Two key members of the Arizona Wildcats will miss spring practice after undergoing foot surgeries.
Defensive tackle Kyon Barrs and receiver Jamarye Joiner will miss spring ball, which starts Wednesday, UA coach Jedd Fisch announced.
Both underwent surgery Tuesday in Los Angeles.
βWe needed to get it done now,β Fisch said. βThat will enable us to be full go for the first day of training camp.β
Barrs, who will be a fourth-year junior in the fall, made All-Pac-12 second team last season after recording 33 tackles and a team-leading five sacks. He appeared in 10 games, including seven starts.
Barrs had been wearing a walking boot on his right foot for precautionary reasons. It was then determined he had a stress fracture, prompting the need for surgery.
Joiner, who will be a fifth-year junior, has had two previous surgeries on the same foot. The first took place in spring 2020, the second after spring practice last year. Joiner, who attended Cienega High School, missed most of training camp and the start of the β21 season. The foot never healed properly, forcing him to undergo another procedure.
Joiner split time between receiver and quarterback in 2021. He caught four passes for 48 yards; rushed for 67 yards and one touchdown; and completed 4 of 10 passes for 89 yards and two scores.
About that schedule ...
Fisch explained the advantages of Arizonaβs unusual spring schedule.
After practicing Wednesday, the Wildcats wonβt return to the field again until March 15. Theyβll be off the entirety of the UAβs spring break.
But by having one practice this week, the coaches are able to spend 20 hours with the players instead of the standard offseason amount of eight. The Wildcats also will get extra time for strength and conditioning after practice concludes with the spring game April 9.
βWe get an extra week at the front end,β Fisch said, βand then we get an extra week of conditioning on the back end.β
Fisch said the schedule wonβt be changed because of the menβs and womenβs NCAA basketball tournaments β with one possible exception.
βIf we are playing on Saturday, April 2, we will not be practicing on Saturday, April 2, at the same time, that I can promise you,β Fisch said.
The football team is scheduled to scrimmage at 7 p.m. that day, which is also the date of the menβs Final Four semifinals.
Extra points
Linebacker Jerry Roberts, who broke his leg in the next-to-last game of the season, will be a limited participant at the start of spring but could be full go by late March. Returnee Malik Reed and newcomer Anthony Solomon are expected to take the first snaps at linebacker in Arizonaβs base 4-2-5 defense.
Hunter Echols, a transfer from USC, will play at the βCatβ defensive end position, Fisch said.
Quarterbacks Jordan McCloud and Gunner Cruz, who both missed the second half of the season, are expected to be full participants. McCloud is coming back from knee and ankle injuries, Cruz from an injured thumb. Theyβre two of six quarterbacks on the roster.
Young players to watch in spring, per Fisch, include defensive end Jason Harris and receiver AJ Jones. Harris, who transferred from Colorado last year, has added good weight and should be a factor in the D-line rotation. Jones, a freshman who enrolled in January, has stood out so far in the classroom and weight room, Fisch said.
Another player to keep an eye on is cornerback Treydan Stukes, a former walk-on who became a starter down the stretch as a second-year freshman last season. βThat kid is as talented of a corner for someone so young as Iβve seen,β Fisch said.
Offensive lineman Davis DiVall will not participate Wednesday because of what Fisch termed βpersonal issues.β DiVallβs status for the rest of spring is TBD.
Arizona has 22 new players this spring and will add 19 more for training camp, Fisch said.
Tight ends coach Jordan Paopao also will serve as the Wildcatsβ primary special-teams coach.
