A little after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Arizona Wildcats burst out of the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center. They gleefully sprinted onto the Dick Tomey Practice Fields as “Crank That” by Soulja Boy filled the air.
Football was back in Tucson, if only for a day. Arizona conducted its first spring practice on a warm, sunny afternoon. The Wildcats won’t return to the field again until March 15 following the UA’s spring break.
Wednesday’s sneak peek provided an instructive introduction to a different-looking team. Here are 10 notes and observations from spring practice No. 1:
* The warmup lines usually are the first order of business after the players run onto the field. This time, they were preceded by a truncated edition of the “Haka.” Offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea led the ritual, a bold move indicative of natural leadership skills for a true freshman who’s expected to have an immediate impact.
* With Josh Baker (pectoral) out for spring practice, and Davis DiVall absent because of what Jedd Fisch termed “personal issues,” this was the first-team offensive line from left to right: Jordan Morgan, Leif Magnuson, JT Hand, Josh Donovan and Paiton Fears. Morgan appears to be in great shape after struggling to play through injuries last season.
* The first-team defense featured a handful of surprises. Gunner Maldonado started at the nickel position. JB Brown worked at defensive tackle with Kyon Barrs (foot), Tiaoalii Savea (illness) and Dion Wilson Jr. (undisclosed) not participating. And Ammon Allen opened at middle linebacker with Malik Reed working through a minor hamstring injury. Allen, a redshirt freshman, is an interesting prospect. A high school safety, he worked at the hybrid “Viper” position in Don Brown’s defense last year. Now the 6-3 Allen weighs 207 pounds (up from 194). He has a projectable frame, and it isn’t difficult to envision him adding another 15 pounds of muscle.
* Depth remains a concern on both lines. But it’s important to keep things in perspective. The team will be overly cautious with any injury in spring, and more players (especially on the defensive line) are due to arrive in summer. Fisch said freshman offensive tackle Jacob Reece could get to campus before spring ball is over.
* The two QB newcomers both had their moments. Transfer Jayden de Laura looked a little hesitant during 7-on-7, not an unexpected development given that he’s learning a new system. But de Laura showed a lively arm and good touch on deep passes – traits that were readily evident during his two seasons at Washington State. Freshman Noah Fifita misfired on a handful of throws but finished practice with a flourish, connecting with Jacob Cowing on a deep ball and with Tetairoa McMillan (his high school teammate) on a deep comeback.
* The first set of receivers were Dorian Singer (now wearing No. 5), Anthony Simpson and Ma’jon Wright. Newcomers McMillan and Cowing started off with the second team. It’s only a matter of time before they ascend to the starting lineup. McMillan, the four-star recruit from Southern California, was the most impressive player on the field, making a series of acrobatic sideline catches.
* Wright, who excelled on the scout team last year, had a bit of an up-and-down day. He made some tough catches in traffic but also got stripped by Treydan Stukes during 7-on-7. Stukes had an excellent practice, notching a pair of pass breakups during 11-on-11. The former walk-on from the Phoenix area, who had a promising freshman season, looks the part of a starting Pac-12 cornerback.
* Freshman tailback Jonah Coleman is a human bowling ball. He’s listed at 5-8, 216, and has massive thighs. He showed the ability to get to the edge during 11-on-11 play, and it’ll be fascinating to see defenders try to tackle him once Arizona puts the pads on.
* The Wildcats ran a drill in the “short red zone” (inside the 10) in which quarterbacks threw fade passes to the corner. The main objective for the receivers – and defensive backs – was to locate the ball. The red zone will be a major point of emphasis throughout the offseason after last year’s struggles.
* Several players have changed numbers. The most jarring change: Walk-on quarterback Brayden Zermeno is now wearing No. 14. The last QB to wear that number was Khalil Tate. It was a strange sight.
