TJ Rushing isn't exactly new to the ASU football program – or to his mentor, head coach Todd Graham.
His new role as defensive backs coach is a reprisal of sorts from his time as a graduate assistant in the ASU secondary in 2012-13 after finishing a professional career that included stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions.
“TJ is a guy who I recruited," Graham said. "He comes from the same neck of the woods as I come from — up in East Central Oklahoma — and he’s a guy who played in the league. He cut his teeth with us."
Rushing is also among several Stanford graduates in the new ASU athletic department, a distinction he shares with his boss, athletic director Ray Anderson.
After beginning his coaching career as an assistant at NAU, Rushing returned to his alma mater.
“Last year (at Stanford) I got to be under Duane Akina, who’s known as one of the best DB coaches around," Rushing said. "I implement a lot of the stuff he does. Both of those guys were intense, guys who held their dudes to high standards and you find out that the kids will meet whatever standards you set for them.”
Akina, as it turns out, has a son who is in the mix at ASU as well. Shawn Akina is a quarterback from Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California, listed on the Sun Devil roster.
There have been several new coaches to usher in the changing of the guard on a much younger 2016 squad, including wide receivers coach Jay Norvell and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey — the successor to now-Memphis head coach Mike Norvell (no relation to Jay).
“It’s a lot of positive having new people," Graham said. "I think we’ve worked really hard to hire great men. There’s a lot of energy there. They’re having to come into a culture that’s already developed, so we’re trying to get everybody on the same page.”
Rushing understood exactly what he was in for when he returned to Tempe.
"I knew what the program stood for," Rushing said. "Character, smart, disciplined, and tough. Those are the four pillars of this program, and that’s what Coach Graham stands for. That’s what I see when I get here, high-character kids that are smart and disciplined and of course we’re going to be a tough football team.”
Sophomore cornerback Kareem Orr, coming off an impressive rookie season in which he was named a consensus Freshman All-American, is eager to learn from one of the most highly-regarded assistants in the Pac-12.
"He knows what he’s talking about," Orr said. "He’s been there (in the NFL) for five years, and he’s been exactly where I want to go, so we take in everything he says and listen to it.”
Rushing's message to Orr this offseason has been an emphasis on developing his leadership potential.
“Being a leader is more than making plays on the field," Rushing said. "It’s what you do off the field. Guys are paying attention to how you’re sitting in meetings. Guys are paying attention to every little thing you do. That’s what he’s focusing on now as a sophomore, and he’ll continue to grow as a player.”
More than just experience, Rushing is "a guy who brings a youthful innovation to the secondary play," Graham said.
In closing his Media Day availability with his trademark dry humor, Graham deadpanned "Kareem’s had a tremendous camp, and he’s improved dramatically, fundamentally. (Rushing) has done a great job — I don’t want (Orr) to like him too much.”
Freshmen Chase Lucas to Robbie Robinson are among the most impressive newcomers to the secondary, while senior transfer Bryson Echols from Texas and junior college transfer Maurice Chandler (a junior from Lawton, Oklahoma) join redshirt senior cornerback Gump Hayes and sophomore safety Armand Perry.
“All of our guys are doing a great job so far," Rushing said. "The room has been extremely competitive and guys are trying to compete at a high level and get on the grass.”
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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