Top newcomers to look for as Arizona Wildcats begin spring football practice

By Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star

It's finally here. The Kevin Sumlin era at Arizona will officially start on Monday as the Wildcats begin its first day of spring football practice. 

Despite the national splash of exposure from the rise of Khalil Tate, the Wildcats lost four of its final five games topped with a loss to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl. Arizona returns seven defensive starters and Heisman Tropy hopeful in Tate, plus several other weapons on offense.

While Arizona remains young and will utilize familiar names from a year ago, there's always room to add depth especially for the Cats, which have dealt with their fair share of injuries over the years. And in a 12-game season, injuries will happen.

While most of the players from the 2018 recruiting class are finishing up their final semester of high school, some graduated early and enrolled to Arizona in the spring semester. And even though Arizona returns a plethora of young talent, many that redshirted last season will also look to have an immediate impact in the upcoming season.

From early enrollees, to junior college transfers, take a look at newcomers that could have a major impact for the Wildcats this season and beyond. 

Position: Wide receiver

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Height: 6-3

Weight: 203 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: At Sabino High School, Dixon had the Swiss Army Knife role. Some games he'd play quarterback, others wide receiver and running back, and sometimes he'd play all three. He also played defensive back and was a punt return specialist. At Arizona, Dixon is a wide receiver and is lengthy. As one of the tallest receivers on roster, Dixon could have a role this season if he performs well in the spring and summer. 

Highlights: 

Position: Safety

Hometown: Long Beach, California

Height: 6-2

Weight: 192 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: Bell is a hard-hitting safety that has the body to play at a high level in the Pac-12. Last year, Bell's high school coach Bruce Rollinson told the Star that Bell is a "raw talent" and has "speed and gears like we've never seen around here." Safety is the deepest position for the Wildcats this season, but Bell could breakthrough if everything said about him shows in practice.  

Highlights: 

Position: Offensive tackle

Hometown: Traverse City, Michigan

Height: 6-5

Weight: 330 pounds

Year: Redshirt sophomore

2017 status: Transferred from Michigan State prior to last season

Quick hit: Lukusa nearly hung up the cleats and originally planned to attend Arizona Western Junior College in Yuma to pursue basketball, per Detroit Free Press. Lukusa has a legitimate shot at starting at right tackle for the Wildcats if new offensive line coach Joe Gilbert keeps Layth Friekh at left tackle. Lukusa is the heaviest offensive lineman on the roster by 12 pounds along with a 6-foot-5 frame. If he can stay healthy, he could be a force for the offensive line. 

Highlights: 

Position: Offensive line

Hometown: Las Vegas

Height: 6-5

Weight: 293 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: With Gerhard de Beer, Jacob Alsadek and Christian Boettcher gone, Burrola has a chance to be a starter this season. 

Highlights: 

Position: Corner back

Hometown: Las Vegas

Height: 6-0

Weight: 170 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: On his recruiting visit to Arizona with Tony Fields II, the two were walking when a car struck Hausman, which caused him to tear his ACL and LCL. Due to injuries from the accident, Hausman missed his senior season at Bishop Gorman and freshman year at Arizona.  

Highlights: 

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Sacramento, California

Height: 6-5

Weight: 315 pounds

Year: Redshirt junior

2017 status: City College of San Francisco

Quick hit: Johnson played at Sacramento State before playing a year at the junior college level. He selected the Wildcats over UNLV and Rutgers. 

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: Montezuma, Georgia

Height: 6-1

Weight: 245 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: As a senior at Macon County High School, Lane set the Georgia state record for most passing touchdowns, a list that includes Cam Newton and Deshaun Watson.   

Highlights: 

Position: Edge rusher

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Height: 6-2

Weight: 240 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: Ramirez is one of two players from Florida left on the team. A year ago, there were seven players from Florida including running back Zach Green, Tyrell Johnson and Zach Benjamin. Ramirez's high school (Auburndale) uses the block A as its logo. Ramirez plays a style similarly to Oakland Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack. Look for him to possibly switch plays with sophomore Kylan Wilborn. 

Highlights: 

Position: Safety

Hometown: Los Angeles

Height: 6-0

Weight: 184 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: Decommitted from UCLA and played in the Polynesian All-American Bowl as a senior at Cathedral High School. 

Highlights: 

Position: Defensive end

Hometown: Tempe, Arizona

Height: 6-4

Weight: 220 pounds

Year: Redshirt freshman

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: After a year with the program, he could make his way into the rotation as third-down pass rusher. Johnson doesn't have imposing weight as a defensive end, but he's quick to the quarterback, lengthy and athletic. At Tempe High, he still holds the all-time sack record. Johnson is also a historic figure in college sports after last year when he became the first openly gay scholarship football player in division-one history. 

Highlights: 

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Calabasas, California

Height: 6-4

Weight: 320

Year: Freshman

2017 status: High school

Quick hit: Irving is one of few early enrollees for the Wildcats this season, and adds much-needed size to the interior defensive line. The question is: how ready is Irving for the next level? If Irving doesn't show that he's ready to contribute right away, at least he will have the extra semester for weight lifting, training and adjusting to new d-line coach Iona Uiagalelei.

Position: Offensive line

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Height: 6-6

Weight: 300 pounds

Year: Freshman

2017 status: High school

Quick hit: Another early enrollee, Watson was born to be a Wildcat. His mother, Laura Espinoza-Watson, was a UA softball legend and holds the single-season home run record. His father, also named David, played offensive line for the Cats in the mid-1990s.

Highlights: 

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Mission Hills, California

Height: 6-1

Weight: 330 pounds

Year: Redshirt junior

2017 status: Redshirt

Quick hit: Had an offseason knee procedure 2017 and was unable to play last season, after transferring from the College of the Canyon. Taufahema is a big body, and adds depth to the interior, but has a few concerns moving forward. Can he stay healthy? Can he move for being a 300-plus lineman? Will he play more if Marcel Yates switches to a more traditional 4-3 defense and if so, can he stay in shape? If Taufahema can answer all of those questions yes, then keep an eye on him for next season. 

Highlights: