It’s that time of year.
The college football regular season concluded, and with bowl season on the horizon, players with NFL aspirations weigh their options: play in the bowl game and risk injury, which would affect the combine and Pro Day leading up to draft day, or play it safe, sit out of the bowl game and turn the focus to draft prep.
Decisions, decisions.
However, there are exceptions. The College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six games are marquee matchups on a national platform that help boost draft stock.
The red-hot Arizona Wildcats prepare for their first bowl game in six years after ending the season on a six-game winning streak, but “there’s probably going to be one, maybe two guys that don’t play in the bowl game due to either NFL circumstances or injury, whatever it might be,” said head coach Jedd Fisch.
“If you’re a first-rounder, I could see it. I could see not playing in it,” he said. “Other than that, I think most guys will play in it. It’s an opportunity to showcase your skill one more time.”
Arizona has a potential first-round draft choice in left tackle Jordan Morgan, who has the fourth-highest pass-blocking grade (89.9) nationally by tackles with a minimum of 700 snaps played this season. Morgan and Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing are committed to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, in February.
Following a strong senior campaign, Morgan, who started all 12 games this season after returning from a season-ending knee injury in 2022, is projected as a possible first-rounder for April’s NFL Draft in Detroit. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has Morgan as the 24th-best overall prospect entering the draft. Morgan could become the first UA offensive lineman drafted in the first round since John Fina in 1992.
Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing (2) celebrates his touchdown catch at USC with teammate Montana Lemonious-Craig during the first half of the Wildcats’ matchup in Los Angeles on Oct. 7.
Cowing, who leads the Pac-12 in receptions (83) for a second straight season, is fifth all-time in program history in catches and could be a Day 2 selection. Cowing and Morgan conceivably could’ve declared for the NFL Draft last year but opted to return for their final year at Arizona.
Players like Morgan and Cowing will “have to take a little cost-benefit analysis,” Fisch said.
“I think some people take a step back. We’ve talked to a couple guys about it. Most guys I’m expecting to play,” he said. “It’s everybody’s choice, but this is a big-time we’re going to. ... If Oregon and Washington both make the College Football Playoff, then I assume we’ll probably play in the Fiesta (Bowl), otherwise I assume we’ll be in the Alamo Bowl or something to that effect.
“That’s what it looks like and those are big-time games. You’ve got a chance to be in a special game and if that’s the case, then I expect most guys would want to be in it.”
Arizona running back Stevie Rocker Jr. (23) runs past Southern California linebacker Ralen Goforth during the Oct. 30, 2021, matchup with the Trojans in Los Angeles.
Fisch expects quiet transfer portal period
The nearly month-long transfer portal period will begin on Monday and end on Jan. 2.
Arizona’s first transfer-portal departure this season is running back Tucson native Stevie Rocker, who signed with the Wildcats in 2021 and played in 11 games as a true freshman but fell behind Michael Wiley, Jonah Coleman, DJ Williams and Rayshon Luke on the depth chart. Rocker announced his departure from the program Monday night.
The former Canyon del Oro High School star likely won’t be the last UA scholarship player to enter the transfer portal, but Fisch doesn’t “necessarily believe a lot of our guys will want to enter the portal.”
“I’m sure there’s going to be a couple that either don’t envision themselves being able to become a starter here or don’t envision them becoming a No. 2 on the depth chart here and want to do that somewhere else,” Fisch said. “There’s other guys that may seek an opportunity elsewhere due to circumstances beyond our control, but I don’t necessarily envision a lot of guys coming to me these next couple weeks, but I’m sure there will be some surprises.”
Fisch recently said on the “Move the Sticks” podcast that retaining players has become “a big challenge” for Arizona’s coaches.
“It’s disappointing in a lot of ways and what I think needs to happen is people who have left your program, you need to see how they’ve done,” Fisch said.
The trio of cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, defensive tackle Kyon Barrs and wide receiver Dorian Singer were starters who transferred to USC. Trojans quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams was impressed with Singer’s performance against USC in Tucson, when he logged seven catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
USC wide receiver Dorian Singer (15) takes a minute on the Trojans’ sideline during their eventual 42-28 win over Arizona State on Sept. 23 in Tempe.
“He made a bunch of great catches, and I looked over at one of our coaches and said ‘After this season, are we gonna go get him?’” said Williams at Pac-12 Media Day.
After 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns at Arizona last season, Singer posted 23 catches for 276 yards and three touchdowns at USC. Roland-Wallace had 37 tackles in the regular season, the fewest for him since the truncated 2020 season. Barrs had 13 tackles this season after combining for 72 in his last two seasons at Arizona.
Here’s more of what Fisch had to say on “Move the Sticks”:
On players leaving after good seasons: “’Why would you want to leave if you’re good? You want to leave if you’re good because someone is offering you more money.
“That’s the only reason why you would want to leave if you’re good. What happens is you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You don’t know where you’re going to go.”
On the known vs. the unknown: “You don’t know what it’s going to look like. Next thing you know you make a decision for one year’s of college money versus a 10-year NFL career path possibly. If you’re good, but not great, you’re not really a retention issue; you’re going to be retained. If you’re poor, then that’s an evaluation issue.’
“I wish those kids just took a step back and say, ‘For what? One year? Why are they coming after me? Because I’m doing great here?’ ‘So how about do great again?’”
On NFL dreams vs. realities: I’ve said the unique part about us at Arizona is I coached in the NFL for 14 years. So when college coaches tell you, ‘We’re going to help you get to the NFL.’
“The answer is, ‘How do you know? You’ve never sat in a draft room.’
“When we talk to these kids, I keep telling them, ‘If you think going to another school and being less productive is going to help you get drafted, you are wrong.
“You are wrong, no matter what your uncle is telling you, no matter what your cousin is telling you, you’re wrong.”
On exposure at Arizona: “I promise, all 32 (NFL) scouts will come through Arizona. ‘There’s no doubt in my mind we will have 32 eyes on you — plus, plus, plus. So be good.’”
Extra points
Arizona stayed put at No. 15 in the College Football Playoff Rankings that were unveiled on Tuesday. Georgia was No. 1, followed by Michigan, Washington, Florida State, Oregon and Ohio State.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week for his school-record 527-yard, five-touchdown performance in the Wildcats’ Territorial Cup win on Saturday.
Fisch said Arizona’s initial postseason practices will be “heavily focused on the young players on our roster, and a huge focus on how good we can get these guys, how much we can improve over that time.” The two weeks leading up to the bowl game will be “Super Bowl prep” Said Fisch: “We’ll have four or five practices that’ll all be about fundamentals, young guys and getting the young guys better, improving. Then we’ll have what ends up being eight practices and 13 days of meetings and whatnot of all about the game.”
Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch held a news conference this week and discussed the Wildcats ending the regular season 9-3, bowl game prep, coaching contracts and increasing the salary pool, transfer portal and potential bowl opt-outs, among other topics. Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star
