Todd Graham: There's 'excitement around our program'
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State football coach Todd Graham repeatedly used the word 'excited' to describe his feelings about the upcoming Pac-12 football season.
"Our guys have worked extremely hard," Graham said in a press conference on Wednesday. "It's an awfully exciting time when you look outside and see the field go in... Lots of excitement around our program and just really excited about our players."
The Sun Devils enter 2016 coming off a disappointing 2015 where they finished 6-7 in the regular season and lost in the Cactus Bowl to West Virginia 43-42 in January.
It was a season to forget for ASU after they failed to meet the hype that was buzzing around the program this time last year. The Sun Devils were predicted to finish as one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.
As the Sun Devils prepare to open fall workouts Wednesday at Camp Tontozona, there's a different tone. Although Graham said there's excitement in the air, he acknowledges there is some inexperience that needs to be addressed.
"We're going to have a new quarterback, we're going to have four new offensive linemen, on the same hand we have a lot of talented young men that have worked extremely hard.
We're deeper than probably we've ever been, as far as in most every position, but obviously there's some inexperience there," Graham said.
The players will report for camp on Tuesday, then bus up to Camp Tontozona on Wednesday for four days of workouts, concluding with a public practice on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Then it's back to Tempe to continue preparations for the Sept. 3 opener against Northern Arizona.
The biggest question will be who emerges as the starting quarterback.
"At the end of the day, it's the guy who elevates the other ten guys on the field," Graham said when asked about what he's looking for in his new offensive leader. "(Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey) and the experienced coaches that we have on offense are going to have a lot of input into that and performance is going to have a lot to do with it."
Graham and Lindsey have three candidates who could take over for Mike Bercovici: sophomore Manny Wilkins and redshirt freshmen Bryce Perkins and Brady White.
Wilkins was the only one of the three who saw playing time last season. He appeared in four games and rushed for 31 yards.
"I'm excited to see how each one of them have progressed over the summer," Graham said.
Despite the inexperience, Graham said he's looking forward to see the seniors lead his young team down the stretch.
"I kind of like this senior bunch... they've gotten real close and tasted it and then they've been knocked down," Graham said. "Our mental maturity is really good.
I like our team. I like their focus. They've got an edge about what they're doing and how they are going about doing it. They want to be great."
