To understand how badly John Kenny wants to play linebacker at the Division I level, consider the sacrifices he has made:
Kenny, who’s from Carmel, Indiana, left the Midwest to attend Arizona. He transferred from Iowa to the UA knowing he would have to sit out last season. And he chose to do so despite having to pay his own way.
The move appears to be paying off.
Kenny, a redshirt junior, is working behind DeAndre’ Miller at outside linebacker, where depth is at a premium. Kenny is expected to contribute on both defense and special teams this season.
“I just felt like I needed something new,” Kenny said Thursday. “It was one of those things in life where you make a decision. I put a lot of thought into it, obviously.”
Kenny already was familiar with Arizona. The UA was among the first schools to recruit him out of Carmel High School. Special teams coach Charlie Ragle and former defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel led the pursuit.
“I loved it here,” Kenny said. “I thought it was just too far away.”
So Kenny went to Iowa, where he redshirted as a freshman. The team moved him to fullback in 2014 when injuries struck at that position. He played in 11 games, including two starts, and caught four passes for 27 yards.
But Kenny didn’t see himself as a fullback. Even after moving back to linebacker in the spring of 2015, “things didn’t really work out like I thought they were going to,” Kenny said.
So like countless Americans before him, Kenny came West to pursue his dreams. Even if it meant sitting out for the second time in three seasons.
“That was a tough year for me,” Kenny said. “Not playing at Iowa, then not playing here, just missing the whole routine. It just made me hungrier in the offseason.”
UA coach Rich Rodriguez described Kenny as “a tough guy that’s got some athleticism.” Kenny lettered in lacrosse and ice hockey in high school and said the latter was actually his best sport. (His family has a chocolate Lab named Crosby, after playoff MVP Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.)
Now Kenny is focused on one sport, one position and one goal: to earn significant playing time.
“He is getting better every day,” said defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, who also coaches Arizona’s linebackers. “He’s working hard and learning the system.”
If he continues on that path, Kenny could be one of the lucky walk-ons to earn a scholarship. Rodriguez typically awards a handful to deserving candidates around this time of year.
“I’m just doing everything I can do,” Kenny said.
Let’s play two?
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly announced Wednesday that he would use two quarterbacks in the team’s opener against Texas. DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire have performed too well for one to sit on the bench.
Would Rodriguez consider doing that with Anu Solomon and Brandon Dawkins, who are competing to be Arizona’s starting quarterback?
“Good for Brian,” Rodriguez said. “Yeah, I’d play both guys. I like Brian. He’s a good friend of mine. I’m not following Notre Dame. We don’t play them. But yeah, if we’ve got two guys ready to win with, we’ll play two of them. If we’ve got three, we’ll play three. Pretty simple.”
Rodriguez often used Jerrard Randall as a change-of-pace quarterback last season. He appeared in 11 games.
But Randall’s limited skill set made him more suited to that role. Although Dawkins is considered a better runner than Solomon, Dawkins’ ability to make big plays with his arm is just as big a reason he’s challenging for the starting job.
Even Kelly has acknowledged that going with a two-QB system can be risky, citing last year’s Ohio State team as an example.
Rodriguez has said he probably won’t announce a starting quarterback until just before kickoff of the Sept. 3 opener against BYU.
Cougar Town
Although University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale is almost 500 miles closer to the UA than to BYU, the Cougars might have more fans in attendance for the Cactus Kickoff game.
“Ticket sales on the Arizona side of University of Phoenix Stadium are on the rise, but we still have some ground to make up on our BYU counterparts,” UA athletic director Greg Byrne wrote in his weekly “Wildcat Wednesday” blog post.
“It’s time for Arizona fans to rally. This game is extremely important for the growth of our football program. It can help us increase our profile across the landscape of college football and could also be a nice boost in recruiting.”
Tickets for the neutral-site game, which begins at 7:30 p.m., range in price from $25-$150. The UA is providing roundtrip bus transportation for $30 per person.
Extra points
- Arizona freshman safety Gavin Robertson participated in the open portion of practice Thursday morning. He missed time last week because of an undisclosed injury.
- Defensive lineman Calvin Allen (undisclosed) remained out.
- Rodriguez said freshmen Jalen Cochran (6-2, 225) and Francisco Nelson (6-2, 215) have the long, athletic body type Arizona is looking for at the new outside linebacker-defensive end hybrid position. They need to get stronger but “they’ve both got really good futures here,” Rodriguez said.
- Rodriguez said redshirt freshman receiver Darick Holmes Jr. has been more productive and committed in camp. “We challenged him,” Rodriguez said. “He was kind of in the doghouse a little bit.”
- Redshirt senior Aiulua Fanene is firmly in the mix at nose tackle. He’s up to 315 pounds after playing at around 290 last season. “We need big bodies, and he’s that,” Rodriguez said. “He’s every bit of that.”
- The Wildcats worked out in full pads during the first half of the final two-a-day of training camp. Arizona will practice in shorts Friday and have a scrimmage on Saturday. Rodriguez is aiming to run 100-plus plays.
