Brian Ward Breaks Down Arizona State's Linebacker Group

Brian Ward has been an incredible hire for the Arizona State football program from the start.

The former Washington State defensive coordinator departed ahead of the 2023 season to take the same post in Tempe - his defense ended up being the biggest bright spot of the campaign outside of Cam Skattebo.

The Arizona State defense ranked within the top half of the Pac-12 in the 2023 season and ranked fifth in the Big 12 a season ago.

Ward's profile has risen over the last two seasons due to the tangible success that was seen during that time - that has resulted in appearing on Brad Denny's "Speak of the Devils" podcast last week - where he discussed numerous topics surrounding the program.

Ward went on to talk about the different position groups of the defense - linebackers are the focus here.

"Yeah, I mean, you just got a lot of difference makers, impact players, and (Jordan) Crook and (Keyshaun) Elliott and Zyrus (Fiaseu) and Martell Hughes had a phenomenal spring... Keyshaun, Crook and Zyrus and Martell, I mean, we feel really blessed to have those four guys and those younger guys are constantly trying to catch back up from a learning curve and a football IQ standpoint, and just really, really excited about that group moving forward."

Elliott brought a commanding presence from the start after transferring from New Mexico State - he enters the new season as one of the best linebackers in the Big 12.

Crook was instrumental in the overall success of the defense after bouncing back in a major way in response to a disappointing stint with Arkansas.

Fiaseau provides a reliable presence in the middle of the field - serving as a high IQ player that can provide strong run support and play in pass coverage in spurts.

Tate Romney and Hughes round out a deep linebacker room - that continues the trend of the 2025 Arizona State roster being the deepest that the program has seen in a lengthy amount of time.

Read more on projecting the 10 best players on Arizona State's roster going into the new season here, and on Sam Leavitt being selected as the Big-12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year here.

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