As strange as it sounds, Arizonaβs recruiting might not be any worse off today than it was a year ago.
Despite not having a head coach in place, the UA signed 14 players Wednesday. Thatβs two more than last year, when Kevin Sumlin had just completed his second season.
Sumlin was fired Saturday, one day after Arizona lost to rival Arizona State 70-7. The program will take a school-record 12-game losing streak into next season.
Sumlinβs dismissal prompted some recruits to decommit. Others said they will wait to see who the new coach is before signing with Arizona β or someone else β in early February.
But 14 is still an impressive total, all things considered, and it could grow in the coming days. (The early signing period runs through Friday.) Itβs a reflection not only of the recruitsβ loyalty to their new school but of the diligence and professionalism of the staffers who remain on the payroll for the time being.
βIt was unnerving at times,β said one of the signees, offensive lineman JT Hand of Mission Viejo, California. βBut Iβm excited at the same time to see thereβs going to be some change in the program.β
After the early signing period last year, the UA padded its 2020 class. The Wildcats added two graduate transfers and signed six more players in February. The circumstances have changed this year with a new staff coming in, but thereβs plenty of time and opportunity to expand the class.
Arizona can take as many as 28 players for 2021. The transfer market should be robust, especially with the NCAA expected to make permanent the waiver that was granted Wednesday giving every Division I athlete a βfreeβ one-time transfer.
Arizona also conceivably could lose some players who signed Wednesday. The UA is not expected to block anyone from leaving should they object to the new coaching staff.
Only two skill-position players signed Wednesday: tailback Stevie Rocker of Canyon del Oro High School and tight end Colby Powers of Spring, Texas. But Arizona still was able to address most of its pressing needs, adding four defensive backs, three offensive linemen, three linebackers and two defensive linemen.
βI want a hardcore coachβ
Every player has his own reasons for committing, decommitting or signing a letter of intent. Hand and linebacker DJ Fryar had different experiences before coming to the same conclusion Wednesday.
Hand has been all-in on the Wildcats since the day they offered him. His father, Bryan, played at Arizona under Dick Tomey. They have family in Tucson, which JT described as his βsecond home.β
βIβve been waiting for Arizona ever since I was a little kid,β Hand said. βNow that itβs coming true, itβs pretty crazy. Iβm so set on being out there. Itβs a dream come true.β
Hand said he and his father had a feeling Sumlin was in trouble, especially after the ASU game. Hand is hopeful that offensive line coach Kyle DeVan will be retained. Hand has wanted to play for DeVan since meeting him at a camp as a sophomore.
βHeβs young. Heβs energetic. He has NFL coaching experience,β Hand said. βNot only could he make our team successful, but he could get me to the next level.β
And what is Hand looking for in the next head coach?
βI want a hardcore coach thatβs used to winning and knows how to get us to championships but also incorporates alumni,β Hand said. βI know thatβs been an issue the last couple years; I know theyβve been shut out a little bit.
βAnd a coach with an Arizona background, where theyβve got something to lose, their heartβs in it.β
Fryar, whoβs from Steilacoom, Washington, said heβs looking for a βfamily-type relationshipβ with the new coach.
βBeing able to talk about everything, things I need help with,β Fryar said. βBeing able to have a family talk.β
Fryar felt anxious in the wake of Sumlinβs firing; the three-star prospect wasnβt sure heβd still have his UA offer. But once he talked to defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, Fryar felt confident that everything would work out β that heβd βstill have a chance to play at the school and have a free education.β
Rhoads couldnβt provide any assurances that heβll still be around when Fryar arrives on campus.
βWe both really donβt know,β Fryar said. βIf he does stay, heβs happy to have me. If he doesnβt, he knows Iβll be left in great hands with a great organization.β
Bottom line
Another factor to consider when thinking about who the next Arizona coach will be: The UA pays on the low end when it comes to compensating assistants.
USA Today this week released its annual survey of Power Five assistant coachesβ salaries. The publication was able to gather data on 48 of 65 schools. Arizona ranked last among those 48 for the 2020 season.
USA Today calculated the total wages for the 10 assistant coaches on each staff. Arizona came in at just under $3.07 million. Three of the bottom four are Pac-12 schools. Oregon State is No. 45 at $3.37 million; Colorado is No. 47 at $3.32 million.
Washington pays the most among public Pac-12 schools. (Private schools Stanford and USC are not included in USA Todayβs database). The Huskies pay $5.06 million, which ranks 16th. Arizona State ranks fifth among Pac-12 schools and 35th overall at $3.70 million.
Itβs more likely than not that the majority of Arizonaβs assistants wonβt be retained by the new head coach. Coordinators Rhoads ($750,000) and Noel Mazzone ($600,000) are the highest paid among them. Outside linebackers coach Andy Buh is next at $375,000. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer is last at $185,000.
Sumlinβs contract included an assistant-coach salary pool of $3.40 million per fiscal year.
Every UA assistant took a pandemic reduction this year. Those cuts ranged from $82,083 for Rhoads to $17,055 for Springer. Without the reductions, the salaries for Arizonaβs assistants would have totaled $3.43 million.
USA Today also surveyed strength coaches in the Power Five Conferences. Arizona ranks last there as well among 49 schools. Brian Johnsonβs 2020 salary is $175,000.
