TEMPE, Ariz. — On the heels of one of the worst pass-rushing seasons in Arizona State football history, head coach Kenny Dillingham decided to bring in one of the nation’s top defensive line coaches.
On Dec. 3, 2023, it was announced that ASU had hired Diron Reynolds to be the next defensive line coach at ASU. Reynolds has an incredible football background that he will be bringing to ASU.
Meet Diron Reynolds, new Arizona State football DL coach
Coach Diron Reynolds has been coaching football for over 25 years, both in the NFL and at Power Five schools across the nation.
Before coming to ASU in December of 2023, Reynolds had stops including:
- Michigan State
- Stanford
- Indianapolis Colts
- University of Oklahoma
- Minnesota Vikings
- Miami Dolphins
“Coach Reynolds’s resumé speaks for itself and his track record for success at all levels of football will help us continue to develop our program in the direction we are striving for. When you look at the coaching tree he comes from, the caliber of players he has coached, and the fact that he has reached the pinnacle of the sport at both the professional and collegiate levels, there truly aren’t many defensive line coaches in the country that have anywhere near the same pedigree,” Dillingham said following the hire.
‘Numbers don’t lie’
“Numbers don’t lie,” is a common phrase in sports dialogue, and it’s applicable in Reynolds’s coaching career.
Last season, in his only year at Michigan State, he took the Spartans to inside the top 40 in the nation in sacks per game at 2.42 sacks per game.
When he was at Stanford he coached some of the best pass rushers in college football as well.
During Reynolds’s time at Stanford, he coached four NFL draft picks:
- Solomon Thomas (third overall pick in 2017)
- Harrison Phillips (96th overall pick in 2018)
- Casey Toohill (233rd overall pick in 2020)
- Thomas Booker (150th overall pick in 2022)
With Thomas and Phillips at Stanford, Reynolds helped lead Stanford into the top 25 in sacks per game in both 2016 and 2018.
In his one season at the University of Oklahoma, Reynolds helped lead OU to a playoff berth and led Charles Tapper to be first-team All-Big 12 that season.
Both identifying and developing talent has been a strong suit for the new Sun Devil staffer.
Reynolds’s immediate impact
Reynolds’s first spring in Tempe just wrapped up and he helped the DL be one of the most improved position groups on the team.
Last season, the defensive line was so banged up at the end of the season that they barely had anyone healthy on the field. After the Arizona game last season, Dillingham acknowledged how hard the defense had to work based on what they were dealing with.
After the hire of Reynolds, he and defensive coordinator Brian Ward went to work rebuilding the defensive line.
This offseason the two brought in:
- Jacob Rich Kongaika (From UA)
- Jeff Clark (From Louisville)
- Justin Wodtly (From Cincinnati)
- JP Deeter (From Purdue)
- Ramar Williams (Class of 2024)
- James Giggey (Class of 2024)
Six defensive linemen alone, not including defensive edges.
After getting the pieces from the portal and high school, the team has about 20 defensive linemen in the room.
“We have some good pieces in the room and they are starting to gel together,” Reynolds said.
With so many players competing for snaps and playing time, it cultivates a competitive atmosphere.
“Everyone is still competing for spots but everyone is still getting good reps,” Reynolds said.
Offseason goals for the defensive line
Reynolds has already pinpointed some areas the line needs to work on. One of the most important things that he highlighted was being able to get vertical and being able to shed blocks more easily.
“It’s ok, we are always going to be coming off blocks, but we need to keep working on pad level, the biggest thing is being physical and getting vertical. The A-gap will sort of take care of itself,” Reynolds said.
Another issue that arose during spring practice was tempo.
Dillingham likes to run tempo on offense and it pointed out an area of concern for the DL. During scrimmages, Dillingham ran hurry up almost every single drive causing the defense to not be able to substitute on every play. The offense ran quickly to try and push the defense to show its limitations and the goal was achieved.
Coach Reynolds said that every play you want the best guys on the field, but the best players may be the best in differing ways.
“As fast as people play, you have to have your best guys out there, and your best guys may be your rested guys,” Reynolds said.
During the offseason Ward and Reynolds will have to come up with a plan to be able to sub or condition the line to the best of their abilities in order for them to be as fresh as possible every play.
Overall, Reynolds loves the group that he has and is excited for the season.
“I think we are going to be a deep group, I like the way this group is and I think everyone will like the energy that this group brings,” Reynolds said.
Player Thoughts
As for the players themselves, they love the energy and knowledge that Reynolds brings not only on the field but off the field as well.
“Coach Reynolds is a great coach, from last year to this year the difference is huge. He has brought some new techniques to our game to be better pass rushers and has used his experience to better our group,” defensive lineman Elijah O’Neal said.
Overall, the defensive line looks to be in good hands with Reynolds at the helm.
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