At times, Isaiah Hayes said, he felt as if he were in a haze.
He felt detached. He felt discouraged. He wondered: Why me?
The Arizona Wildcats safety missed all of last season because of a shoulder injury. It was a major letdown. The previous year, as a freshman, Hayes had started seven games and finished sixth on the team in tackles. Now he was just an observer.
“You work so hard during the offseason and put in so much time,” Hayes said Tuesday. “You feel like all your hard work was for nothing.”
Hayes came to realize he had two choices: He could view his year off from football as a positive or a negative. He selected the former. Now he views that time away as one of the best things that could have happened to him.
“I felt like I grew tremendously,” Hayes said. “There were some days I would get down on myself and I’d be angry with the process because it’d be taking a long time. But I felt like it helped me.
“Mentally, physically and spiritually, I just transformed as a player. I wouldn’t even say I regret getting that injury. I’m actually glad it happened. It helped me more than it hurt me.”
Hayes spoke to the media for the first time since the 2017 offseason, four days before his return to the field in Arizona’s opener against BYU. In between, he gained muscle and perspective.
The 6-foot redshirt sophomore now weighs 195 pounds. He was in the low 160s when he enrolled in January 2016, in the 170s when he played that fall.
Hayes appreciates the opportunity that’s in front of him. He is expected to play a significant role at free safety, whether as a starter or coming off the bench.
UA coach Kevin Sumlin hadn’t released a depth chart as of Tuesday. Hayes isn’t sweating it.
“I don’t really focus in on the depth chart,” he said. “I just go out there and … work on what I can to better the team and better those around me. Everything else, God’s gonna handle.”
Hayes had a shoulder issue when he arrived in Tucson, forcing him to miss some practice time during his first spring. It didn’t prevent him from appearing in 11 of 12 games that season, when he recorded 38 tackles, including 2.5 for losses.
But as the 2017 season approached, the shoulder got worse. On Sept. 28, Hayes had season-ending surgery.
Rehab isn’t fun. Being away from your teammates and the game you love isn’t either.
Hayes wouldn’t have gotten through it without help from his family, friends and teammates, including fellow defensive backs Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Sammy Morrison, Malcolm Holland, Tristan Cooper and Lorenzo Burns. The latter two are Hayes’ roommates, along with tailback J.J. Taylor.
Morrison, Burns and Taylor have missed entire seasons, or significant chunks of them, because of injuries. So has veteran receiver Cedric Peterson, who missed the last month of 2016. Peterson checked in with Hayes periodically to see if he was OK.
“I was just making sure his head was on right,” Peterson said. “When you have a season-ending injury like that, people tend to go into the tank. My main thing was just to make sure he was still focused, still going to meetings and still staying involved with the team. … When you’re injured, you just kind of get pushed to the side.”
Hayes emerged with a stronger body, a tougher mind, a higher football IQ and a renewed sense of spirit. While he appreciated the support he received from others, Hayes spent a lot of time alone.
“A lot of time saying my prayers,” he said, “channeling good energy, positive energy. It’s good to have your mental (side) right in those times of distress and discouragement.”
Hayes was fully cleared in May. He is playing without any hesitancy — a nice change when you’ve waited so long.
“I spent all that time working for this moment,” Hayes said. “It’s just 100 miles per hour, going full speed.
“I’ve got the jitters out. I’ve hit with my shoulder. I’m 100 percent healthy, and I’m just glad to be back out there on the field.”
Gary Brightwell said he hopes to play Saturday against BYU following a season in which he was used sparingly. Brightwell played mostly on special teams in Rich Rodriguez’s last year.
Bright spot
Sophomore tailback Gary Brightwell isn’t sure what his exact role will be Saturday night.
“I haven’t heard much about it,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll play.”
Forgive Brightwell’s modesty. He’s had a longer journey than most to get to where he is now: a co-starring role with Taylor in Arizona’s backfield.
Brightwell has been a bright spot this offseason, consistently earning praise from the new coaching staff. After spending last season as a slot receiver and special-teamer — and never touching the ball in a game — Brightwell is expected to play a prominent role.
Not bad for a lightly recruited athlete who endured a challenging childhood in Chester, Pennsylvania.
“Growing up in Chester was hard for me,” Brightwell said. “Being here, being in this atmosphere, I’ve experienced a lot of things. I don’t have to worry about my life anymore. I can just play football and have fun and stay in my books.”
Brightwell is majoring in education and said he’d like to be a mentor or coach someday, perhaps in his hometown. He left Chester before his senior year of high school to play for St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Despite earning first-team all-state accolades in Maryland, Brightwell had only one Division I scholarship offer, from Temple, before Arizona swooped in on signing day.
Did it upset him to be overlooked?
“I wasn’t upset at all,” Brightwell said. “You can have the most offers in the world, but you can only pick one at the end of the day.”
Brightwell appears to have made a sound choice. The current staff didn’t recruit him, but Brightwell’s all-around ability — including natural receiving skills — makes him an ideal fit for Noel Mazzone’s offense. The coordinator singled out Brightwell during training camp.
“What he might like about me best is that I like to work,” Brightwell said. “He sees the potential in me. Now that he sees it, I just have to perfect my (craft) and do what he wants me to do.”
Extra points
- Multiple players mentioned receiver Stanley Berryhill III as a summer standout. Berryhill, who’s from Tucson, received a scholarship earlier this month.
- The Wildcats were scheduled to practice in full pads Tuesday evening. All in-season practices are closed to the media.
