Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward runs a drill for his secondary during the first day of fall practice in Tempe, Ariz. on July 30, 2025. Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ASU DC Opens Up on Defensive Personnel, Areas of Improvement

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 12:00 PM ET

TEMPE -- Arizona State football is in a phenomenal spot under the leadership of head coach Kenny Dillingham - as they have posted a 15-4 record since the onset of the 2024 season.

Player development, talent evaluation, and hiring the right coaches have played a hand in that - one of the hires of which is defensive coordinator Brian Ward.

Ward had previously coached the 2023 unit above its means, while the 2024 group was a driving force behind the 11-win season, behind turnover creation and generating key stops.

Ward praised aspects of the defense - including Martell Hughes, the sophomore linebacker who secured the game-sealing interception against Texas Christian last Friday. Hughes has become a symbol of the 'next man up' mantra the Sun Devils have seemingly adopted, and is proof that the squad can overcome losses such as Zyrus Fiaseu.

Ward on Hughes Stepping Up

"Yeah, you know, he's another guy you just, you look at and you see just the dominant traits, like when we watched him as a high school player, he played safety and but, you know, dominant traits were his length. He played really fast. It was just his frame. Could we develop him and get him into, you know, play that linebacker position?"

Ward also responded to what his defense needs to improve on in the off week ahead of a vital matchup against the Utah Utes - showing the heads-up nature he possesses as a coach.

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We got to get better at our red zone execution. We got to get better we got to be able to get lined up versus different alignments from the offense. And we missed one down in the red zone, and it screwed a couple other players up. And, you know, three guys ended up being wrong, and they scored touchdown seven yards out. You know, we gave up another run in the red zone, which we just don't do. We gave them seven to seven yard touchdown runs. If we just get our fence right, we get into third down..."

Ward's attention to detail, appreciation of each player that makes a play every week, and adaptability are all factors that make him one of the best defensive coordinators in all of college football - he isn't satisfied despite the run defense posting elite numbers since last September, along with the fact that the group has contained a pair of elite quarterbacks in consecutive weeks.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's clutch-time victory over TCU here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.

This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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