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Rodney Bimage Jr. just needed a little more time.
The redshirt freshman defensive back from Arizona State University graduated early from Dickinson High School in Texas last year and joined the Sun Devils for spring practice. While his former classmates were gearing up for prom, Bimage was in Tempe trying to learn a new playbook and prepare for college football.
Despite being only a few months removed from high school, Bimage made an impression in spring ball, catching the eye of defensive coordinator Brian Ward.
“He was here as a true freshman and got to go through spring with us,” said Ward.
Bimage played in the first and third games of the 2024 ASU season, suiting up for the home opener against Wyoming and on the road against Texas State. But with a room filled with defensive backs and a mountain of pages to still nail down, Bimage used a redshirt season to preserve his eligibility.
He still was eligible to come back for the postseason since he only appeared in three regular season games, the third being Arizona. ASU then faced Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship and Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to close out the year.
This spring, Bimage is again impressing as he tries to solidify himself at the top of the depth chart for ASU.
“Now, he's had another really good spring for being a redshirt freshman, a guy we really think can contend for that starting rotation, or a guy that can play a lot of snaps for us,” Ward said. “Really, really pleased about his future and his continued growth.”
Defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington helped recruit Bimage. While every coach always wants their players to see the field, Carrington thinks the year off was valuable for Bimage.
Bimage himself said diving into the playbook is one of the areas he improved the most with his redshirt season.
“We were able to afford him a redshirt last year, which was huge for him to still be a freshman this year and playing like a veteran,” Carrington said. “The sky is the limit for him. Can't wait to see what he does this fall.”
There is no official depth chart with the first game against Northern Arizona University still months away, but spring practice unveils layers and paints a picture of what the team could look like come the fall.
Bimage, alongside Keith Abney II, has been one of the players seeing time at starting cornerback so far in 2025. His coaches are high on him.
“He has been able to take a majority of the one reps this spring and he has shown he belongs,” Carrington said. “He has a lot of stamina, a lot of endurance, trains hard. Kind of like a prize fighter from a stamina standpoint. He never gets tired. You see him in drills and he's out here working hard, still enthusiastic and animated, with a smile on his face. He's a rare breed.”
Bimage cited other areas, beyond the playbook, where he set out to improve.
“I (met) some of my goals coming into this year,” Bimage said. “To be aggressive, no busted coverage, have good technique. My man too — in press, I used to be all over the place. But now I’m real techincal. Just patient.”
A majority of ASU’s starters from 2024 returning for this upcoming season, one of the positions that saw a major departure was defensive backs with Shamari Simmons now gone.
Simmons was not only a leader in the defensive back room, but the whole team as well. He was one of the few players selected for the Pat Tillman Leadership Council in the first year of the new initiative launched by coach Kenny Dillingham. Simmons taught Bimage some valuable lessons on and off the field, like being vocal and checking in on your teammates.
“It’s a big loss,” Bimage said. “But we all played together for a long time. We got good chemistry. Everybody’s coming back for this year. We just got good chemistry out there. We’ll be able to work with anything.”
One of the focal points for Dillingham this spring has been trying to get the team to forget about the past. There’s no denying how special last season was. But Dillingham knows that the longer a team rests on its laurels, the more vulnerable it becomes.
It’s one of the reasons why he purposely decided to blast Queen’s “We Are The Champions” on a loop to start the very first day of spring practice. The decision even prompted some of his players to respond when talking to the media. It’s become clear that the message is getting through to the whole team.
“Coach Dilly, every time we are in a team meeting, he reminds us, ‘Last year was last year,’” Bimage said. “What happened last year don’t matter. We’re in a new year.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU DB Rodney Bimage Jr. steps up in spring ball
Continue reading...
The redshirt freshman defensive back from Arizona State University graduated early from Dickinson High School in Texas last year and joined the Sun Devils for spring practice. While his former classmates were gearing up for prom, Bimage was in Tempe trying to learn a new playbook and prepare for college football.
Despite being only a few months removed from high school, Bimage made an impression in spring ball, catching the eye of defensive coordinator Brian Ward.
“He was here as a true freshman and got to go through spring with us,” said Ward.
Bimage played in the first and third games of the 2024 ASU season, suiting up for the home opener against Wyoming and on the road against Texas State. But with a room filled with defensive backs and a mountain of pages to still nail down, Bimage used a redshirt season to preserve his eligibility.
He still was eligible to come back for the postseason since he only appeared in three regular season games, the third being Arizona. ASU then faced Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship and Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to close out the year.
This spring, Bimage is again impressing as he tries to solidify himself at the top of the depth chart for ASU.
“Now, he's had another really good spring for being a redshirt freshman, a guy we really think can contend for that starting rotation, or a guy that can play a lot of snaps for us,” Ward said. “Really, really pleased about his future and his continued growth.”
Defensive backs coach Bryan Carrington helped recruit Bimage. While every coach always wants their players to see the field, Carrington thinks the year off was valuable for Bimage.
Bimage himself said diving into the playbook is one of the areas he improved the most with his redshirt season.
“We were able to afford him a redshirt last year, which was huge for him to still be a freshman this year and playing like a veteran,” Carrington said. “The sky is the limit for him. Can't wait to see what he does this fall.”
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There is no official depth chart with the first game against Northern Arizona University still months away, but spring practice unveils layers and paints a picture of what the team could look like come the fall.
Bimage, alongside Keith Abney II, has been one of the players seeing time at starting cornerback so far in 2025. His coaches are high on him.
“He has been able to take a majority of the one reps this spring and he has shown he belongs,” Carrington said. “He has a lot of stamina, a lot of endurance, trains hard. Kind of like a prize fighter from a stamina standpoint. He never gets tired. You see him in drills and he's out here working hard, still enthusiastic and animated, with a smile on his face. He's a rare breed.”
Bimage cited other areas, beyond the playbook, where he set out to improve.
“I (met) some of my goals coming into this year,” Bimage said. “To be aggressive, no busted coverage, have good technique. My man too — in press, I used to be all over the place. But now I’m real techincal. Just patient.”
A majority of ASU’s starters from 2024 returning for this upcoming season, one of the positions that saw a major departure was defensive backs with Shamari Simmons now gone.
Simmons was not only a leader in the defensive back room, but the whole team as well. He was one of the few players selected for the Pat Tillman Leadership Council in the first year of the new initiative launched by coach Kenny Dillingham. Simmons taught Bimage some valuable lessons on and off the field, like being vocal and checking in on your teammates.
“It’s a big loss,” Bimage said. “But we all played together for a long time. We got good chemistry. Everybody’s coming back for this year. We just got good chemistry out there. We’ll be able to work with anything.”
One of the focal points for Dillingham this spring has been trying to get the team to forget about the past. There’s no denying how special last season was. But Dillingham knows that the longer a team rests on its laurels, the more vulnerable it becomes.
It’s one of the reasons why he purposely decided to blast Queen’s “We Are The Champions” on a loop to start the very first day of spring practice. The decision even prompted some of his players to respond when talking to the media. It’s become clear that the message is getting through to the whole team.
“Coach Dilly, every time we are in a team meeting, he reminds us, ‘Last year was last year,’” Bimage said. “What happened last year don’t matter. We’re in a new year.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU DB Rodney Bimage Jr. steps up in spring ball
Continue reading...
