Tasked with holding down several potent passing attacks this season, the Arizona State secondary remains under a microscope.
A blown coverage leading to a game-winning score at Mississippi State highlights the lows of the unit, while a recent impressive showing against an aggressive Baylor offense reflects the potential the unit has.
Nobody has impressed more than cornerback Keith Abney II, who is quickly rising the ranks of the best defensive backs in the country. It’s perfect timing for a player whose team takes on No. 24 TCU Friday.
A pass interference call against the Sun Devils defender in the second quarter against Baylor flipped a switch. From then on, nothing got past him. Abney rebounded and snagged his fifth career interception from Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson in the win.
“He’s one of those dudes that gets better every game,” coach Kenny Dillingham said. “He learns, he puts it in the bank and he applies it. Super intelligence; definition of Barrett Honors. The kid’s going to play for a long time, and then he’s going to be even more successful in the real world.”
Abney has been a force for the ASU defense this season. The second-year starter has recorded 15 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble through just four games this season.
Overlooked as a recruit in 2022 out of Waxahachie High School in Texas, he quickly became a valuable piece to Dillingham’s first recruiting class. Shortly after Dillingham accepted the coaching position at his alma mater, Abney received an offer from the Sun Devils. Eleven days later, he became among the first recruiting wins for Dillingham in Tempe.
Now, Abney has developed into a must-watch player and a potential early selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. Friday presents one of his biggest tests when TCU visits. Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover’s favorite targets this season, receivers Eric McAlister and Jordan Dwyer, will attempt to pull the top off the ASU defense for big plays in the air.
McAlister, the reigning Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week, torched the SMU defense in his last outing. He caught eight passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
On the heels of a big performance, all eyes will be on Abney to try and slow him down.
“They’re an explosive, confident group,” Abney said about TCU receivers. “They’re an explosive offense, so we have to go out there and execute. … My main goal is to stay consistent and put that on film and on tape week in and week out.”
ASU defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington, who helped bring Abney to Tempe, is very familiar with TCU’s offensive attack. Carrington was an offensive assistant and recruiter with TCU in 2022 when the Horned Frogs made an unprecedented run to the national championship game.
Carrington’s time on TCU’s coaching staff could give the Sun Devils a leg up against Hoover and McAlister.
“Hoover is probably one of the better quarterbacks in the league,” Carrington said. “He’s going to give his wide receivers a chance to make a play as much as possible. When we are playing off (the line of scrimmage), we’re going to have to be able to anticipate the route tree and be sticky to routes.”
Dissecting a complicated passing attack in seconds before the snap isn’t easy. It’s a process that requires countless mental reps to instill confidence and perfection on game day. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, Carrington has a plan for that, too.
“We do a lot of things in the classroom,” Abney said. “Looking at concepts, studying releases, receivers and quarterback tendencies. We have a Kahoot every day on little things. If you don’t get a good grade, you’ve got to take it until you get a good grade.”
Kahoot, a game-based learning platform where students answer questions in a multiple choice format, is a modern approach to coaching for Carrington.
“Instead of having guys do a test on paper, you know, it’s 2025,” Carrington said. “Let’s create a digital test. They can answer on their phone, and I can kind of simulate gameplay.
“Usually on the field, you may have 10 seconds to respond. So if I can see in 20 seconds you can get the answer right, that gives me a little more confidence and enough trust to put you out there, given that you’ve been successful when we’ve virtually stimulated gameplay. It’s an unbelievable tool.”
Abney has been answering questions correctly both in the classroom and on the field. Once a three-star recruit, the junior corner is receiving some notable hype from the next level. ESPN’s Jordan Reid said in August that Abney has “caught the eye of evaluators because of his consistency in man coverage” and is a potential Day 2 selection in April.
Abney currently holds the second-highest grade among cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps, according to PFF, trailing only LSU’s Mansoor Delane. More than 20 pro scouts are expected to be in attendance for Friday’s matchup with the Horned Frogs at Mountain America Stadium, giving Abney an opportunity to become a household name with the nation watching.
“He’s a guy that’s obsessed with football, obsessed with the process,” Carrington said of Abney. “Each day, he attacks it like a pro. He’s somebody that needs to get a hundred on the Kahoot, or I need to send it to him three more times so he can put yesterday to bed.
“He has been exemplary for the other guys in the room,” Carrington continued. “It’s no wonder that Keith is having success and probably playing statistically as the best corner in the Big 12.”
Facing a pair of the best receivers the Big 12 has to offer, Abney may have the best competition possible in practice in star wideout Jordyn Tyson. Abney said “iron sharpens iron” in regards to his battles with Tyson on the practice fields over the last two years.
Tyson is a projected first-round selection in next year’s draft by many outlets. If Abney can keep up with the Sun Devils’ prized weapon out wide, TCU’s McAlister and Dwyer could be in for a long night.
“It’s great going against JT,” Abney said during fall camp. “I feel like he has a lot of stuff in his game that receivers that we match up against are not going to have. So me going against him is only going to make me better.”
Defensive coordinator Brian Ward echoed his star corner’s sentiment ahead of Friday night’s game. He praised Abney’s ability to rebound and improve from his mistakes, and believes his ceiling will continue to rise.
“He understands if something goes wrong, he’s the type of guy to go, ‘OK, here’s what I’ve got to do better,’” Ward said. “His best football is ahead of him. The longer he plays this game, the better and better he’s going to get.”
Abney will get a chance to put the Big 12 and the country on notice when the Sun Devils host TCU under the lights on Friday night in ASU’s first conference home game this season.
Be the first to comment