• Rodriguez said freshman quarterback K’Hari Lane came to Arizona “completely out of shape” at about 250 pounds. Rodriguez would like him to get down to the 225 range eventually.
• Rodriguez mentioned the need for a program-wide sense of urgency. He detected a drop-off after Arizona’s 10-4 season in 2014, when the Wildcats won the Pac-12 South and played in the Fiesta Bowl. Regarding his status on the proverbial hot seat, Rodriguez said cooling it down is simple: “All you’ve gotta do is win.”
• Rodriguez described the incoming recruiting class as the best he’s had since coming to Arizona, and he expects as many as 25 newcomers to play.
• Rodriguez acknowledged that not recruiting the state of Texas before this offseason “was a mistake.” The Wildcats currently have two verbal commitments from Texas for 2018.
• Rodriguez said freshman Tony Fields II is “the most athletic linebacker we’ve got.” Fields, who enrolled in January, is expected to play this season and conceivably could start.
• Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said the conference will utilize a new “centralized replay officiating command center” at the league office in San Francisco this season. The command center will assist with replay decisions.
• Scott announced an extension with Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, to continue to host the Pac-12 Championship Game through 2019. The deal includes an option for 2020. New NFL stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas are expected to open in ’20 and could be candidates to host the game.
• The Pac-12 will experiment with a shorter game format during non-conference home games on Pac-12 Networks. The changes include fewer commercial breaks and a 15-minute halftime.
