The partnership between play-caller and quarterback has to be rooted in trust. It sounds like Arizona State’s first-year offensive coordinator, Glenn Thomas, is doing everything he can to build up the relationship with first-year ASU quarterback Emory Jones.

That duo will go a long way in determining how much success the Sun Devils have in 2022. ASU won eight games a season ago, but after so much change this offseason, there are major questions about the program’s ability to match or build on that success. Things looked dire earlier in the spring before Jones committed to transfer from Florida to Arizona State, and last week, he was named the starter.

As Thomas looks to get Jones ready for the new year, he’s calling on Jones’ past experience at Florida.

“There’s a couple plays that I have taken from Florida that I really liked and feel comfortable with that we put in our playbook and we’ve been running,” Jones said over the weekend, according to Devils Digest’s Cole Topham.

Thomas also told Topham they’ve been trying to make Jones as comfortable as possible.

“Obviously, he has some background in a different scheme, a lot of success with the scheme,” Thomas said, per Topham. “So I’ve picked his brain with some stuff that he’s liked and — probably more important — that he feels comfortable with, right? We want to put plays in front of him that he feels comfortable with. So, you know, obviously, if you had some success with certain types of schemes, then you have a comfort level. So I’ve definitely tried to utilize that.

“We’ve had those conversations. And not only that but just even coaching points as far as technique that he might prefer than something that I’ve taught in years past. And we’ve kind of talked through that. You know, ‘Hey, I like this footwork versus this footwork or this drop or this read.’ And we’ve talked through that, trying to just create a comfort level and what he feels … best with.”

Jones threw for 2,734 yards and 19 touchdowns last season with the Gators. He also ran for 759 yards and an additional four scores. That playmaking ability — both on-script and off — was a major differentiator between Jones and the rest of the Sun Devil quarterbacks.

Thomas is looking to harness that ability as best he can. Finding ways to keep Jones in his comfort zone should go a long way toward making this partnership effective.