Arizona has a depth charge at running back this spring

Rich Rodriguez has been as clear as the bright, blue February sky about spring practice: No jobs will be decided. No depth chart will be formulated.

But the Arizona Wildcats coach has some specific personnel objectives for spring ball, which resumes with practice No. 3 on Saturday. They include finding a sufficient supply of trustworthy running backs.

Junior Nick Wilson enters 2016 as the returning starter. Wilson has been extremely productive in his first two seasons, rushing for 2,111 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 5.7-yards-per-carry average. He also has been susceptible to injuries, missing four games and parts of others last season.

Given Wilson’s history, the physical demands of the position and the departure of leading rusher Jared Baker, it’s imperative that the Wildcats develop depth at tailback.

“What we want is to have at least three guys that we feel like we can win with,” Rodriguez said. “We have a proven guy in Nick when he’s healthy. Orlando Bradford is going to be a proven guy; Zach Green, when he gets in shape. But we’re looking for a couple more.”

Bradford and Green were third and fourth on the depth chart last season. Bradford finished his freshman year with 208 yards, including 83 against Oregon State and 61 in the season-ending New Mexico Bowl, when Wilson was unavailable and Baker had to exit late because of an injury.

“When Jared went out,” Bradford said last week, “I felt like I just had to come in and make plays for the team.”

Asked to describe his running style, the 5-foot-8-inch, 206-pound Bradford said: “I like to be aggressive. I like contact.”

In the bowl game, he gained critical yards running inside against a New Mexico defense expecting the run. Bradford’s effort impressed the teammate who needs to have someone he can trust standing beside him in the backfield.

“Just relentless,” quarterback Anu Solomon said of Bradford. “He just gave it everything that he has.”

Other candidates for the tailback rotation include junior Tyrell Johnson, who also plays slot receiver; incoming freshman J.J. Taylor; and redshirt freshman Branden Leon, a walk-on who excelled at football and track at Estrella Foothills in Goodyear.

Byrne backs RichRod’s moves

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Rodriguez consulted UA athletic director Greg Byrne while overhauling the defensive coaching staff. But the final decisions were Rodriguez’s to make, Byrne told the Star.

“Philosophically, across the board, if I don’t have the belief in the head coach to manage their staff — and that includes sometimes dismissing them and hiring staff — then we’ve got the wrong head coach,” Byrne said. “I really think the decisions he’s made with the staff moving forward are going to be really good for Arizona football both on and off the field.”

Byrne said he was proud of Rodriguez for making difficult but necessary moves. The coaches he dismissed — Jeff Casteel, David Lockwood and Bill Kirelawich — were friends and longtime colleagues.

“That’s hard to do,” Byrne said. “You’re dealing with relationships and people you’ve worked with for many, many years.”

Rodriguez told Byrne that one of the biggest drivers behind the changes was beefing up recruiting. That trend continued with the recent addition of Chris Singletary as director of recruiting.

“I think the hires he made are going to position us, in the West especially, to get some doors open,” Byrne said.

Keen on Walker

Freshman offensive tackle Keenan Walker looks the part. The Scottsdale Chaparral graduate is listed at 6-5, 283 pounds. He moves well, despite a surgically repaired knee that forced him to delay his enrollment until January.

“We haven’t put on pads yet,” offensive line coach Jim Michalczik said. “Honestly, I don’t like talking about freshmen a whole lot until they’ve done something.”

Still, Michalczik couldn’t help notice Walker’s size, athleticism and quickness during the first two spring practices. Rodriguez sees the same raw materials. Now it’s just a matter of molding them, a process delayed by the torn ACL that Walker suffered in January 2015.

“He’s got all the stuff that you want,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a big, athletic guy. He’s got a nastiness and a physicalness to him.

“He’s learning. He’s going to have some growing pains this spring and this summer. But we like what we’ve seen thus far.”