ASU’s maniacal man in middle

CAMP TONTOZONA - For Morris Wooten, playing middle linebacker for Arizona State is an anomaly of sorts — the more in control of his responsibilities he feels, the more out of control he can be on the field.

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During fall practice, the junior-college transfer has performed solidly, but quietly, a departure from his spring-practice goal of “developing into a maniac on defense” for the Sun Devils.

However, Wooten insists that he is biding his time and growing more aware of his role in ASU’s scheme. Every practice, every film session, he is growing more comfortable.

Soon, he promises, the maniac will be unleashed.

“I’m learning the defense, getting more familiar and running around more,” said Wooten, a Glendale Community College product and National Junior College Athletic Association Region 1 defensive player of the year in 2006.

“The better I understand the defense, the more free I’ll be to run around. It’s coming.”

The 6-foot-1, 237-pound Wooten joined the Sun Devils in the spring — he orally committed to West Virginia, then signed with ASU after Dennis Erickson was hired as coach — and was immediately tabbed the first-team middle linebacker.

Wooten has fit the mold of a defensive stopper, with sideline-to-sideline speed and ability to shed blockers and find the ball carrier.

“Tons of energy, tons of energy,” safety Josh Barrett said. “Morris is a guy you can count on to do what it takes to get things done. He personifies a middle linebacker perfectly. The fans are going to have a lot of fun watching him while he’s here.”

Wooten is often compared to Dale Robinson, a former ASU middle linebacker who was the Pac-10’s co-defensive player of the year in 2005.

The two have a similar physical build and playing style, and both have taken the same career route. Before arriving at ASU, where he was nicknamed “Manimal,” Robinson starred at GCC.

“Dale Robinson is a guy I have great respect for,” Wooten said. “I watched him play at ASU, and I know what he went through to achieve what he did. What he’s done shows me that if I work hard, I can accomplish the same things.”

The system implemented by defensive coordinator Craig Bray puts a premium on aggressiveness, speed and instinct. Wooten feels the playbook is tailored to his strengths.

“Being a student of Coach Bray’s, you have to be a student of the game,” Wooten said. “This summer, the linebackers took time together and watched a lot of film. We graded ourselves and our plays, and that really helped me a lot in terms of understanding my mistakes.”

Being with the Sun Devils during spring practice was invaluable work for Wooten. He got a jump on the fall and has learned the scheme — the challenge during camp has been applying that knowledge into his on-field decisions.

“Morris wants to get better, and after a practice, he’s always asking what he did wrong and what he needs to do to get better,” Erickson said. “That’s the kind of attitude you have to have. I really like him, and I can’t imagine this team without him.”

Wooten is the centerpiece of a unit that typically includes senior Robert James at weakside linebacker and sophomore Travis Goethel on the strong side.

“We’re getting in the flow of things out there, getting a little swagger,” Wooten said. “We walk around with our heads up and ready to get after it. We know that we can rely on each other.”

Getting comfortable, so to speak.

And when Wooten reaches the point where he loses control on the field, Barrett indicated that the rest of the Sun Devil defense will be close by, following its maniacal man in the middle every step of the way.

“He won’t back down from anything,” Barrett said. “He’s a leader where you can stand next to him and say, ‘OK, we’re ready.’ ”

SCOUTING REPORT: LINEBACKERS

Arizona State is blessed with a deep group of linebackers that figure to play a lot this season, even if it is not on defense. Good LBs are invaluable on special teams, and coach Dennis Erickson said that the Sun Devils will use many of them in the kicking game.

“We have six or seven linebackers that are going to play a lot,” Erickson said. “And those guys are great on kick protection and kick coverage, so we’ll use them a lot in that aspect.”

The projected first-stringers are Morris Wooten in the middle, Robert James on the weak side and Travis Goethel at strong-side LB. Ryan McFoy can spell Goethel when ASU feels it needs more speed at the position.

Mike Nixon, Gerald Munns and Jeff Bereuter have been solid during camp.