Who’s here: Khalil Tate (6-2, 215, JR), K’Hari Lane (6-1, 245, RS FR), Rhett Rodriguez (6-0, 186, SO), Andrew Tovar (6-2, 169, RS FR)
Who’s coming: Kevin Doyle (6-3, 210, FR), Jamarye Joiner (6-2, 200, FR)
The big question: Who will emerge as Tate’s primary backup?
If Tate remains healthy and continues to improve, it’s reasonable to assume Arizona will be competitive in every game it plays this season. If he gets hurt and misses any significant chunk of time, well, things will get interesting.
With Brandon Dawkins announcing that he will transfer after graduating in May — and the possibility of Rodriguez following suit — the Wildcats face the prospect of not having a single QB on the roster with college experience except Tate. It’s entirely possible that Doyle or Joiner will leapfrog Lane (and/or Rodriguez) in training camp. Ideally, Lane will be the one making the leap this spring, earning the trust of the coaching staff and establishing himself as the clear No. 2. Tate probably won’t run quite as much under Sumlin and new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. But the dynamic junior still will run, and he’s never been one to shy away from contact.
Whether it comes into focus by the end of spring or the end of training camp, Arizona needs to have a backup plan.