All week, ASU football coach Dennis Erickson said he has had difficulty evaluating the level of his team because it hasn't been wearing pads in practice.
But he got a preliminary answer Thursday when the Sun Devils suited up in full pads for the first time this spring.
"It's very spirited," Erickson said of practice. "We're running around on defense, and we have a lot of things to continue to improve on offense.
"We have a lot of things we have to get done on the offensive front, so we'll be a little bit behind offensively just because of that."
But while the offense is getting off to a slower start, ASU's defense has looked very good in the first three practices.
"We're just out here having a lot of competition and a lot of fun," said cornerback Terrell Carr, a mid-year junior-college transfer from Pasadena Community College in California. "Getting in pads, that's what it is. We're finally getting live, getting to get a little more physical, and I'm just enjoying it."
And football aside, Carr seems to be enjoying everything about ASU. He said he is glad he became a Sun Devil, and after spending the past 10 weeks in Tempe. Carr added he would have regretted choosing a different school.
"I couldn't see myself anywhere else now," he said.
Carr's teammates, some of whom live in the same apartment complex with him, have helped make the transition to Tempe smooth for the 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior.
"The guys are real cool, and the cornerbacks, I'm having a good time with them," he said. "I'm just having a good time mingling, and I'm ready to work, ready to win."
Carr hasn't had any problems adjusting to Division 1 football after playing two seasons at a junior college. He said the game is slightly faster, but the biggest difference is the coaches' attention to the particulars.
"Everybody is real coached up," Carr said. "[The coaches] pay a lot more attention to detail out here on the field."
Thus far, Carr has been taking his reps with the second team, but that's something he hopes to change within the next month.
"I have to keep working, but I'm confident I'll be first team by April 19 [the date of the spring game]," he said. "I'll be first team real soon."
Flip in the trenches
Another player in transition on the team is Jon Hargis, but his a completely different type.
The sophomore is switching from defensive tackle, where he recorded 20 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks last season, to left offensive tackle.
"I'm liking it now," Hargis said of his new position. "I still need to work on my blocking, but I think I'm getting better every day, and I'm feeling comfortable with it."
Hargis said that it was Erickson's idea to make the switch, but that he knew it was coming based on what he heard from people around him.
Hargis was open to the change and put on a little bit of weight — he said about five pounds — in order to get ready for the o-line duties.
Getting his kicks
The reigning Lou Groza Award Winner, sophomore kicker Thomas Weber picked up right where he left off last season.
He took his first attempts against a defense Thursday and made all seven of his tries.
Injury update
Two wide receivers, McGaha and senior Nate Kimbrough, have suffered minor injuries so far.
McGaha just had a tight muscle in his leg, Erickson said, and was still a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Erickson said Kimbrough "nicked" his hamstring and that he'll hopefully be back next week.
Reach the reporter at: samuel.good@asu.edu.
