3. Is freshman quarterback Khalil Tate ready to push for playing time?
Tate is definitely the most intriguing player to watch in spring practice. Although Arizona appears to be set at the position with incumbent Anu Solomon and promising backup Brandon Dawkins, Tate possesses a skill set that could force some alterations to the QB depth chart.
If, that is, he is far enough along to warrant real playing time. The product of Junipero Serra High in Gardena, California, is considered extremely talented but raw. The coaching staff won’t overburden him mentally, at least at the outset.
“More than anything, it’s fundamentally being able to do the things we require of our quarterbacks,” Rodriguez said. “That’s the thing that we’ll see with Khalil this spring. Coach (Rod) Smith will teach him some of the things that you have to have to be a successful quarterback, and we’ll see if he can execute that.
“He’ll learn the plays and the schemes as we go along. That’s not nearly as important as the fundamental part that we teach and he learns this spring.”
