the guys second time around during spring ball to understand what we are doing offensively, and they were able to play a whole lot faster and more confidently, knowing what they are getting in to and progressing in that system”.
Hill went on,
“I know the guys are excited from spring ball and excited about what we are doing with this offseason and progressing and developing as much as they can”.
On the work required during Fall camp, Hill said,
“Once we get into fall camp, and get into the installs and the practices I think we are going to be able to play at an extremely high level.
I feel really good with the group of guys that we’ve got in each position. We’ve brought in a few guys here and there to help. I feel like we’ve got the pieces – now it’s just putting it all together to see what we’re really good at and continue to develop the offense”.
Setting The Tone
In addition to hitting the recruiting trail hard, the Sun Devils as mentioned above, have boosted the roster through the transfer portal. Most notably, bringing in wide receiver Bryan Thompson from Utah.
Over the last few years Arizona State have produced NFL-ready receivers such as Brandon Aiyuk and N’Keal Harry, and are fast gaining a reputation for being ‘Wide Receiver-U’. However the 2021 class is young and so the transfer of Thompson brings an older head to the receivers room. Coach Hill had this to say about the attributes that Thompson brings to the team:
“Brian is an older guy, who is an extremely hard worker. He’s very well rounded, he can stretch the field well with his speed, he’s got good length, he’s physical and can block, he’s a good route runner, he’s got good balance. But really what he brings to this team and to that room, which is a pretty young room – he brings some really good leadership and experience. A guy that they can look to to set the tone”.
Taking It To The Next Level
In Quarterback Jayden Daniels the Sun Devils have one of, if not the best quarterback in the PAC-12. So much so that you can see Daniels’ name mentioned in Heisman chatter during a summer where these types of conversations dominate the Twitter-verse – when the temperatures are high and life is easy.
Daniels comes into this season with a lofty reputation, having thrown for a little over 3,600 yards, 22 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions in his college career to date. And just remember this is only over one full season and one four game season. Daniels is clearly flourishing in Edwards’ pro-style offense, but is not yet the finished article. I asked Coach Hill about what his young quarterback has to do to take his game to the next level;
“The main things that we are working on in this offseason and then through fall camp and on into the season next year is his overall balance and body positioning, being more accurate from the pocket and being more comfortable in the pocket. Because we all know that he can make plays with this feet and extend plays…..but he’s really focused on his fundamentals. But its fun to watch him play and to improvise and he’s getting more and more comfortable with the offence and what we’re trying to do”.
But how does this young man cope with the rising expectations of starring in the PAC-12 and the inevitable NFL Draft discussions which will follow? Coach Hill had this to say of his QB1;
“He finds motivation in a lot of different areas. I know he has high expectations for this next year as we all do. I know he’s excited for this year and getting back into a situation where we can hopefully get some momentum going into these games.
“I think that he’s in that mindset where, whether it’s Heisman talk or that type of stuff or future NFL, that it really comes down to keeping himself focused on the day to day and his development”.
Coach Hill went on,
“You know those awards that come at the end of the season are products of how they handle the season and if they can stay focused within each week and take it one game at a time and not worry about the end result, focusing on the process and getting better”.
PAC-12 Challenges And Play-Off Expansion
The recent news of a proposed expansion of the College Football Play Off from four teams to twelve is welcome news for the PAC-12, a conference which has struggled in recent years to force itself into the final four party.
With any proposal not coming into effect this year (or maybe not even next season), it won’t help the Sun Devils in 2021, but this is a team which will challenge for the PAC-12 South. And with a schedule that is favourable, it gives them a real shot at the PAC-12 title. I asked Coach Hill for his view on a successful 2021 season and the likelihood of ending the season on a national platform,
“That’s the goal for sure”, Coach Hill said. “And we want the target on our back. You know, we want to be that team that everyone wants to look at and say “wow, we really need to focus on this week and ASU”.
“We expect to win. That’s what we’re working so hard for. We feel like we’ve got the pieces to do that and the confidence. Now it’s just focusing on the development of each guy and putting it all together.”
“We feel like we’ve got a shot this year to be really, really good. You can feel it – they guys are excited, the coaches are excited to get out there and to do it for a full season”.
The Schedule
Taking that excitement into the new season, the schedule is set out well to give the Sun Devils the chance for the success they so desire. However, there are some banana skins along the way. Before USC and indeed a hot BYU team that the Sun Devils have to visit in only game week three, Arizona State host a UNLV team which is on the up. Could this be a game where potential conference winners trip up before the season has got into any kind of momentum? Coach Hill agreed,
“There are a lot of games in this schedule that we are looking forward to. I think UNLV will be a tougher game than is projected. They are young and they are getting better”.
“But I think our schedule is favourable and we feel good about our schedule, when our bye week happens and there’s not a lot of teams on our schedule that we can’t beat. We’re excited about it and our guys are excited about it. It’s just locking into each week and not overlooking anybody”.
The Sun Devil Culture - Working With Herm Edwards
Head Coach Herm Edwards and Special Advisor Marv Lewis bring with them a wealth of knowledge gained through a lifetime in the NFL. For student athletes eager to find a path to the NFL, knowing that the Head Coach knows exactly what it takes to play in the Pro’s is worth its weight in gold. Coach Hill described the benefits of working for Herm Edwards,
“It’s been an honour, it’s been amazing working with those guys. With such knowledge and history within the game. As an Offensive co-ordinator going up against those guys daily – you know from a defensive standpoint – those guys have got so much NFL experience and getting feedback about our Offense……there’s a lot of stuff that you can discuss through these practices.
“I think they like what we’re doing Offensively. We’re making them better and they’re making us better”.
Zak Hill went on,
“Coach Edwards has got a really good feel for the game as a Head Coach and as a defensive guy. So any thoughts or any things that he has to help make us better he definitely verbalises and we will look and talk through things. But the work environment is so friendly here, it’s positive and encouraging. He does a good job, he’s not a micro manager. He lets coaches do their job and trusts them. I think the coaching staff works extremely hard because of that situation. It’s a great place to work and it’s definitely an honour to work with Coach Edwards”
Boise State -Old Friends
Prior to taking the Offensive Co-Ordinator role at Arizona State, Zak Hill was at the very successful Boise State under then Head Coach Bryan Harsin, who left Boise last season to take up the Head Coaching role at Auburn. Talking about the difficult task that his former colleague inherits, Hill said this about Harsin,
“That is a big job, but I think they will attack it at full speed and I know that Coach Harsin does an extremely good job on the vision. There’s going to be a lot of hard work and a lot of detail in what they do. And I think the players down there are going to see the preparation and the attention to detail and they are going to appreciate that”
“Coach Harsin does a good job with the whole vision of the program and the day to day operation. I think he’s got a really good process and as long as the players buy in and the coaching staff learns the process quickly and are on the same page. I know they are going to have a lot of success because he’s very meticulous In his planning and does a really good job of preparation”.
Coaching In The PAC-12
Hill’s coaching career started in High School before taking up a coaching position at his Alma Mater, Eastern Washington where he was quarterbacks coach. He arrived at Boise in 2016, meaning his role at Arizona State is his first coaching role in a power five conference. I asked Coach Hill how he has enjoyed his time coaching in the Pac-12.
“I have loved it. I love being at Arizona State and being in the PAC-12 and the competitive nature of this conference. There’s a lot of coaches in this conference that I know. It’s fun having that challenge on a day to day basis. It’s a great conference to be in. It’s exciting – it’s a great brand of football”.
Footnote: Recruiting
Shortly after this interview, stories appeared in both the Athletic and Yahoo Sports of irregularities during recruiting by the ASU football staff, for which the NCAA has launched an investigation into.
In a short statement issued by the University, Vice President of media relations and strategic communications, Katie Paquet said,
“ASU can confirm the NCAA is conducting an investigation regarding allegations related to our football program. In accordance with NCAA bylaws, the University cannot provide further comment at this time”.
It is clear that the football program is building a head of steam, and with the coaching staff and players buying into the culture and process that Herm Edwards has instilled, this could be a good year for ASU. Whether the allegations of recruitment violations punctures that momentum this season, or has much wider implications in years to come remains to be seen. But the Sun Devils continue to be one of the most exciting football teams to play in College Football, and well worth the late night viewing to see how perhaps the most exciting Conference in College football plays out. I for one will be glued to this story.
The Touchdown and I would like to pass on our thanks to Coach Zak Hill for his time in conducting this interview, and to Mark Brand and the SID team at Arizona State University who have been incredibly supportive of my requests over the years.
#FORKSUP!
george somerville
College football writer
A GLASWEGIAN LIVING IN LONDON, GEORGE IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN WHO FOLLOWS THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. HE PROVIDES CFB CONTENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN AND IS ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST.