Brian Ward Reviews Sun Devils' Defense

TEMPE -- Arizona State defensive coordinator Brian Ward has quietly become one of the premier coordinators in the nation - and one of the defining hires that head coach Kenny Dillingham has made.

The third-year coach put overachieving units forward in the preceding seasons -2025 is seen as the year that the defense truly takes a step forward into the elite of college football.

The former Washington State coach was made available to media after Thursday's practice where numerous topics were covered in the five minute session, the most important of which are below.

Ward when asked how he works on balancing staying in a comfortable position and risk-taking in his philosophy, along with if it's a challenge to accomplish the feat:

"Yeah, 100%. And that's one of the things you can always say - like what can the guys handle and what can we execute? And ultimately, the game always comes down to fundamentals. If our guys can't run to the football, if they can't tackle, if they can't understand the cup and keeping leverage and understanding what their assignments are, then it's not worth doing it no matter how good of an idea it is. It's a balance..."

Ward is entirely correct - the risky/chance taking aspects of the defensive side of the ball aren't worth exploring if the personnel isn't fundamentally sound - his group is well on their way to being adept to do about anything on the football field.

When asked about starting LB Jordan Crook and the growth he has shown over the offseason:

"Yeah, he's just really developing into a leader and he's really like to me just a name to watch in terms of making an impact for us this year. Just plays at a really high speed. Very rarely does he show up with low energy and you know, he's just a really consistent dude... he's a guy that you really do want to ride with when times get tough because he's just consistent and he's consistently tough."