Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward recently got back into coaching. Over the weekend, he was hired as the wide receivers coach at Arizona State. Ward was on the field working with his room at a recent spring practice session, and he earned some praise from his new co-workers, including head coach Kenny Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s gonna challenge those guys to get the best out of them every single day because that’s who he is in everything he does. I have no doubt in my mind he’s gonna bring the intensity, the note-taking, the attention to detail cause that’s who he is. And at the end of the day, every player is a reflection of their coach. So what that room’s gonna look like is hopefully a reflection of him,” Dillingham said via The Walter Cronkite Sports Network
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said similar about Ward and added that he “couldn’t be more fired up” to have Ward on staff.
Ward is still considered one of the greatest blocking receivers of all time. In the clip, he’s working with wide receiver Jordyn Tyson on his blocking technique after practice. Tyson said that Ward has a “lot of small tips and tricks” that Ward can give him to help set him apart.
It’s not Ward’s first rodeo on the coaching circuit, as he got his first head coaching opportunity in the XFL last season, leading the San Antonio Brahmas. Previously, he served as the wide receivers coach at Florida Atlantic and was a coaching intern for the Steelers and an assistant wide receivers coach with the New York Jets. Arizona State is a step up from Florida Atlantic, but the experience of coaching and working with college kids should help make Ward’s transition seamless, even after a year at the professional level.
Dillingham and Arroyo seem to think that Ward, who beat out candidates that included former New England Patriots WR Troy Brown, will be a major asset to the ASU program. It seems his work is already paying off with Tyson, who the report said also had multiple touchdown catches on the day. But Ward can also help make him and others into more well-rounded receivers, and his coaching and playing experience should help when it comes to finding ways to elevate the ASU wide receiver room.
