Upcoming ASU Freshman A Sneaky Pick to Start Games

Four letters. Four stars.

Tight end AJ Ia is ready to prove to the world that he’s the next big thing to come out of Tempe.

And it has the opportunity to happen sooner rather than later. With Ia already enrolled at Arizona State, he’s had the opportunity to be with the Sun Devils, learn the schemes, and build chemistry with his teammates.

Not only that, the tight end room in Tempe is barren.

Currently, the starting tight end job is Chamon Metayer’s to lose. And given how he has settled into a leadership role, it’s hard to imagine that Metayer’s leash is going to be short.

Behind Metayer, it looks like redshirt freshman Jayden Fortier will be ready to go after an ACL injury, and neither Khamari Anderson nor Cameron Harpole seem likely to challenge Ia.

But that gives younger players like Ia the chance to earn reps as a secondary option and blossom into a bigger role in his second year.

What’s truly impressive is that Ia is an athlete at heart. On top of football, he also competed in track and played basketball.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports analyzed his game and believed he had the tools to be a high-end pass catcher.

“Smooth route runner, very good hands and body control and can catch a variety of balls including deep balls over his shoulder, crossers and 50-50 balls. Needs to continue to improve his top-end speed but does play with some suddenness in his game.”

But the one part that may separate him from the pack is his willingness to block. Blocking has become somewhat of a lost art, and you need to be a different kind of breed to excel at it.

Tight ends don’t make it far in football unless they either:

1) Produce so well that their lack of blocking can be overlooked

2) Have an aptitude and a desire to block

Biggins goes on to say,

“Willing blocker who can put a guy on his back and has the kind of toughness and edge you have to have to excel at the next level.”

The edge that he brings may just be enough to convince coach Kenny Dillingham that he needs to see the field more often.

SI’s Arizona State beat reporter Kevin Hicks even sees an opportunity for Ia to play — even if Metayer shows up.

“AJ Ia is another name to watch — the 6'6" athlete out of California is behind Chamon Metayer on the tight end depth chart, but he could simply prove to be too talented to be left off of the field.”

One thing is for sure: Ia adds a new dynamic to Arizona State’s offense. Since it’s likely that Dillingham will want to emphasize the run more, the need for hefty blocking will be paramount.

That’s where Ia comes in. He won’t even need designed plays to make an impact. But if he proves that he can be valuable without the ball in his hands, ASU might just have a star on its hands.

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