'Continuity' has Arizona Wildcats hopeful for 2023 football season

LAS VEGAS — In a hazy room at Zouk Nightclub, Arizona boss Jedd Fisch was different amongst his head-coaching colleagues at Pac-12 Media Day pm Friday morning.

Rather than taking questions from Pac-12 Network analysts Yogi Roth and Ashley Adamson, Fisch, donning a checkered navy blue suit with a Cardinal red pocket square, stood behind a neighboring podium, normally occupied by a press conference moderator, on stage and previewed his third year with the Wildcats.

Fisch’s 5½-minute soliloquy touched on a plethora of topics, including returning 10 of 11 on-field coaches from last season, in-state recruiting, community service and excelling in the classroom, Wildcats on preseason watch lists and the return of several second-year stars.

“We’ve got some great players and great coaches. What I’m most excited about is the continuity that we have in our program,” Fisch said.

About that continuity. Developing it wasn’t an overnight task. Following Arizona’s 1-11 season during Fisch’s first year at the helm in 2021, the Wildcats bolstered its offense by signing notable transfers such as quarterback Jayden de Laura, wide receiver Jacob Cowing, tight end Tanner McLachlan, and married them with standout freshman in receiver Tetairoa McMillan and offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, along with veterans like left tackle Jordan Morgan, running back Michael Wiley and then-UA receiver Dorian Singer, who’s now at USC.

The UA elevated its offense to the sixth-best passing unit in college football and averaged 6.83 yards per play overall — 11th in FBS. Arizona returns nine of its 11 starters on offense.

However, the Wildcats ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in rushing yards allowed per game (209.1); Arizona surrendered 300-plus yards on the ground thrice last season.

This past winter and spring, seven of the eight transfer portal additions were front-six defenders: Linebackers Justin Flowe (Oregon) and Daniel Heimuli (Arizona), edge rushers Orin Patu (Cal) and Taylor Upshaw (Colorado), and defensive tackles Tyler Manoa (UCLA), Bill Norton (Georgia) and Sio Nofoagatoto’a (Indiana).

Plus, the Wildcats return several defenders who earned snaps as true freshmen, including linebacker Jacob Manu (a one-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week), defensive end and former Arizona state sack leader Russell Davis, defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and cornerback Ephesians Prysock, among others. In pinches, more so in the second half of the season, Arizona had a defensive line of all true freshmen.

“We felt if we didn’t get good on offense, we were never going to be able to recruit defense,” Fisch said. “No one was going to want to come to a team that couldn’t score.”

Added Fisch: “For us, it was a matter of saying, ‘OK, now that the offense is in a good place, what can we do defensively?’ In that case, what we did was we committed to both the portal and playing young.”

Remember continuity? For the first time since the 2019 season, the Wildcats are returning their defensive coordinator, Johnny Nansen. Since the 2017 season, Arizona has had five defensive coordinators.

“We’re going to have Coach Nansen for his second year in a row, and our defense is really going to benefit from that,” Fisch said.

Arizona starting nickel back Treydan Stukes, who was dubbed the Wildcats’ “defensive captain” on Friday, said, “it feels really nice to be in the same system.”

“I feel very comfortable, even switching positions. The continuity can only benefit us as a defensive unit. Obviously with the newer guys, they’re going to learn it and there’s guys that can help them learn it, because we’ve been in the system for two years now, so it should be pretty good.”

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Stukes said “the sky is the limit” for the Wildcats after settling into Nansen’s 4-2-5 scheme and signing transfers that have “brought some attitude to our defense that we haven’t had in the past.”

“We had some personnel changes, so we’ve got some great players in there on the defense,” he said. “It’ll just be trusting the process, buying into your job and doing it well.”

The spring practice period left de Laura and others believing Arizona is “moving in the right direction,” but there’s still plenty of room to improve on a 5-7 season (obviously).

“We still have a long way to go. ... Overall throughout the summer, we’ve all gotten better as a team,” Arizona’s star quarterback said.

Now the Wildcats potentially have the framework to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in six years.

“The team of ’23 is really different,” Fisch said. “It’s different than it’s been since I’ve been here.”

Later said Fisch: “I would say this: When it’s all said and done, we’re never going to be recognized from preseason honors. Doesn’t matter what people think now. Talking season is over. Football season is going to begin. I really believe in what we say to our players: Show up early, work hard, stay late, have a plan, deliver on your promises, respect the process, admit your mistakes, tell the truth, and embrace the grind.

“If we do that, I believe we’ll earn it and win every day.”

Extra points

Stukes, the former walk-on and Phoenix-area native, changed his jersey number from 20 to 2 in honor of his father, who was a star at Pacific.

Fisch, on de Laura’s growth as Arizona’s quarterback: “I think he should be great, and I’d be very disappointed if he’s not. We were the only team in the Pac-12 (last season) that brought in a transfer and didn’t have experience with that quarterback before. ... For us, this was brand new. Every experience was a new experience; this year, it’s not going to be. ...

“So, I’m hopeful that Jayden has grown, matured. ... If he knows our offense as well as I think he should, I think we should have more success than we had.”

Fisch confirmed on Friday that Savaiinaea will move from guard to right tackle this season. Said Fisch: “If he can play as well at guard as he did at tackle, this kid will be a 15-year NFL player. Him and Jordan (Morgan) will be able to do a heck of a job protecting Jayden. We sort of like to throw the ball in Tucson, so if we can protect that quarterback, it’s going to give us a great chance.”