Ballhawk safety Isaiah Taylor 'more of a leader' for Arizona football; freshman Genesis Smith 'not soft'

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who relished Arizona’s season-ending victory over rival Arizona State to win the Territorial Cup more than Chuck Cecil.

The legendary UA defensive back and current safeties coach — who had arguably the greatest play in Arizona football history when he returned an interception 106 yards for a touchdown against ASU in 1986 — was asked after the Wildcats’ scrimmage Saturday about beating the Sun Devils for the first time since 2016.

The words ASU, Sun Devils or Tempe are apparently not a part of Cecil’s vocabulary.

“Who? ... Oh, the ‘Scummies.’ How was that for me? Are you kidding me? It was great,” Cecil said. “To me, it was a great send-off to a lot of our older players as they departed, just from the fact that they’ve never done that before. That feeling, it was a great way to end the season.”

One of Cecil’s pupils, redshirt sophomore safety Isaiah Taylor, collected a career-high nine tackles and made the game-sealing interception — the first of his UA career — in the Territorial Cup triumph. Taylor’s performance against ASU, which capped his 11-game, 40-tackle season, served as a launching pad to potentially take over the starting free safety role.

“It was great. Of course it was a huge shock in the moment,” Taylor said. “So far, it’s a huge growing point for me. It’s not really something that’s going to be the highlight of my career, I’m planning on making highlights this year.”

Taylor, the 5-11, 200-pound safety from national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has emerged as a likely starter at free safety for the Wildcats this fall, after mostly playing behind Jaxen Turner, who transferred UNLV, the last two seasons.

“Now I’m the guy people are learning from, just kind of teaching Genesis (Smith) and (Martell) Irby and all of those guys around me, and helping any way I can,” Taylor said.

Cecil said Taylor, the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Jason Taylor, “is doing great for us” this spring.

“He’s just being a leader for us and getting guys lined up. And again, you can never do that too much, you could never talk too much, especially at the safety position,” Cecil said. “You’ve got to run the show and basically make everything right, keep it in front of us, and he’s been doing that.

“Obviously he’s given up a few plays here and there’s things he’s learning from as well, and there’s always room to improve, but he’s definitely stepped up a little bit to become more of a leader.”

Taylor is among the top interceptors this spring, a category the Wildcats ranked last in the Pac-12 in 2022 with just four.

“We have a big mindset on energy and turnovers. It’s a big thing we have as a defensive staff,” Taylor said.

Both safety spots have been among the most competitive position battles in spring practice. Taylor has consistently started at free safety, with Dalton Johnson and Gunner Maldonado alternating reps at strong safety, which was left vacant by Christian Young, who is preparing for the NFL draft. The Taylor-Johnson tandem was common in Arizona’s defense at the start of spring, but the Wildcats have experimented with a Taylor-Maldonado duo in the first group of their team period.

Junior DJ Warnell, who is among the handful of former UCLA Bruins who followed defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen to Arizona, has also been among the top safeties this spring. Warnell had an interception and fumble recovery in Arizona’s second scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium. Warnell ascended the Wildcats’ depth chart last season due to his efforts on punt and kickoff coverage.

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“If you’re a guy that’s on the fringe and you’re looking to make a mark in terms of the defensive depth chart and offensive depth chart, the beauty of special teams is it’s offensive and defensive concepts, you just add 30 yards to it,” said Arizona tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jordan Paopao.

“A guy like DJ, you see him make a bunch of big-time plays right here and it gets his confidence (going), because he gets on the field and utilizes a lot of his playmaking abilities.”

Safety remains one of the most competitive groups this spring, but Cecil isn’t rushing to make any decision regarding starters any time soon.

“They determine that, I don’t,” Cecil said. “(If) I like them personally, whether I don’t like them, whether I do like them, it’s pretty irrelevant; it’s whichever guy plays the best, is the one that’s going to play and perform. It’s show me, don’t tell me. I could not give two ding-dongs — I could try less, I just don’t know how, if you tell me how good you are. But if you put it on tape, that’s who you are.

“The best guys are going to play. That’s not a top secret in our room. It’s that simple. Show me, don’t tell me. Put it on tape, and our guys have done a lot of great things during spring ball, and there’s a big learning curve. ... There’s still long ways to go. September is a few months away.”

Genesis Smith ‘not soft, good with contact’

Smith, a true freshman who starred at Chandler Hamilton High School, is one of the Wildcats’ top play-making newcomers this spring. Smith intercepted starting quarterback Jayden de Laura to end the Wildcats’ first scrimmage at Arizona Stadium. Smith’s 6-2, 190-pound frame, long hair sitting at the top of his shoulder pads and No. 12 jersey number is akin to former Mike Stoops-era UA standout and Tucson native Adam Hall.

“He can make big-time plays in big-time games for us,” Taylor said of Smith.

Arizona edge rusher Russell Davis II, who was teammates with Smith at Hamilton, said “Genesis is a really athletic, tall, fast safety and he has a great IQ and is a ballhawk.”

When Arizona recruited Smith, Cecil noticed his “his decision-making and movement skills; a combination of the two.”

“When he went somewhere, he went with a purpose, and that was a thing that stood out to me,” Cecil said. “He’s not soft. He’s good with contact. And that works for me.”

Extra points

Cecil, on Duane Akina joining Arizona’s coaching staff as a senior defensive analyst: “It’s fantastic. I’m still learning from him, and all he’s going to do is make us better, and that’s all you can ask, not only for the secondary but as a defensive unit — and to be totally honest with you, as a team. He’s a great addition, happy he’s here and very excited.”

Cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine, a redshirt freshman from Miami, had a pick-six during Arizona’s scrimmage on Saturday. Celestine, nicknamed “G7,” returned to practice two weeks ago after he was sidelined for a lower body injury. Celestine is also receiving reps at punt returner this spring.