Despite having one of the worst secondaries in the country a year ago, the ASU football team is struggling to replace a key group of graduating seniors who left holes on the field.
With the departure of leaders like Jordan Simone and Lloyd Carrington, coach Todd Graham has asked players from other positions to try to fill the void with their athleticism.
Senior defensive back Gump Hayes was recruited out of high school at defensive back before playing mostly offense at junior college before coming to ASU.
After a slow beginning to the season offensively in 2015, Hayes started working at defensive back in late September of last season with varied results.
Hayes said he's been alternating days working with the offense and defense and he is confident that, with an offseason of work, he'll be able to be more effective at cornerback, in addition to carrying the ball.
Graham said Hayes has been "really consistent" on defense, stating his case for a larger role there in the fall.
In addition to Hayes, Graham said redshirt senior wide receiver Eric Lauderdale is working at cornerback, where he wanted to move the wide receiver a season ago.
Lauderdale, who came in with high expectations, has gone by the wayside as an offensive option, so he went to the coaching staff about the change and Graham is excited about the possibilities.
"He came to us," Graham said. "I tried to get him to do it a year ago. He's so long. It's his first day, so we'll see where it goes. If we try it and it doesn't work, we'll see. We always can move him back."
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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